So, when a limited-engagement production rolls into town on the heels of a record cold snap that closes down much of the city, cancelling the only dress rehearsal and on top of that, the leading lady sustains a knee injury, at what point does it seem like there’s some kind of curse hanging over said production?

Black Button Eyes successfully tackles the violent, satirical humor of "Evil Dead: The Musical" with energy and pluck, transforming the Pride Arts Center into a rural battlefield for demons to rise and fall in the wake of one hard-boiled hero.

Thankfully, director Rudy Hogenmiller trusts Into the Woods enough to direct the piece in a straightforward fashion that makes this production a solid Sondheim primer, for anyone ready for next-level musical theatre performance.

Besides the visuals, the big draw here is TV star T.R. Knight as the overinflated Bottom. He mines every opportunity for funny business — in and out of the donkey’s head — and his acting troupe’s performance of the lovers’ tragedy Pyramus & Thisbe brings down the house with overwrought bathos and underprepared stagecraft, as well any Midsummer should.

So a lot of firsts, but for what cause? What can we in the here-and-now take away from a retrograde fairy tale about a reclusive blind princess and her restrictive father — so restrictive, in fact, he forbids any mention of sight or light in her presence?

It’s not just that the design is ugly, though it certainly is, it’s that it actually undermines the author’s intent.

In any case, the days are getting shorter, we could all use some warming up, and BoHo and Marston have got the fire going with its central triangle of players.

It’s a well-crafted musical—and based on what’s on display, an unjustly overlooked one—and it can just as easily fit in one’s pocket as it can pack a punch and shake the rafters with sound and fury.