Into the Woods Jr. as year-end musical

There are a variety of reasons Visionary College is mounting the transformative Into the Woods Jr. as its year-end musical.

After all, composer Stephen Sondheim (Sweeney Todd) practically revolutionized 20th century American musical theatre. He is also the last survivor of an art form that has been replaced by a tidal wave of jukebox musicals now prevalent on Broadway.

Essentially there is no one quite like Sondheim, a composer that has mastered the art form of fusing a book with music. And in Into the Woods Jr., with book by James Lapine, he loses none of his edge.

“He’s the best lyricist I know, the best craftsman. There’s so much depth, it allows musicians such as myself to sit down and devour the score like a meal,” says director Curtis Labelle.

Into the Woods Jr. is a cockamamie and at times hilarious view on the Brothers Grimm favourite fairytale characters.

In pretzel-like fashion, this engaging musical comedy twists familiar fairytales into a completely new story. After the baker and his wife learn the witch has cursed them with childlessness, they embark on a quest to find special objects needed to break the enchantment.

Along the way, they meet Cinderella, who wishes to attend the king’s festival, and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. All the characters from Rapunzel to Little Red Riding Hood wish for something and it slowly becomes evident that major questions raised involve consequences from the characters’ actions. In short, “Be careful what you wish for.”

Many people from professional reviewers to community theatre directors such as Labelle have labelled Sondheim as a “genius.” And there is a general agreement that the music he wrote for Into the Woods combined with Lapine’s witty, sad and uplifting book is a complex work on multiple levels.

Sondheim has never dumbed-down a score to appease popular tastes. In fact, they are generally some of the most complicated Broadway has produced.

However, for the junior version of Into the Woods, the sophisticated score has been adapted to make it easier to sing – although it still challenges the teen singers from 12 to 17 years. A 12-piece orchestra accompanies the young singers.

Labelle is particularly pleased with the avant-garde set and distinctive props and costumes that painstakingly were designed and created since rehearsals began last September.

One of the more interesting characters is Milky White, Jack’s cow. Constructed in Ken Johnson’s garage, Milky White is a three-dimensional creation built from papier mâché, wood and chicken wire.

“There was so much discussion building it. Was it too big? Was it too small?” laughs Labelle.

The period costumes are all sewn from scratch with an authentic feel. For instance, Rapunzel’s 22-foot wig is a blend of hair and dyed yarn.

“And the baker’s pants are traditional men’s pants worn in the 1800s with a flap at the front and a flap at the back.”

For Labelle, Into the Woods Jr. is similar to a prism. It distorts and clarifies the universal morals within.

As a huge booster of children’s theatre he adds, “The respect and calibre of the Visionary’s musical theatre is growing. It’s also important in community theatre we continue to grow and support young kids. They work their butts off to create magic. Come and see their growth, their intelligence, their smarts.”

Into the Woods Jr. runs May 9-10 at L’Uni Théâtre in La CitĂ© Francophone. Tickets are available through both Tix on the Square and Visionary College.