A new Calgary community theater dedicated to providing opportunities for emerging artists is taking on one of musical theater’s giants.

Untold Stories Theater presents In the woodsthe 1986 Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical that is a hodgepodge of Brothers Grimm fairy tales.

There’s Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk – but they’re all in a different story than their own.

In In the woodsthe quest is motivated by the desire of a childless baker and his wife to start a family, their confrontation with a witch (from the story of Rapunzel) who has cursed them, and how they work with these legendary characters to try to break the curse. .

It’s like a fairy tale where reality keeps creeping in on the pixie dust.

“We kind of have these normal people thrown into this fairytale world,” said Jason Bakaas, co-artistic director of Untold Stories (with Becky Salmond).

The musical is a showcase of the sensibilities of Sondheim, a legendary Broadway composer who was beloved by performers but was well-loved by Broadway audiences.

“Iin the woods is one of his most notable works, along with Sweeney Todd“, says Bakaas. “He recently passed away a few years ago, which is very unfortunate and so we are very happy to present this in his honor – but he is very well known for his complex, difficult and delicate music which, when everything comes together, sounds fantastic. “.

“But it’s certainly a very big challenge for the artists and crews to make his shows work.”

Producing musicals is a big, complex and challenging undertaking, especially for chronically underfunded community theater companies, but Bakaas says there’s a bit of magic in singing about your feelings.

“Personally, I love the way music can tell a story,” he says, “especially as a performer, there’s something about being able to tell a story through a song that just adds a extra layer of emotion and intention to everything you do.”

“As a performer it’s really fantastic to see,” he adds, “and sometimes as an audience member it’s easier and more powerful to understand what’s going on when you have those layers additional music and words behind what is done.”

In the woods runs through November 16 at the Pumphouse Theater. For tickets and information, visit here.