YES Theatre's newest production at Sudbury Theatre Centre, Into the Woods, is a modern, inventive retelling of an iconic Stephen Sondheim musical set in the wake of a massive climate disaster.
Director Mitchell Cushman has recontextualized the piece so that it is an urgent interrogation of the climate crisis, artistic director Alessandro Costantini told CTV News in an interview.
In the show, the characters are a group of citizens that arrive at the theatre, which has been designated as a storm shelter, and use well-known fairy tales as a means of grappling with what went wrong. The story examines what happens after the "happily ever after."
"I think for the folks who don't know Into the Woods, it's going to be a really beautiful introduction. For the folks who do know it, it's going to be a radical retelling and for the folks who may not be interested in it … you will be," said Costantini, who also plays The Baker.
The story is a mash-up of characters from many well-known fairy tales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Big, Bag Wolf and wicked witch.
"Seeing all these narratives come together in this really brilliant way, I just think it is completely compelling and very exciting. And yeah, it is something you will have never seen before," Costantini said.
"Essentially, Act 1 is everyone is trying to go get their happily ever after. And then, Act 2 is the ramifications of that, the after happily ever after. So, you get to see, you know, the pages past the end of the book that we know."
Costantini said the show is appropriate for children as it involves fairy tale characters, but it does contain some suggestive action.
AUDIENCE ON STAGE
To give the production a more intimate feel, risers have been built to bring the audience on stage.
"We're using parts of the theatre that have never seen light before. It's sort of this 360, immersive experience," Costantini said.
THE SHOW'S HISTORY
When the show first premiered on Broadway in 1987, it won three Tony Awards including Best Score and Best Book. Joanna Gleason won the award for Best Performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical for her role as the original Baker's Wife.
The 2014 film version directed by Rob Marshall and starring half a dozen big-name actors -- Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine and Johnny Dep – won three Academy Awards.
Streep won the 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role' Oscar for her role as the Witch. The movie also won awards for costume and production design.
OPENS SEPT. 16
The YES & STC co-production runs from Sept. 16 to Oct. 9
