Fort Defiance Players Present "Into the Woods"

“Into the Woods,” Stephen Sondheim’s award winning 1987 Broadway hit, will be presented by Fort Defiance Players on October18 – 21 in the Defiance Community Auditorium. Debuted in San Diego in 1986, “Into the Woods” opened on Broadway in 1987 and starred Bernadette Peters as the Witch. The show won Tony awards for Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a musical, despite playing in a year that was dominated by “The Phantom of the Opera.” In 1988, the show was on national tour and played in London in 1990. In 1991, Peters starred in a television production and the show was revived on Broadway in 2002.

The original inspiration for the show was Bruno Bettelheim’s “The Uses of Enchantment,” a 1976 book. Several Brother Grim fairy tales are combined and lead to an exploration of the character’s “wishes” and desires. Along the way, several other themes are explored: the relationships between parents and children, personal responsibility, morality, and the challenges of growing up.

Act I presents the main themes of the source fairytales: Cinderella (Melissa Saneholtz) manages to go to the ball and capture the heart of the Prince (Gary Taylor); Jack (Eric West) is responsible for the bean stalk growing into the realm of the giant and discovers a source of gold; Little Red Riding Hood (Libby Call) manages to live through her meeting with the Wolf (Gary Taylor); and Rapunzel (Alyssa Waldman) escapes her tower with the assistance of a handsome Prince (Steve Wendell). In the story that is woven into the Fairytales, the Baker (Jeremy Davis) and his wife (Casie Sprow) achieve the requirements set out by the Witch (Peggy Snyder) to finally conceive a child. And as Act I ends, everyone appears to be headed for “happily ever after.” But happiness is fleeting.

The show is directed by FDP president, Randy Schroeder, who also plays the Mysterious Man. Bob Barnett, FDP treasurer and the Narrator, is the show’s producer. Dick Stroede is the music director and Ned Clark is accompanist. Stage and light design is by Erik Johansen. Sound design is by Mike Winners and Chris Tankersley.

Performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, October 18 – 20, are at 8 p.m. The Sunday, October 21, matinee is at 2 p.m. Reserved seats are $12 and available by calling 419 782-PLAY. General admission seats are $10 and available at the door an hour before each performance.