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= * z # f # M T z $ St &E 3 S C I â€" $ ’C‘ The musical is a dark spoof of a number of ageâ€" old, beloved fairy tales, including Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk. s Stratford‘s Into the Woods turns traditional fairytales on their ears ( :u-vpy. that‘s the best word to describe the Stratford Festival‘s production of Iuto The Woods. But the play‘s author and creator, James Lapine, shows the audience what could have happened to each had they not all lived happily ever after. The storylines for each character follows tradition, to a point. The play opens with two odd characters, a baker and his wife, starring blankly out at the audience, while mixâ€" ing a bow! of batter. Their gaunt expressions gave away the fact things weren‘t all that rosy in the land of cakes and bread. As the story unfolds, we learn the couple is unable to What big teeth you have, grandma... By Anorta Baey Chronicle Staff Phoctemgze p fuetbre PSA GS1 net neluded Oprom an spmect mas e farinen Mary Ellen Mahoney as the Baker‘s Wife and Bruce Dow as the Baker. PHOTO D&vID HOU have a child thanks to a who‘s on her way to her curse put on the baker by _ grandmother‘s house, and their nextâ€"door neighbour, a _ Cinderella, who‘s just run witch. out on Prince Charming alt The only way to break the curse is to collect four strange items for the witch â€" items that can only be found in the deep woods. During their search, they meet up with Jack and his cow, Little Red Riding Hood, ARTS FOCUS 1450 Victoria Street North, Kitchener 579â€"4460 Victoria Star Motors Inc. who‘s on her way to her grandmother‘s house, and Cinderella, who‘s just run out on Prince Charming at the royal ball. By the middle of the play, it seems all will be merry for each character, even the witch‘s daughter, Rapunzel, who‘s been stuck high up in a tower since childhood. Those who were looking CHRONICLE |& for a happy ending. tied up in a fancy little bow. should have left during intermisâ€" sion. The second half of the show proved to be anything but bright. â€" Enter bloodied clothing, animal slayings, murder, infidelity and lies, and you have the buildup to the real ending. Though even these symâ€" bois of lost innocence are overcome, in a way. But not enough to give theatregoers that warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from most fairy tales. The acting in the play was well done and lived up to the direction of the show. Special nods go to veterâ€" an actor Peter Donaldson, who played the narrator, Bruce Dow, who played the baker and wowed the audiâ€" ence with his strong singing voice, and Susan Gilmour, whose portrayal of the evil, snarky witch was entertainâ€" ing and believable. The music, written by Stephen Sondheim and directed by Berthold Carâ€" riere, was also enjoyable and helped bring each scene to life. Those looking for a somber twist on tradition Susan Gilmour as the Witch ww w.Â¥ictoriaStar.com PHOTG D¥¥iD HOu will likely enjoy Into The Woods. The rest of us should stick to the storybooks. Into The Woods runs until Oct. 30 at the Avon Theatre.