From May 2010:

The Chamblee Blackbox Theater recently presented Into the Woods, a story by James Lapine with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It is billed as showing “fairy tales how

you’ve never seen them before,” but it contains much more than that. 

Artfully intertwining familiar tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, Into the Woods tells the story of townsfolk from all walks of life as they stumble towards their dreams. The story centers around the baker and his wife, played by junior Joshua Buchsbaum and senior Tatiana Wechsler respectively. 

Buchsbaum fit the role of bumbling baker to a tee, bringing the audience to laughter repeatedly. Wechsler embodied the personality of the baker’s wife, alternately humoring and guiding her husband as the show wore on. Her vocals were outstanding, elevating the musical pieces “It Takes Two” and “Moments in the Woods” to especially enjoyable heights. 

“Everybody had to work really hard,” said Wechsler. “It was a complicated and intricate show that required cooperation; cast, orchestra and set all had to come together. But I loved it and I loved my role– it was a dream role.”

 Along with Wechsler, junior Morgan Thomas proved to be an accomplished vocalist, lending her soprano voice to the role of Cinderella. She simultaneously won over Prince Charming and the audience with her intensely likeable stage personality which seemed so natural that it was hard to separate Thomas from the princess she played. 

Another character who stood out was Jack (yes, of Beanstalk fame), played by freshman Marc Larissini. A relative novice, Larissini carried the role of Jack with his energy and willingness to go all out for the sake of slapstick comedy; at one point, his unscripted leaping entrance even knocked over his prized cow prop, eliciting uproarious laughter from the audience.

 Although the audience surely appreciated the enthusiasm of characters such as Jack and the baker and the standout talents of Thomas and Wechsler, they might easily have missed the equally important behind-the-scenes contributions. A select number of Chamblee’s orchestra students, among them junior violist Kaitlin Hansen and senior flautist Lauren Linde, played tirelessly in the pit, bringing Sondheim’s tunes to life throughout the 150 minute production.

 “It was actually really fun, said Linde. “It was a lot of work as well, though, because we practiced a lot without the singers, and then pulling it together with the singers was really hard.” 

Anyone would be remiss to leave out arguably the most important contributor to the musical, its director, Dr. Robert Glor. Only the second musical that Chamblee has presented in the blackbox theater, Into the Woods went off with hardly a hitch despite the obstacles that Glor faced. 

He managed to pull together a cast ranging from complete beginners to seasoned actors, arrange and choreograph musically challenging pieces, and do all of this for a sell-out crowd that overflowed the small venue. All things considered, Chamblee blackbox theater did an excellent job putting on Into the Woods; it was a treat for all who came out to see it. 

“For me, the stars just aligned,” said Glor. “It was the right group of people willing to put in a lot of energy to make it happen. This show was really something special.”