A fairy tale with pages from steam punk, Indiana Jones, bondage gear, and Alexander McQueen

• Greg Mooney
• Angela Robinson as Witch in the Alliance Theatre production of “Into the Woods.” Costume design by Lex Liang.

Stephen Sondheim’s 1987 Broadway musical “Into the Woods” is a post-modern take on fairy tales that intertwines and deconstructs multiple stories from the Brothers Grimm. The setting is “Once upon a time...” which presents some interesting challenges and possibilities for those building the look of a production. We sat down to talk with New York costume designer Lex Liang who made the costumes for the Alliance Theatre’s new revival of “Into the Woods” running through October 2.

How did you approach the overall look of the costumes for the show?
The great thing about this show is the setting of “Once upon a time.” It could be anywhere, anytime, and that’s the whole point. These tales and morals are timeless. I was interested in developing that idea of ‘timelessness’ and creating a modern story for a modern audience. If you put a woman in French court dress on stage, all of a sudden there’s this disconnect. I wanted to make it accessible, particularly to a younger audience. I wanted to pull in classic design elements from across the centuries. We have everything from prehistoric apron-pelts that speak to the early history of clothing to modern-day dress. There are even a few steam punk elements. There’s even a tribute to Alexander McQueen.