In the current wake of stage revivals and movie musicals with blockbuster names, there is one gem that stands out for stripping down the spectacle and focusing on art of storytelling. Fiasco Theatre Company's reimagining of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods shows Fiasco's commitment to being tellers of stories. Stripped of special effects, flying scenery, a large orchestra and a large cast, this Into the Woods seeks out the simple and the clever to ignite the imagination. Each cast member assumes multiple roles; with a quick slip of a prop or addition of a piece of wardrobe a new character is born. Brilliantly using a cast of ten, directors Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld spin the tale by moving characters and sets in myriad patterns to take us into the woods.
Purists of the original production will find a reduction in production size but not value. An intelligent, fanciful set by Derek McLane and clever sensible lighting by Christopher Akerlind give time and space to the proceedings, whisking the audience to the various locations and even conjuring a Giant to be reckoned with. Whitney Locher's wardrobe is simple and unobtrusive, delineating each character clearly as the cast navigates from character to character, sometimes in an instant.
The ensemble cast is just that, an ensemble. In addition to performing the characters, the players themselves are the orchestra, from time to time picking up an instrument to enhance the front-and-center piano, played, more than ably, by Mike Castle, who is also the music director. In such a skillful cast there is no specific star turn because all are stars in a company that, in the end, stand hand in hand for well deserved applause for a well-played Herculean effort.
The intimacy of this Into the Woods at the Laura Pels Theatre allows us to care for each character as they navigate their intertwining lives and find that no matter what happens, when times get hard, we need one another and cannot do it alone. Fiasco brings a feel of theater at home, giving us a way to connect to this usually overproduced show and allowing us see the magic of what it seems to want to be.