Calgary theatre company takes on the musical legend of Stephen Sondheim with new take on Into the Woods

Untold Stories Theatre presents Into the Woods at Calgary's Pumphouse Theatre through Nov. 16. (Photo: Untold Stories)

A new Calgary community theatre dedicated to providing opportunities for emerging artists is tackling one of the giants of musical theatre.

Untold Stories Theatre is presenting Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1986 musical that is a mish-mash of Brothers Grimm fairy tales.

There’s Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk – but they’re all in a different tale than their own.

In Into the Woods, the quest is driven by a childless baker and his wife’s desire to start a family, their showdown with a witch (from Rapunzel’s story) who has cursed them, and the ways in which they work with those legendary characters to try to break the curse.

It’s like a fairy tale where reality keeps intruding on the pixie dust.

“We kind of have these normal people thrown into this fairy tale world,” said Untold Stories co-artistic director (along with Gad Gijon) Jason Bakaas.

The musical is a showcase for the sensibilities of Sondheim, a legendary Broadway composer who is beloved by performers but was very hit-and-miss with Broadway audiences.

“Into the Woods is one of his most notable works, along with Sweeney Todd,” Bakaas says. “He just recently passed away a few years ago, which is very unfortunate so we’re very excited to bring this in his honour – but he’s very well known for intricate and difficult and tricky music that, when it all comes together, sounds fantastic."

“But it’s definitely a very big challenge for performers and teams to get his shows up and running.”

Producing musicals is a big, complicated, challenging endeavor, particularly for chronically underfunded community theatre companies, but Bakaas says there’s a little magic in singing your feelings.

“I personally love the way that music can tell a story," he says, "especially as a performer, there’s something about being able to tell a story through a song that just adds an extra layer of emotion and intention to everything you do."

“As a performer, it’s really fantastic to see," he adds, "and an as audience member sometimes, it makes it easier and more powerful to understand what’s happening when you have those extra layers of music and lyrics behind what’s being done.”

Into the Woods runs through Nov. 16 at the Pumphouse Theatre. For tickets and information, go here.