Saints Alive! production of Into the Woods nearly there

If the evening had ended after the first act of the Saints Alive! production of Stephen Sondheim’s dark and twisty Into the Woods, I would declare it a triumph. The innovative youth theatre company manages to pull together talented performers, an interesting and creatively wrought set and lovely costumes. Act 1 weaves together the stories of several familiar fairytale characters as they head into the woods to seek their heart’s desires. It features some outstanding performances, particularly by the big-voiced Tringa Rexhepi as Cinderella, Aislin Flynn as a particularly feisty and frightening Little Red Riding Hood and Andrew Chandler as cursed Baker. The production bogs down in Act 2 when it turns out that some dreams are better off left unrealized and the characters are forced into the woods by an angry giant. The pace slows to a crawl, and the play becomes much less visually interesting.

Alderney Landing Theatre, 2 Ochterloney Street, Dartmouth Waterfront, Dartmouth, Sat May 9, 3pm, Sun May 10, 1pm, $14.99/$19.99, 1-888-311-9090

This article appears in May 7-13, 2009.