It's clear from the moments before Fiasco Theater's production of Into the Woods at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center that you're in for a treat. The stage is full of interesting props and innovative scenery. Just when you think the show is about to begin, the actors come out to fidget and fuss with some of the set, but the lights haven't dimmed, and you don't know whether this is a part of the show or not. That moment sets the mood for the evening, not as a loose, experimental work, rather as an altogether charming and genuine theatrical experience. Even before the opening number, Fiasco's cast deliberately breaks down any expectations you might have for this musical, or any other.
What might resemble children's theater to the untrained eye is actually a great deal more sophisticated. Woods was originally produced by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, two grown men rethinking and thinking beyond some children's tales: Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and of course Cinderella. They don't seek to expose flaws or gaps in the original works as much as to highlight and showcase what else could have been going on.
In this universe, all of the protagonists of those stories live in the same cottage and surrounding areas, brought together by their needs inside the nearby woods. This is where the reliance on the audience's imagination really pushes the production forward; not only must the actors move fast and take on multiple roles -- including those of animals -- but also the actors not in certain scenes stay on in the background of the stage to serve as backup musicians to Evan Rees's permanent presence on the stage with a roving, roaming giant (real) piano. It results in a careful, seamless blend of imaginative storytelling and innovative performing.
Directors Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld thought through every decision for their cast of 11, making sure that if someone isn't front and center they're preparing to be in the next moment. The real behind-the-scenes star of the show, though, might be set designer Derek McLane who rises to the occasion of this frantic, chaotic, ambitious show and adds the right level of levity and reliability to ward off any confusion and keep you focused on what's bound to happen next.