Into the Woods musical opens in Cape Town
Sondheim's dark fairy tale reimagining features 25 student performers at the Theatre on the Bay.
A new production of the musical Into the Woods, a reimagining of fairy tales by Sondheim and James Lapine, has opened at Cape Town's Theatre on the Bay. Directed by Sylvaine Strike, the show features a cast of 25 students from the Lamta musical theatre academy.
The production brings to life classic fairy tale elements including a Giant, a Wolf, Jack and the beanstalk, a Witch, and two princes. Actors use blackened planks to represent the dark, perilous woods, creating an interactive and dynamic forest setting.
The show revisits darker, pre-Disney versions of tales attributed to the Brothers Grimm, with characters like Cinderella and Rapunzel receiving modern updates. Cinderella's stepsisters' feet are described as being mutilated in an attempt to fit the slipper.
Why it mattersSouth African theatregoers in Cape Town can experience a dark and unhinged reimagining of classic fairy tales.