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Into the Woods Review

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Into the Woods Review
Into the Woods What happens once “happily ever after” is over and done with? No one knows if the fairy tale dream continues or if it is over and the reality of the world begins to set in. In the play “Into the Woods”, we see a plethora of literature's favorite fairy tales woven together to teach a lesson on responsibility and getting what you wish for. This production has two separate acts to it, both distinctly different. The first act serves as a continuation of the fairy tale world that we have all come to know, this serves the purpose of immediately connecting the audience to the story being told. In the second act, the entire mood changes and turns very dark and somber. This transition of mood and overall feel of the play is primed by the change in the costume and scenic design, the purpose of which was very direct and necessary in order to exude the correct emotions to the audience. The purpose of the first act was to adequately and immediately connect the audience to the familiar characters that they were seeing. In order to do this, the characters needed to be recognizable to their historical background in order to be consistent with what each spectator will be expecting. This is where costume design becomes very influential, if these characters were dressed in a way that did not align with how they are known, then it would completely change the artistic experience and the way these characters would have to be portrayed. The theme expressed by the costumes design by Patrick Holt is one of childhood innocence. These characters are familiar to the entire audience; whether it be Little Red Riding Hood or Cinderella it is important that the audience sees it this same way. The point of the costume design was to respect the time period that the story is set but also have them be recognizable as Fairy Tale characters. Through the raggedy and loose clothing of the boys and the nice proper dresses of the girls, the timeline is accurate. This factor along with

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