On Stage: ’Into the Woods’ and ’The Music Man’
Into the Woods
What happens when you throw Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel together in their own fairytale? You get Stephen Sondheim’s classical musical Into the Woods, which opened up this weekend at Slow Burn Theatre in West Boca.
The show takes familiar fairy tale characters and ties them together in an original story, that delves into what happens after "Happily Ever After?" Each character wishes for something, and by the end of the first act their wishes really do come true. The second act focuses on what happens after they get what they wanted or - as it turns out - thought they wanted.
Little Red Hood played by Lindsey Forgey delivered a stand out performance. This isn’t the first time I’ve thought that either. Forgey was excellent in Slow Burn’s production of both Rocky Horror Show where she played Janet Weiss and as Hope in Urinetown. Another stand out performance included the Narrator of the "fairytale" Conor Walton who played his part with a comedic and refreshing effeminate twist.
Slow Burn is in its third season, but is already known for putting on high quality productions. The set, while simple, looked just as professional as larger theaters. Be prepared though at three hours, the show is quite long.
The show continues 8 p.m. Friday; 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are from $20 to $35. Visit SlowBurnTheatre.org or call 866-811-4111 for more information.
The Music Man
Lake Worth Playhouse must have a thing for a good scam. This is the second year in a row they’ve had a musical featuring a con man. Last year it was Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. This time around The Music Man, an American classic.
The plot of the show revolves around con man Harold Hill, who poses as a band organizer and leader, and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with the cash.
Leading man Tom Cooch is a familiar face at the Playhouse, having also played the leading con man in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He did an excellent job.
This show has a huge cast so the community theater deserves credit for their ability to manage and direct a cast of more than 30, which also included children. The only criticism is the theater’s small stage, so a cast that large can overwhelm it from time to time.
The children in the cast also did a marvelous job. They were delightful to watch.
One thing is for sure, you won’t be scammed out of a ticket if you see this show.
The show runs through April 29. Tickets are $26 to $35. Visit LakeWorthPlayhouse.org or 561-586-6410 for more information.
