by Cari Lynn Pace

With a book by James Lapine and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods involves crossing the paths of multiple characters from several Brothers Grimm fairy tales. It’s an ambitious undertaking for any theater. Challenges include strong solo voices, complex lyrics, live orchestral music, clever choreography, creative costumes, and innovative staging all working to support the multiple fairy tales told.

San Francisco Playhouse checks all the boxes and goes way over the top with their stunning production running now through January 17. Kudos to Director Susi Damilano who knows how much fun this campy story can be.

Each familiar childhood character goes off into the woods, delightfully costumed and bewigged by Kathleen Qiu and Laundra Tyme. We meet Little Red Riding Hood (Olivia Hellman,) the Baker (Phil Wong) and his Wife (Ruby Day,) a Witch (Alison Ewing,) Cinderella (Jillian A. Smith,) and Jack (William I. Schmidt) with his beans and goat Milky White (Maureen McVerry.) Rapunzel (Samantha Rich) sings from her high tower throughout it all.

Crowd-pleasing standouts include the two Princes (Trevor March and Johann Santiago Santos) who leap around the stage with flying choreography by Nicole Helfer. These two also double up as the smarmy wolves who savage Grandma and Little Red.

The plot won’t make much sense, and won’t have a happy ending in the Act II epilogue, but that’s true to the stories written by the Brothers Grimm. Into the Woods is pure entertainment on a magical set designed by Heather Kenyon.

The large cast possesses powerful voices in their outrageous roles, crooning unfamiliar songs from this Tony-Award-winning score. Repetitive lyrics, Sondheim’s hallmark, abound in the long first act with a happily-ever-after ending. The second half is a dark epilogue, moving slowly with a vengeful giant, killings, infidelity, and other unhappy outcomes. If you want to believe in fairy tale endings, those end at intermission.

It’s worth returning to experience the sound design by Dan Holland, superbly partnered with Dave Dobrusky’s musical direction.

Into the Woods plays at the San Francisco Playhouse above the Kensington Hotel, 450 Post Street, San Francisco, through January 17.

Click HERE for more info and tickets.

Photos by Jessica Palopoli

Cari Lynn Pace is a long-time Bay Area theatre critic whose reviews were regularly featured in the Marinscope Community Newspapers.