Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera wraps up its summer season this week with a nearly perfect production of "Into the Woods" at the Benedum Center, Downtown.
First performed on Broadway in 1987, the musical features an intelligent book by James Lapine and a score by Stephen Sondheim that contains what are arguably his smartest, most eloquent lyrics.
Based on fairy tale characters, the first act of this very adult story follows Cinderella and her family, Rapunzel, Jack of beanstalk fame and his long-suffering mother, a baker and his barren wife, and a witch, as they pursue their wishes and desires to their traditional happy ending.
The second, more realistic act finds those same characters and their families coping with the consequences of their actions in attaining those desires.
Along the way, they gain wisdom about the value of community, the futility of blame and the importance of taking charge of your own life.
Directed and choreographed by James Brennan, the Civic Light Opera production emphasizes the darker, more serious aspects of those actions and consequences while still filling the show with a great deal of humor.
Scenic designs by Paul Wonsek take advantage of the depth of the Benedum Center stage to provide a dark, leafy mysterious woodland setting that recedes into the distance. Costumes provided by Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Ill., some of them quite opulent, add color and interest to the proceedings.
A few unfortunate glitches -- a scenic border that twice tangled up with a rising flat, some missed microphone cues and overly loud sound levels -- marred the opening night proceedings.
But they were minor in comparison to the technical delights, such as special effects that allow characters to vanish in a puff of smoke and a wealth of grisly but comic sound effects as bugs and people get squished, slaughtered or slain.
"Into the Woods" is a favorite of high school and community theater groups. So it's especially rewarding to see a cast of 19 professionals turn these characters into real, complex characters with real needs, wants, actions and consequences.
Jen Cody proved herself an audience favorite as the outspoken, feisty and always hungry Little Red Riding Hood.
As the Witch, Beth Leavel gave a distinct and individual performance while rendering thoughtful, well-phrased and impressively sung serious numbers such as "Last Midnight," "Children Will Listen" and "Stay With Me." She also deftly handled the near-rap about her garden of greens with good comedy and precise diction.
Tim Hartman opens the show as the stuffy, self-important Narrator who gets his comeuppance early in the second act.
Hunter Foster and Brynn O'Malley display a nice chemistry as the Baker and Baker's Wife, who must remove a family curse so they can have a child.
As Rapunzel's Prince and Cinderella's Prince, Greggory Brandt and Kevin Earley displayed impressive vocal range and struck the right note of arch self-involvement in their "Agony" duets.
The show runs three hours with one intermission but seems far shorter.
Even if you've seen this show multiple times, don't miss this opportunity to see how the pros do it.
Additional Information:'Into the Woods'
Produced by: Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
When: Continues through Sunday (Aug. 9) with performances at 8 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, Aug. 3) through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Admission: $24.50-$70.50
Where: Benedum Center, Seventh Street at Penn Avenue, Downtown.
Details: 412-456-6666 or www.pittsburghCLO.org
