The Evergreen Playhouse invites audiences to journey with them “Into the Woods” over the next three weekends as it presents the fan-favorite musical as the final show of its 65th season.
A 1986 musical by composer Stephen Sondheim, “Into the Woods” intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and others to explore the question: “Are you certain what you wish is what you want?”
“You see all the classic stuff that we’re used to with, you know, Prince Charming and all this, and everyone gets their happy ever after, and then there’s act two, where you see what happens after,” said show director Jed Slaughter. “ … The whole opening, they’re saying ‘I wish, I wish, I wish,’ and they get it, but is that really what they wanted? Or what they think they wanted?”
A lifelong fan of Sondheim’s work, Slaughter tackled the Evergreen Playhouse’s production of “Into the Woods” as his directorial debut after he acted in a production of “Into the Woods” in Auburn last year.
“It was shortly after we closed that that they announced the season here, and I said ‘Well, I've got some ideas,’” Slaughter said.
Slaughter makes full use of the Evergreen Playhouse’s space, with actors utilizing all seven entrances and exits within the theater, including several behind the audience.
“I knew it would fit really well in this space,” Slaughter said of the show. “All the different entrances and exits that you can use are just different paths in the woods.”
While the show contains no explicit content that’s inappropriate for children ages eight and up, the Evergreen Playhouse advises families that the story is a dark one — particularly after intermission — and may not be suitable for young audiences.
“It’s more (based) off of the Grimm fairy tale, so there are people getting blinded by birds, stepped on by giants, you know, things like that,” Slaughter said.
The show’s runtime is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with a 15 minute intermission between acts one and two. The tone shift occurs in act two after intermission.
“We all know too well that life is a roller coaster, so remember that even when things get bleak at times for our characters tonight, it also means there are surely some more high times to come in the Act III that we don’t get to see,” Slaughter wrote in a director's note included in the show’s program.
Sensory warnings for the show include thunder and rumble sound effects, flashing lights, blackouts, screams and microphone audio volume changes.
“Into The Woods” opens Friday, May 30, and runs through Sunday, June 15.
Tickets are available for purchase online at https://evergreenplayhouse.com/season65.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for students and seniors.
Regular performance times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. A pay-what-you-can actor’s benefit performance is also scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 5.
The Evergreen Playhouse is located at 226 W. Center St. in Centralia.
For more information and updates on available tickets for upcoming shows, visit https://www.facebook.com/EvergreenPlayhouse.
Cast list
Baker: Ben Matthews
Baker’s Wife: Bri Hines
Witch: Melissa Maañao
Cinderella: Makaelynn Manning
Jack: Karsten Tomlin
Little Red Riding Hood: Ruby Stanton
Narrator/Mysterious Man: Matthew Michael
Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf: Kameron Bustetter
Rapunzel’s Prince: Chris Cabrera
Rapunzel/Cinderella’s Mother: Brittany Wilcox
Jack’s Mother: Sarah Amador
Cinderella’s Stepmother: Jennifer Wallace
Florinda: Michelle Wall
Lucinda: Sophie Bustetter
Steward: Dan Cutter
Milky White/Granny/Giant: Nicole Galyean
Cinderella’s Father/Brown Cow: Derek Wilson
Crew list
Director: Jed Slaughter
Stage manager: George Dougherty
Vocal director: Theresa McKenzieSullivan
Choreographer: Melanie Gladstone
Costume designer: Emilie Brown
Lighting designer: Danielle Kays
Scenic painter: Theresa McKenzieSullivan
Props designer: Alene Stewart
Light board operator: Cora Dailey-Lawson
Mic board operator: Isaac McKenzieSullivan
Set build lead: Isaac McKenzieSullivan
Set construction: Mark Pendleton, Brian Hollander, Jeff Eisel, Theresa McKenzieSullivan
Posters and program: Designs by Danielle Kays
House manager: Michelle Koenen
