Muir Musical’s Into the Woods Brings Fairytales to Life

Since its inception in 1991, the Muir Musical Company has taken up space in a STEM-dominated school to include theater and music at UC San Diego. This year’s performance of Into the Woods was no exception. Directed by Molly Lasher, a fourth-year undergraduate, the total cast and crew numbered slightly over 100 students. The production included actors, dancers,  musicians, and tech to bring the whole show together. Although I attended the Thursday performance, Mandeville Auditorium was largely filled by the time the show started. By the end of the performance, I could understand why. 

Into the Woods debuted in 1986 at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre. The show satirizes several classic Brothers Grimm fairytales. Although the stories seem to end with happily-ever-afters, the second act shows the unintended consequences of each story. 

As Act 1 begins, the narrator introduces us to several interwoven stories: “Cinderella”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Rapunzel”, and “Jack and the Beanstalk”. Tying them all together is a baker and his wife, who struggle to conceive a child. After learning this difficulty is due to a curse placed on the baker’s family, the couple attempts to break the curse by finding specific objects, one from each of the previous stories. All the stories come to life with a mix of nostalgia but also nuance and humor, accompanied by a dance crew and live orchestra. These additions always complemented the scene, bringing it to life. Nobody was bored with the journey. By the end of Act 1, all the characters have reached the end of their traditional story, complete with happy endings.

However, the second act reveals the consequences of wishes, princes, and slaying giants for gold. The happily-ever-afters were not so happy, and a new battle against the slain giant’s wife threatens the entire cast of characters. Each one is pushed to the brink as their need for survival clashes with their own morals. Shockingly, most of the characters are killed off, including the narrator, who was previously immune to the events unfolding. I can’t say I expected to see fairytale characters drag the narrator from her high post to her death, but it was fitting and sent its own message.

Nearing the show’s end, the remaining characters united under a renewed sense of community and solidarity to slay the giant. Although their endings were not the ones they necessarily wanted or dreamed of, the audience leaves feeling that the remaining characters will be fine as long as they lean on each other. The audience erupted into applause, and the crew received a standing ovation.

The show was beautifully done. Acting out the various intertwining stories is challenging without the audience losing the plot or getting confused. Despite the complexities of the plot, the message and storyline were always clear. The accompanying dance crew did an excellent job and blended into the scenes nicely. The live orchestra accompanying the show had an exceptionally strong performance. The show’s standout actress, Arianna Vila, played The Witch, and her voice and the drama quickly became my favorite part of the show. Her vocal range was beyond impressive, and she had a larger-than-life personality both as the powerful yet ugly witch and the renewed, beautiful and powerless one. Her final appearance in the musical number “Last Midnight” was especially breathtaking, ending as The Witch decides to finish her story and falls backward over the platform. 

Director Molly Lasher notes that the show “is a portrait of our world and an earnest reflection of the lives we lead.” I cannot help but agree. Although we may not live in a world of magic beans and witches, the struggles and community found through the acts are genuine and touching.

Maya Philipp is the Editor-in-Chief for The Triton.