Company Carolina heads "Into the Woods"

Company Carolina will put a modern-day spin on the fairy tales of the brothers Grimm.

The company’s first showing of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical, “Into the Woods,” opens tonight at 8 p.m. at the Carrboro ArtsCenter.

The production, directed by senior music major David Moschler, is Company Carolina’s first at the Carrboro ArtsCenter.

“The sets are larger and are really impressive,” said senior sociology major Elizabeth Lamb, who is in charge of publicity for the show.

“Into the Woods” is a great production, Lamb said, because it combines light-hearted and poignant themes.

The play is divided into two acts, the first of which takes a modern look at the tales of characters such as Cinderella and Rapunzel.

The audience’s familiarity with the classic fairy tale characters provides much comedic potential, Moschler said.

He said the material plays off people’s preconceptions of the characters and achieves both humorous and dramatic results.

More dramatic elements of the play are dealt with in the second act and involve the consequences of the characters’ actions. What, for example, should Jack do with that dead giant in his back yard?

The combination of serious and comedic elements makes the material challenging, said cast member Catherine Cheng, who plays Little Red Riding Hood.

Despite the challenging subject matter, Cheng said she enjoyed working with the rest of the cast and production crew.

“The cast is phenomenal —they’re so talented,” she said.

The musical is set to run today through Sunday and Feb. 3 through Feb. 6. Show times are at 8 p.m, with a 2 p.m. matinee Jan. 29, Feb. 5 and Feb. 6.

Admission is $5 for students, $8 for faculty and ArtsCenter Friends and $10 for general admission. There will be an additional $2 on Gala Night, Feb. 5.

The ArtsCenter is located in Carrboro next to Cat’s Cradle and is accessible by bus.

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.