Now that I have been writing and podcasting about theatre for so long a lot of people know my opinions on certain shows. It is for this reason why I’m often surprised when a company asks for my review on a show that most people know I am lukewarm on but it happens all the time. Such was the case with a recent production of Into the Woods at Backstage Performing Arts. This is a show which I famously don’t love as much as most. I told them of my feelings and they still wanted me to review it and I’m so glad they did. What a wonderful production and even though I’m mixed on the show itself they blew me away with how well they executed this challenging material.

The first aspect that sticks out at Backstage is how unexpected the theater is. It’s in an office building in Centerville but this is not a black box. It’s a full theater with a curtain. I was amazed at all they did with the lighting and sound. They even had layers to the woods in the set design, which is something you don’t expect walking into a commercial office space. The production is directed by Shelby Hovley who seems to be a one-woman army also credited for the choreography, costumes, set design, props, and scenic artist! What an achievement for Hovley to create something like this for her community. Matt Stokes is the sound designer. April Bisek is the lighting designer as well as others Hovley gathered to put on this show.

Part of what makes Into the Woods so challenging for community theaters is the amount of tones the story takes on and the complexity of the music. On the surface it may seem a subversive yet simple take on fairytales but the melodies and acting requirements are not easy. Also here in Utah there can be an attempt to sand off the darker elements in the piece, which kind of defeats the purpose of doing it in the first place (or at least dulls it down.) If you want to tell a fairytale than do just that- put on Cinderella but if you want to do Into the Woods than do it completely.

Fortunately the production at Backstage is the full version with a couple of creative interpretations. The most noticeable is having the narrator as a young writer (Michelle Ludlow) at a desk on the side of the stage. They have dolls on the desk that look like the characters. This is perhaps the character that is the most open to interpretation, and I liked this whimsical take.

Hovley says in the director’s notes that “Utah’s theatre community is overflowing with talented artists, hundreds of people showing up to auditions, all hoping for the chance to tell a story. There is so much talent here, (call this a hot-take) but there simply aren’t enough opportunities.” What she says must be true because she not only has the very talented cast I saw, the Spell Cast, but a whole additional cast called the Midnight Cast. I can’t believe there are so many talented people for a new community production (a few people are single-cast like Nate Coleman as Rapunzel’s Prince- one of my favorites- and Noah Gentry Dixon as Jack who is also excellent in the role.)

A highlight of Into the Woods is always “Agony” and both of the princes are great here with Coleman and Sam Teuscher as Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf are a ton of fun together. Madison Archibald plays The Witch and I appreciate how her performance changed when she was under the mask and with powers to a frustrated yet commanding presence in Act 2. There are even times when she is imitating the shriveled up hags of the Evil Queen in Snow White and other type characters which made the performance captivating. Also the dress Hovley gave her for Act 2 is stunning. I want one!

Another favorite of the night is Savanna Sanborn as Little Red Riding Hood. She brought so much personality to that role and kept us all laughing. In general, the cast did all they could to bring out the humor of the piece which is particularly helpful in the darkness of Act II. Addie Jensen is really fun as Cinderella, Harriet Bauer-Miller and Kyle Esposito great as the Baker and Barker’s Wife. They were all excellent and had a nice chemistry together as a cast.

Like I said, I was very impressed with the lighting and sound throughout the piece. Particularly in Act II with the giant the space is so small you felt the giant’s presence in an immersive way most Into the Woods can’t capture. It amazes me we can see this quality of production for $21! We are so lucky to live in Utah.

The major downside to this production at Backstage is the seats are office chairs and quite uncomfortable for such a long show that Into the Woods is. I would recommend bringing a cushion but then the seats are pretty close together so make it a small one. There were some opening night jitters and intermission seemed to take longer than it should but overall I was really impressed with this production. I liked it enough I texted my friend who is an Into the Woods superfan and told her she needs to see it! It is playing through August 31st and tickets can be purchased here.

Into the Woods has music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim with a book by James Lapine. It first premiered on Broadway in 1987 and has been revived twice in 2002 and 2022. There was also a feature film adaptation from Disney in 2014.

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