Just Do It

Into the Woods, Oct. 25-Nov. 4, $15-$20, Temple University, Tomlinson Theater, 13th and Norris streets.

by Mark Cofta

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Published: Oct 23, 2007

Oct. 25-Nov. 4, $15-$20, Temple University, Tomlinson Theater, 13th and Norris streets, 800-298-4200, www.liacourascenter.com

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Say "fairy tales" and we inevitably think Disney: sweet, simple stories ending in "happily ever after." Theaters try to force Tony Award-winning 1987 musical Into the Woods into that mold, but it simply won't fit. Composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim and writer-director James Lapine, inspired by the Brothers Grimm's brutal originals, concocted their own not-so-happily-ever-after take on familiar tales with great success.

Temple University's Peter Reynolds — whose massive production of Ragtime was an under-appreciated thrill — promises a fresh take on a show that too often has its edge blunted. "We are looking at how these fairy tales affect our lives today," he says. Along with set and costume designer Marie Anne Chiment, his staging "is contemporary in look, and set in an urban university," he says. So attending college in North Philly is like venturing into the dark, scary woods? Suddenly, all of those wolves, giants, trolls and stepmothers encountered by Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Jack seem a little more real.

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