Into The Woods Play Analysis

College of Charleston’s production of Into the Woods by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim was a joy to watch. This play uses familiar fairy tales and strings them all together with a central storyline. Todd McNerney, the director, creates an atmosphere that brings the inner child out of adults and serves as quality entertainment for kids. This production offers great music, acting, and design; which are paired with a great script and music from Lapine and Sondheim. Even though the play had numerous strengths, it also has its share of weaknesses. The music was this production’s greatest strength. The orchestra was beautifully synchronized with the action happening on the stage. The scene's transitions flowed smoother due to the excellent transition …show more content…
Each cast member, with an exception of Rapunzel, had great chemistry with each other. They had great comedic timing which helped enhance the entertainment value of the script. Haydn Haring, the witch, stood out from the rest of the actors. Haring had the best comedic timing and took over every scene that she was in. Her energy resulted in strong musical numbers and a very memorable performance. Every time that Haring was on stage, it made the play more entertaining. On the contrary to Haring, Jessica Shamble, Rapunzel induced irritation every time she was onstage. I was happy when she got squashed by the mourning giant. The cast did an excellent job when acting in character; they were cast perfectly for their own respective …show more content…
Except for one or two minor changes to the set, it was the same set even for different locations. A static set might give off a feeling of disbelief as the characters are supposed to be in a different location, but the set around them is the same every time. However, with the help of lights it was easier to believe that they were in a different location. The set was not the prettiest thing ever, but it served its purpose of being a canvas for the story to be told on. The dark color scheme for the set made it look like the woods. Overall, the set was not one of the stronger aspects of this play. Even though the set design was mediocre, the use of stage-space was excellent. A big part of the stage was left inaccessible by the characters as it was occupied by the orchestra. This left the actors with very little stage-space to work with. However, because of the efficient use of stage-space, the stage seemed twice its actual size. No corner of the stage was left untouched and every part of the stage was evenly