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Happily ever after: 'Into the Woods' takes a different look at traditional fairy tales
If the first Pyramid Players production this season took you back to childhood with "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," their next production will bring back even more memories. Opening tonight is "Into the Woods," an interesting take on several Grimm's fairy tales, brought together to more deeply explore the themes and morals in each story. Adapted from the book "The Uses of Enchantment," Stephen Sondheim and James Levine's musical premiered on Broadway in 1987 and was the winner of several Tony Awards. In the story, a witch living next door to the Baker and his wife puts a curse on them so they cannot have children. They are sent into the woods to bring back four things to the witch so she will lift the spell. In their quest, the Baker and his wife encounter the characters of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel. "They learn a life lesson that you can't wish for everything, because they all wish for something different," said Lori Bickett of Carterville, who plays the witch. Despite the cast of fairy tale characters, Bickett said the humor and themes of the play are geared more toward adults. "It brings them back, (the audience will) remember things from their past," she said. "It's just a comical way to retell the stories." This is the first Pyramid Players production for Bickett, however it's the second time she's performed in this musical. The first time, she played the role of the Baker's wife. Thinking back on her childhood, Bickett's favorite fairy tale was "Little Red Riding Hood." "I guess I could relate to it," she said, "being a young naive girl, not understanding how scary and evil the world could really be." Dillion Heape, of DuQuoin, plays the Baker, which he said was difficult, considering the complexity of Sondheim's characters. "Getting to be the missing link between all of these different stories is really a challenge," Heape said. "It's really a fresh and interesting way to look at stories that we've all known for years and years." Heape said it was eye-opening to see these traditional stories presented in a unique manner. "You know that Little Red Riding Hood goes into the woods and is taken by surprise by the Big Bad Wolf," he said. "But you don't realize that she's just taken bread from the Baker to feed her granny and soon the Baker is the one to come a steal the cape out of the wolf's stomach." Heape has been working with the Pyramid Players for 11 years. Most recently he was "The Duke" in last year's production of "Big River." "It's a really dedicated and talented group of people," Heape said of the Players. "It's remarkable getting to work with so many people who do what they do not for money and not for publicity, but for love of the arts. It's really humbling to get to be a part of that year after year." brent.stewart@thesouthern.com 351-5074
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