Story About "Into the Woods"

My pal Dave Lavender has a great story about next weekend's production of Into the Woods in today's edition of the Herald-Dispatch. You can read it right here - or right here:

Huntington City Hall is a land of make believe, twisted fairy tales and lessons in what happens when things go wrong.

That's no comment on the mayor or council, just a clue of what's happening upstairs at City Hall in the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium.

The First Stage Theatre Company is getting ready to tackle the deliciously dark and funny Stephen Sondheim musical, Into the Woods, which puts a moral-teaching twist on tales from Cinderella to Little Red Riding Hood.

This family-friendly, yet sophisticated, musical not often tackled by children's theater, opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, and runs at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22.

Tickets are $12 and $10 children 12 and under.


With the theme of "somebody's been messing with our fairy tales," Into the Woods was written by two of Broadway's best. Music and lyrics are by the legendary Sondheim (Sweeney Todd and Assassins) and the book is by James Lapine, who also directed this show on Broadway and who collaborated with Sondheim on Passion and Sunday in the Park with George, for which he won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Sondheim and Lapine present a skewed view of everyone's favorite fairytale characters such as "Cinderella," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Rapunzel" and "Jack," who climbed the beanstalk.

The musical, which won three Tony Awards when it was on Broadway in 1987, follows the baker and his wife (played by Cabell Midland High School seniors Eric Newfeld and Sarah Hayes) as they learn they've been cursed with childlessness by the Witch (Huntington High senior Maggie Saunders) next door.

They embark on a quest for the special objects (like Red Riding Hood's cape) required to break the spell, swindling, deceiving and stealing from Cinderella, Little Red, Rapunzel and Jack.

While there is a junior or children's version of the show that cuts off after the first act with everyone living happily ever after, First Stage decided to take on the original version whose second half delves into "the rest of the story." Is marrying a prince all it is cracked up to be? What do you do when there's a dead giant in your yard?

Director Mary Smirl, who is co-directing with her husband, veteran actor Tommy Smirl (who was in First Stage's production of Peter Pan), said there were a lot of discussions internally about whether to do the junior version or not.

"In the junior version, it's Act 1, and Act 1 is great and everything is happy but that doesn't tell the whole story -- that's not life," Mary Smirl said. "In the second act, you learn that you have to be careful what you wish for and that everything you do causes a reaction in the world and it can be a domino effect. You have to be careful what you do and when you break commitments there are consequences. Jack has a dead giant in his yard because he stole. He stole the hen, he stole the gold and the harp and everything happened because somebody went about getting what they wanted in the wrong way."

Mary Smirl, who choreographed Into the Woods when Appalachian Regional Theatre did the show in March 2002 at the Huntington Museum of Art, said they went about doing the adult version of the show in a little different way.

That production only calls for 20 plus actors, but in typical First Stage fashion, there's a small army on stage (50) that range in ages from 5 to 18 and in all shapes and sizes.

Unlike other stage versions, First Stage has little actors bringing to life everything on stage: Flowers, bluebirds and even a whole forest played by 14 children.

"I equate the woods to 'the world,'" Smirl said. "The idea is to be careful when you go into the woods because they move and react and that's been great fun to work with. We have tremendous young people to take part as the trees. They're amazing, and it's not easy being a tree -- especially these trees."

Elaine Young, who is producing her fifth show for First Stage, said the collective is quite impressive.

"It's quite a visual feast on stage," Young said of the kids costumed mostly with Magic Makers professional outfits. "It's really an amazing undertaking. We have a 14-foot-high castle for Rapunzel. It's just a labor of love by this conglomeration of people."

Another First Stage twist is the addition of an alternative scene that Sondheim had written in originally but that was pulled. First Stage put back in the Three Little Pigs and the Wolf.

Mary Smirl, who has choreographed many local productions, said the kids, many of whom have grown up in First Stage shows, love to move so there is more dancing and movement than in the original adult version.

"These kids move so there's a lot of physical stuff and that's been a total treat and a joy," Smirl said. "Working with kids is actually easier then working with adults. Kids are more flexible in everything and more open. You tell a kid it is going to be tough and they'll meet the challenge."

Daniel King, a junior at Nitro High School and member of that school's show choir, said he wanted to challenge himself vocally so he decided to try and do the show, his first.

He plays Cinderella's Prince/Wolf 1, alongside such First Stage veterans as Mary Kate Young (Cinderella), a Huntington St. Joe High School senior who's been in 13 shows.

"My vocal teacher Roger Lucas thought it would be really good for me to sing better and to make a lot of good friends," King said. "I've loved it, every minute of it, working with kids that are outrageously good."

One of the toughest challenges of this show is the two dozen catchy but sometimes complicated songs that work to propel the story.

Ron Neal of Charleston is on board with First Stage for the first time as musical director.

"The vocal demands have been unbelievable and Ron has really challenged the kids," Smirl said. "We continue with these kids to raise the bar and they meet it, then exceed it and go higher."

If you go:

WHAT: First Stage Theatre Company production of the musical Into the Woods

WHERE: Jean C. Stephenson Auditorium (upstairs at Huntington City Hall)

WHEN: The show will run at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13-14, 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22

ABOUT THE SHOW: This is the full version of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and the book by James Lapine. The duo presents a cock-eyed view of everyone's favorite fairytale characters in this hysterical take on the Brothers Grimm. When a baker and his wife learn they've been cursed with childlessness by the witch next door, they embark on a quest for the special objects required to break the spell - swindling, deceiving and stealing from Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Jack (the one who climbed the beanstalk).

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $12 and $10 children 12 and under.

GET TIX: Call 304-416-KIDS for info or 304-733-4909. Tickets sold from 6:30 to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, Nov. 9-12, during tech week at City Hall as well as 1 1/2 hours before each show.

ON THE WEB: Go online at www.firststagetheatre.org.