Kris has twice directed Into The Woods; firstly in 1999 at the Conservatorium of Music in Queensland, and then in 2010 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney with the cast of em>Wicked.

For CQU, it was a great opportunity to try some ideas out on one of the classics in the canon – any great musical should be as open to reinterpretation as any great play.

Here, Into the Woods was treated as if we were looking at a production of As You Like It, a similar text in which the forest in a magical, fearful place. For this production, the staging concept was based around a suburbs and city setting, so that the “forest” was this fearful, urban environment.

In 2010 it was staged as a fundraiser for the Rob Guest Endowment, and it was a tremendous challenge. Working around his and the cast’s daily demands on Wicked, Kris crafted a fully-staged production that utilised the enormous resources available to the Wicked Creative Team.

INTO THE WOODS REVIEWS

” … it speaks inestimably of all involved that this production of Into The Woods is truly a first-class job … Director Kris Stewart elicited remarkable performances from his principals.”  NEIL MOLLOY The Brisbane Courier Mail

“Wicked cast presents magical night in the Woods … an extraordinary night in the theatre … from the moment MC Bert Newton arrived on stage to host the evening (with his usual glorious professional aplomb) it was clear the night was going to be exciting and magical. (…) allowed this most magnificent work to shine and glow in a superbly textured, utterly beguiling night of theatre. It was simply an incredible night that will long be remembered by those lucky to be in attendance.”  LES SOLOMON Aussie Theatre.

Kris directed this for the Production Company in Melbourne – they’re similar to Encores in NYC, and Australia’s only non-profit that focusses on musical theatre.

The idea was to have a lot of fun with it, playing it as one big cartoon and keeping it in period (which was defined as about 20 minutes before the sexual revolution).

It featured quite a few Australian TV stars, who enjoyed the chance to parody their personas, plus a number of Australia’s best musical theatre performers.

REVIEWS FOR HOW TO SUCCEED

“SUCCEEDS, AND HOW! This splendidly vivacious staging, the first of this year’s season of musicals from the Production Company, is directed with a fine sense of cynicism and good timing by Kris Stewart … there must have been challenges for Stewart, but he consistently surprises and uses the space to best advantage … wonderfully full realisation.” MICHAEL SHMITH (May 9, 2001), “The Age”

“BUSINESS BOOMS … The standard of Production Company musicals continues to astound … bubbles with personality and sparkle … a fine show, stellar cast and precise direction by Kris Stewart augurs well for this year’s Production company season.” CATHERINE LAMBERT (May 13, 2001), “The Herald Sun”

So, this was a great, fun production that Kris directed in the summer of 2004 in Florida. The Broward Stage produced it, and we had a young cast brought up from NYC. A real classic, My One and Only was a Tommy Tune and Twiggy vehicle that opened on Broadway in the 80’s, and isn’t often produced, due to the challenging demands it places on its cast (and, well, the book is a pretty weak, too).

The staging intention with this was just to create something that was fast and fun and really enjoyable for the cast and audience. Everyone loves tap, and this is a real showcase for some incredible talents.

REVIEWS FOR MY ONE AND ONLY

“Gerswin comes alive … swinging, tapping, cooin’ and singing – the staging is a real highlight … fabulous and seductively cool one minute, a toe-tapping fury the next.” KEVIN JOHNSON, Talkin’ Broadway

Kris has twice directed Into The Woods; firstly in 1999 at the Conservatorium of Music in Queensland, and then in 2010 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney with the cast of Wicked.

For CQU, it was a great opportunity to try some ideas out on one of the classics in the canon – any great musical should be as open to reinterpretation as any great play.

Here, Into the Woods was treated as if we were looking at a production of As You Like It, a similar text in which the forest in a magical, fearful place. For this production, the staging concept was based around a suburbs and city setting, so that the “forest” was this fearful, urban environment.

In 2010 it was staged as a fundraiser for the Rob Guest Endowment, and it was a tremendous challenge. Working around his and the cast’s daily demands on Wicked, Kris crafted a fully-staged production that utilised the enormous resources available to the Wicked Creative Team.