Into the Woods

Margaret Downing January 23, 2014 4:00AM

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Long before there was the television show Once Upon a Time, there was Into the Woods, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. Into the Woods intermingled fairy tale creatures with various twists that departed from legend. Christina Stroup says she jumped at the opportunity to play The Witch (the role immortalized on Broadway by Bernadette Peters) in the upcoming Main Street Theater production, since it calls for not only a strong singer but also a strong actor. “This role is very layered. She’s the only truth in the show itself. She’s the only truth and reality even though her part is seen as the wicked role.” This is the second Sondheim show within a year for Stroup (she did Company in March with Texas Repertory), and while it’s challenging, she’s enjoyed it. Act One of Into the Woods ends about as anyone brought up on fairy tales would expect, Stroup says. “The second act is what happens after the happily-ever-after, which makes the characters real people. They’re human and they make mistakes.” Stroup, a former Tommy Tune winner from Spring Woods High School, says the show should appeal to anyone six years of age and older.

7:30 p.m. Thursdays and January 20, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Rice Village location, 2540 Times Boulevard. For information, call 713-524-6706 or visit mainstreettheater.com. $20.
Sundays, 3 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Starts: Jan. 11. Continues through Feb. 16, 2014