For its fifth anniversary celebration, Upstart Productions Inc. presents a nature-inspired version of a well-loved modern classic: Into The Woods. 

A fairy tale musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Into The Woods will be presented in Manila in the garden amphitheater known as Kasalikasan, a tree-lined “living art piece” in the heart of BGC. It is one of the few instances of a venue providing the main inspiration for a show. “When we did Forbidden Broadway in Kasalikasan in May 2014, it was a huge success,” explains Joel Trinidad, Upstart founder and director of the piece. “So we started thinking about what other shows we could do here to really take advantage of this beautiful space.” The idea for Into The Woods came almost immediately. “We’ve always loved the musical,” shares Upstart Managing Director Onyl Torres, who does double duty as Vocal Coach for the present production. “So why not do it in the actual woods?”

Besides Noel Trinidad and Rachel Alejandro, another way that this particular production will be unique is in its use of celebrity guests. “We’ll have a different one for each of the eight performances,” shares Torres. “But we won’t tell audiences who is performing when—it’ll be a surprise.” It is a strategy that Upstart has used before and is happy to use again. “When we did it for Forbidden Broadway, no one had ever done it before,” explains Trinidad. “Now, other theatre companies are doing the same thing!”

But after countless actors, countless directors, and countless productions all over the world—including an upcoming Disney movie—does the musical have any surprises left for Manila audiences? Trinidad believes so. “There’s always something new to discover, something new to share,” explains Trinidad. “The material is just that good.”

Upstart Productions Inc., BGC and AVIVA present Into The Woods. 6:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays from February 21 to March 15, 2015, at Kasalikasan Garden, Crescent Park West, Bonifacio Global City. Also brought to you by Plana Forma, Picasso, Alex Ruelo of ImagineNation Photography, Citrusnap and Mac. Tickets available from Ticketworld. Call 8919999 for details.