Production journeys 'into the woods'

By Ashley Lowe

The story of Cinderella is one everyone knows and loves. Cinderella goes to the ball, marries the prince and lives happily ever after. But what if the prince wasn’t all he was cracked up to be?

This is the idea behind Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Into the Woods,” currently playing in the John Wright Theatre. “Into the Woods” not only takes audiences through the familiar storylines of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk, but past the happily ever after, where these famous characters must pay for their mistakes.

When a baker (Brandon Petrie) and his wife (Shannon Estep) learn they have been cursed with childlessness by the witch (Katherine Dorian) next door, they embark on a quest for special objects required to break the spell. They get these objects by swindling, lying and stealing from the other fairytale characters.

By the end of act one, everyone’s wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later.

“ The second act is where the musical gets profound,” director Brad Myers said. “All of the characters have actions that prompt cataclysmic events and awaken the need for them to accomplish something.”

The character of Cinderella (Ashley Taylor) must face the fact that her prince charming no longer wants her.

“ It turns out what he wanted was the unattainable,” Taylor said.

For Taylor, playing Cinderella is a dream come true.

“The cast makes fun of me for this, but Cinderella is my dream role,” Taylor said. “When I got the role, I had a screaming hysterical sobbing fit. I was the little girl who wanted to be Cinderella every Halloween.”

Taylor’s love of the character is something she says helped her to learn what is considered by some as one of the hardest songs in the musical.

“ I bought a CD in Disneyland three years ago of Cinderella songs,” she said. “One of the songs I sing in the musical is on the CD. It really helped me out because learning the song wasn’t an issue for me.”

Myers said the biggest challenge for the actors was learning the music. A challenge he says the cast recognized from the beginning.

“ The music is tough, but it’s the kind of music that once you’ve done it, you really feel like you have accomplished something,” Myers said. “All the actors realized this is no ordinary musical and dug in, in terms of learning the music and coming to rehearsals prepared.”

One thing that helped Taylor learn the difficult music was her experience as a music minor at Fresno State.

“ Sondheim writes a lot of rhythmically difficult music,” Taylor said. “You just have to fight against the way the brain normally interprets music.”

While learning the music proved to be the biggest challenge for most of the actors, Taylor says she had more trouble with the acting.

“ I have been a vocalist my whole life, but I have had very little acting experience,” she said. “It was hard because while the other actors were getting minor character notes, I was getting notes on basic fundamentals of acting the others had already mastered. It helped a lot that the director and the cast were willing to work with me.”

The theme of the play, Taylor says, is something everyone can relate to. What begins as a fantasy becomes a lesson about responsibility.

“ You don’t know that little things you do can have major consequences,” Taylor said. “Everyone has made a bad decision and has had to pay for it later.”

Into the Woods will run Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the theatre box office in the Speech Arts building.