Into the Woods

Into the Woods
Ignite Theater
Aurora Fox Theater
Aurora, CO
October 17 - November 9, 2014

Into the Woods was my first chance to see a production by the Ignite Theater. They perform at the Aurora Fox Theater, where I learned of this production. My daughter loves this show, but had never seen a full scale performance of it.

The show did not disappoint. The sets for this show can be complex - needing to show several spaces at the same time. The simple, yet descriptive, backdrops gave the audience enough to see the various location without being burdensome. The characters also spend most of their time delving deeper and deeper into the forest and I was impressed with the simplistic "trees" which moved around throughout the production to simulate different places in the woods. It definitely gave the audience the feeling of movement.

However, it was the strong performances that carried the production. The beautiful voices of Cinderella and Rapunzel were a delight. Equally impressive was the performance of the young lady playing Red Riding Hood. The score was difficult, yet she handled it with great skill. It was refreshing to see the role played by an actual child (which removed much of the sexual tension that often takes over "Hello Little Girl" when Red is played by an adult.)


In this show, Act One is the easy part. The key is to build momentum to carry the audience through the dark and potentially depressing Act Two. This production accomplishes this difficult feat. While the songs are less hummable, "The Last Midnight" accomplishes the menace it needs and "You are Not Alone" will touch your heart.

This show is not for everyone. Due to the fairy tale theme, patrons might assume it is for small children. However, this show contains the death of several major characters, adultery and child abuse, so it is best left to older children and adults.