The musical that melds various fairy tales into a fable about parenting and community responsibility plays Stratford's proscenium venue, The Avon, through Oct. 30. The first performance of Into the Woods is a 2 PM student matinee and heralds a 15-title season that is themed as the "Saints and Sinners" season.
The Stratford production of Into the Woods is directed by Peter Hinton. Musical direction is by Berthold Carrière. The set and costume designer is Dany Lyne, the lighting designer is Robert Thomson and the sound designer is Jim Neil. Movement is by Julia Sasso and fight direction is by John Stead.
Into the Woods features Marion Adler as Lucinda, Thom Allison as Cinderella's Prince/Wolf, Kyle Blair as Jack, Peter Donaldson as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Bruce Dow as the Baker, Barbara Dunn-Prosser as Cinderella's Mother/Giant's Shadow, Barbara Fulton as Jack's Mother, Susan Gilmour as the Witch, Christina Gordon as Cinderella's Stepmother, Stephanie Graham as Snow White, Lawrence Haegert as the Steward, Martha Henry as the Voice of the Giant, Laird Mackintosh as Rapunzel's Prince, Mary Ellen Mahoney as the Baker's Wife, Jodi-Lynn McFadden as Florinda, Dayna Tekatch as Cinderella, Jennifer Waiser as Little Red Ridinghood, Amy Walsh as Rapunzel, Heather E. Wilson as Sleeping Beauty and Barrie Wood as Cinderella's Father/Granny. Understudies are Mark Huculak, Phillip Hughes (also dance and fight captain), Robin Hutton, Chad McFadden and Valerie Stanois.
Opening is set for June 3. For ticket information, call (800) 567-1600 or visit www.stratfordfestival.ca.
* Joining Into the Woods on the 2005 playbill, selected by artistic director Richard Monette, are three works by William Shakespeare and one by his contemporary Christopher Marlowe; two plays by Tennessee Williams, marking the 50th anniversary of the première of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; four new or revived Canadian works; Noël Coward's Fallen Angels, directed by renowned Coward interpreter Brian Bedford; meditations on the lives of Joan of Arc (The Lark) and monologue artist Ruth Draper (Ruth Draper on Tour); and the musical Hello, Dolly! (directed by Broadway's Susan H. Schulman).
