Into the Woods
music and lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM
book by JAMES LAPINE
directed by Noah Brody & Ben Steinfeld
Fiasco Theater's production of Into the Woods was a re-invention of the musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, first presented by the McCarter Theatre Center in 2013. The show's success led to its presentation at The Old Globe, Roundabout Theatre Company, London's Menier Chocolate Factory, and a national tour. This unique version of the musical was performed by a cast of ten actors with a single piano and boundless imagination, earning widespread critical acclaim. Critics praised the production for its stripped-down aesthetic, emotional power, and witty, wildly theatrical approach, with Ben Brantley of The New York Times calling it "truly enchanting" and saying it made "the best case ever for a musical that interpreters have been trying to get right". The show was celebrated for its creativity in using everyday objects as props and its ability to deliver the story in a way that felt both fresh and emotionally resonant.
NTO THE WOODS
book by James Lapine
music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld
presented by Fiasco Theater and McCarter Theatre Center, The Old Globe, Roundabout Theatre Company, Menier Chocolate Factory (London)
Into The Woods was originally produced by McCarter Theatre Center and Fiasco Theater with subsequent productions at Roundabout Theatre Company, the Old Globe , Menier Chocolate Factory (London) and a national tour produced by NETworks. With only 10 actors, one piano and boundless imagination, this witty and wildly theatrical re-invention is Into The Woods like you’ve never seen it before!
McCarter/Old Globe/Roundabout Production
Featuring Jessie Austrian, Noah Brody, Alison Cimmet (Old Globe), Paul L. Coffey, Andy Grotelueschen, Liz Hayes, Claire Karpen, Jennifer Mudge (McCarter/Roundabout), Patrick Mulryan, Ben Steinfeld, and Emily Young.
Creative Team
Choreography: Lisa Shriver
Music Director: Matt Castle
Sets: Derek McLane
Costumes: Whitney Locher
Lights: Christopher Akerlind (Roundabout), Tim Cryan (Old Globe, McCarter)
Sound: Darron L. West
London Production
Featuring Jessie Austrian, Noah Brody, Paul L. Coffey, Andy Grotelueschen, Liz Hayes, Harry Hepple, Claire Karpen, Steffan Lloyd-Evans, Patrick Mulryan, Vanessa Reseland, Ben Steinfeld, Laura Tebbutt, and Emily Young.
Creative Team
Choreography: Lisa Shriver
Music Director: Evan Rees
Sets: Derek McLane
Costumes: Whitney Locher
Lights: Christopher Akerlind
Sound: Darron L. West
National Tour
Featuring Phillipe Arroyo, Anthony Chatmon II, Eleasha Gamble, Evan Harrington, Lisa Helmi Johannson, Bonnie Kramer, Patrick Mulryan, Darrick Peade, Vanessa Reseland, Fred Rose, Stephanie Umoh, and Laurie Veldheer.
Creative Team
Choreography: Lisa Shriver
Music Director: Evan Rees
Sets: Derek McLane
Costumes: Whitney Locher
Lights: Christopher Akerlind
Sound: Darron L. West
The lists above include the core creative teams, but are not comprehensive. We are grateful and lucky to have worked with everyone who made Into The Woods possible, from the teams backstage and front of house to design associates and interns, and all of you, our community and audience members. Photos by Joan Marcus.
WNYC: Noah Brody, Ben Steinfeld, and Emily Young discuss Fiasco’s revival of “Into the Woods”
Reviews
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“Fiasco Theater’s truly enchanting production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods,” which opened on Thursday night at the Laura Pels Theater, makes the best case ever for a musical that interpreters have been trying to get right since the show was first staged in the mid-1980s.”
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“It’s a rare thing, the production that manages to give you pause about a familiar musical based on even more familiar stories, and yet, with just 10 actors and a handful of musical instruments (and instruments not quite musical yet musically instrumental), the plucky Fiasco Theatre in conjunction with the Roundabout Theatre Company has restored Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s 27-year-old musical into a wildly inventive, emotionally gut-punching, delightfully off-kilter production.”
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“If you go down to the woods today, you're in for a rather delightful surprise. Fiasco, a US-based ensemble theatre company, specialise in playfully pared-down productions that put the emphasis firmly on performance, text and story... Now the Menier Chocolate Factory has imported from Off-Broadway their charming stripped-back version of the 1987 Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine musical about the revealing tropes and psychological truths in fairy tales.”