Into the Woods

The venue was small, but my wife and I were impressed with how they improvised to create the scenes on stage. The cast was younger than we expected (late high school and early college), but they gave a fantastic performance! Overall we had a great time.

To say I was disappointed with this show would be an understatement. Though there were talented performers among the young cast, this show was disastrously mis-advertised! For this show to be publicized by the St Augustine Amphitheatre and advertised on Ticketmaster was a gross overselling of this production. There were no costumes, barely any props or set design. If I would have seen an advertisement for a small, high school production of Into The Woods that was offering free (or low cost) tickets, that would have been one thing; however, I went into the show believing I would be witnessing a professional production. I was aghast at the results. My ticket for this event was purchased on 4/18/16-- a full two months prior to the performance. How shocked I was when the director came up prior to the performance to announce how proud he was of the cast who put this show together in 12 days. 12 DAYS?! My ticket (after fees) was almost $35. I am still trying to figure out what this $35 went towards; it must have been the venue -- because as I previously stated, there was no costumes and little to no props. This will be my first and last show with this venue and theatre company.

I ordered my tickets to this event four months ago, thinking that this would have been a nicely put together production. However, the person who introduced stated that the show was only put together in 12 days. There were basically no costumes, an extremely poor setting, and a basic lack of imagination in props. I would understand if this was a free event or cheaper, but this was advertised as a nicely put together production that I spent $40 on. Extremely misleading in how it was advertised. The only plus side was that there were a few very talented actors/actresses that have amazing vocal abilities.

Our evening didn't start out very well. The people who set up the chairs for the audience weren't told about the ticket numbers and seat 12 was missing in every row. After this was remedied we enjoyed this amateur production. Little Red Riding Hood was adorable and Cinderella's voice was made for the stage. Others had varying degrees of talented.

Into the Woods is one of Sondheim's most masterful achievements in theater. The actors did a remarkable job of singing and acting despite the abhorrent sound system and crew. They were unable to get mic's turned on until the actors had several words out of their mouths. Whether it was antiquated equipment or incompetent or untrained technicians, it certainly wasn't worth the price of admission. The Narrator is to be commended for his valiant effort to compensate. The set quality was slightly better than community theater, but I was intrigued by fairytale book theme. The orchestra was wonderful. They had a full and rich sound for a surprisingly small group. Perhaps I was expecting too much from local theater but the ticket prices were far higher than the venue delivered.

The set, acting, and singing are all of the highest quality. Every performer is spot on and lives his/her character on stage. The set and lighting create a beautiful world in which the story can unfold. The pit musicians at ISU are ALWAYS excellent. This show is the confluence of excellence from every direction. Great fun for the whole family.

The venue & parking lot were dismal. Looked like a slum; weeds growing thru the asphalt, broken glass, etc. Was worried my car would be vandalized when I returned. Inside the venue was a dump, a poor attempt to turn a dive bar into a theatre. However, the employees were nice, cheerful, and polite. Folding tables & chairs arranged to simulate a cabaret did not impress me. At least they used real cloth tablecloths. After 3 hrs. sitting on a bad folding chair, my butt was not happy. Good thing the tickets were inexpensive. I had been dying to see this show, anxious to immerse myself into the fairytales. I had heard wonderful things about this play by people who have seen it performed elsewhere. I was disappointed. The acting was poor, very poor. I did not get wrapped up in the story at all because the acting and the set were so corny. Looked like an elementary school setting. I could have gotten past the set if the acting held up but it didn t. I wanted to like these characters but just didn t care. Some of the costumes were smart and a modern take on the theme; Little Red Riding Hood for example. I loved the leggings and the red Converse sneakers. I wish everyone was dressed this smartly. Some characters had worn princess gowns or an ill-fitting blue velvet gown (The Witch). However, amongst all this bad theatre the singing was fabulous!! Esp. the baker s wife!! She was amazing. The sound system was good too. If I was paying for a concert I would only have been mildly disappointed instead of mostly disappointed. The best surprise of the night was that the parking lot was well lit and my car was intact upon my return. Kudos to the parking lot attendant!!

Loved everything about this play. First time seeing it. Singers were fabulous and set was great. Looking forward to going again. Well done!

The songs were catchy and it was lighthearted-perfect for a birthday matinee!

My daughter had seen the play on video at school and really enjoyed it. I really knew nothing about the play but she was singing the songs around the house after seeing it once, so I thought it was something to look into. I was pleasantly surprised when I found it in playing Chicago. What a wonderful evening we had. The songs were memorable and the actors were all so talented. I would definitely see it again.

It was enjoyable. Not quite to the broadway version, obviously, but very fun nonetheless. I brought my girlfriend who doesn't generally like musicals and she had a blast so even non-musical people can love this show.

Good show. Great voices. My wife who is more of a happily ever after type person would have preferred the show ended after the first act but we both found the 2nd act equally good.

The Chicago Building Theater is a very intimate theater, with cast pretty up close. The Into the woods was very enjoyable & I would highly recommend seeing this musical

I've seen this show a few times, it's one of my favorite musicals. I was very impressed with the cast and the production! This show is typically done on a very large stage and I was skeptical that it could be accomplished on a small scale. Well I was wrong! Incredible job. The only piece I felt was a little lacking was the witch. For such a key role in the play, I felt it wasn't on key with the rest of the cast performance. The second half of the show also lacked a bit. Felt like the cast was just gettng through it. Besides these two areas I really enjoyed the show and would recommend that everyone see it.

I was a little sceptical seeing this production because it's one of my favorite Sondheim musicals, but it DID NOT disappoint. The actors and their voices were flawless. The staging was also very successful (seeing as they did not have alot of room to begin with).

We thoroughly enjoyed this play and I cannot the person who wouldn't. The cast was outstanding

One of Sondheim's more difficult pieces incredibly well staged and executed. Fantastic performances all around.

wonderful production of this family favorite. performed in a small space where you can feel like part of the show. General admission so come early to get a good seat.

Great perfomance by all the cast members.. Small Orchestra on stage works.. Excellent must see and perfect for the intimate setting of the Chicago Theater building... Go see before it closes..

Fun, and interesting turn of fairy tale characters we all know. Good performances and songs. Only rating average because the sound could have been a little better and due to the space, several seats were behind the area where 75% of the performance was taking place.

Into the Woods was great! It is a must see! The cast was awesome, the music was great! :) Highly recommended!

It was done surprisingly well, and I recommend this to everyone. You won't be disappointed.