Head ‘Into the Woods’ With Sondheim, Off the Wall

Off the Wall Theatredirector Dale Gutzman adds some stylish touches while exploring the dark end offairy tales in Stephen Sondheim’s Intothe Woods. The tiny space of the studio theater is split in half. Theaudience sits on the right, and the stage rests on the left. A skyline servesas background as the show fades in with the sounds of a busy city street.Overall, there’s a general feeling of urban decay.

Patrick McGuire entersthe stage on a skateboard as Jack, who will soon head out to sell his belovedcow for some magic beans. Jack wears a black T-shirt featuring the profile of awhite pistol. Lawrence J. Lukasavage, in milkman’s attire, portrays the cow ina largely silent but surprisingly effective performance. Jacqueline Roushappears in a janitor’s jumpsuit as Cinderella; Marilyn White dresses as ahomeless woman for the role of the witch.

Sondheim’s sinister lookat fairy tales slides across the stage with an enjoyable patchwork ofperformances. Roush strikes the perfectly poised demeanor of a traditionalmusical heroine, which contrasts cleverly against the endearing comedy of LizMistele’s cartoonish portrayal of Little Red Riding Hood. Of course, things getmore complicated as the happy endings of the first act begin to shatter at thebeginning of the second act. Little Red was horribly violated by Eric Nelson’s“wolf” (in denim, black leather jacket and werewolf Twilight T-shirt).

Traditional fairy talecharacters collide in a complex interaction that ends in what could bedescribed as a disaster musical. The production carries it quite well, anchoredby a very affecting portrayal of a baker (Christopher Elst) and his wife(Sharon Rise) willing to resort to witchcraft in an effort to conceive a child.

Off the Wall Theatre’sproduction of Into the Woods runsthrough Aug. 8.