Review: INTO THE WOODS at Baldwin Wallace Music Theatre Program

INTO THE WOODS is a musical with a book by James Lapine and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Yes, that Stephen Sondheim, the man who is credited with reinventing the American musical with shows that tackle unexpected themes, music and lyrics of such complexity and sophistication that they challenge performers and musicians who are responsible for taking "Sondheim" off the page and into the world of production.

Sondheim, the man who ignores the genre's traditional subjects and writes instead of assassins (ASSASSINS), unmarried men (COMPANY), has-been performers (FOLLIES), revenge (SWEENEY TODD), artists (SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE), isolationism (PACIFIC OVERTURES) and the foibles of fables.

Foibles of fables is the focus of INTO THE WOODS, now on stage at Baldwin Wallace University.

The musical intertwines the plots of several Grimm fairy tales by exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and desires. The main characters are taken from "Little Red Riding Hood," "Jack and the Beanstalk," and "Cinderella," with guest performances by Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

The musical is tied together by a story involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to have a child, which is actually the original beginning of "Rapunzel," their confronting the witch who placed a curse on them, and their interaction with storybook characters during their journey searching for things the witch requires to withdraw the curse.

The first act ends with "happily ever after," while the second act illustrates that life is not a fairy tale, but that there is a price to be paid for our wishes.

The show's themes include the angst of growing up, the relationship between parents and children, the difficulties of accepting responsibility, morality and, most importantly, wish fulfillment and its consequences.

Theatre experts have opined that, since the show was conceived in the 1980s, the height of the AIDS crisis, the show is a parable about the disease. They perceived that "the Giant's Wife serves as a metaphor for HIV/AIDS, killing good and bad characters indiscriminately and forcing the survivors to band together to stop the threat and move on from the devastation." The modern day parallel would be the implications of the COVID crisis.

"Sondheim drew on parts of his troubled childhood when writing the show. In 1987, he told Time Magazine that the 'father uncomfortable with babies [was] his father, and [the] mother who regrets having had children [was] his mother."

INTO THE WOODS had a 1987-89 Broadway run of 765 performances and was nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning three.

The BW production, under the creative direction of Victoria Bussert, is not only well-conceived and compelling, but is also a tribute to the quality of the students and faculty of one of the best collegiate musical theatre programs.

After almost two years of education via zoom, the cast emerged to face the daunting task of performing a very complex show filled with challenging Sondheim music and daunting acting hurdles. To make matters even more difficult, because of the need to give the many students in the Musical Theatre program an opportunity to perform before a live audience, the show is double cast and there is a full set of understudies.

The task of getting the horde of students ready for the return to live theater, fell on the shoulders of not only Bussert, but choreographer Greg Daniels and musical director Matthew Webb. The well-honed production is a tribute to their abilities.

The performance comments are based on my having seen the "Prince" cast, which is on stage November 10, 12, 14, 18 and 20. The "Cinderella" cast is on stage the other performances of the run.

Dario Alvarez well creates a Baker who is focused on his task and is a loving husband and father. "It Takes Two," his duet with his wife, the charming, Amelia Beckham, is delightful.

Claire Marie Miller (Cinderella) displays a wonderful comic-timing sense, especially in doing prat-falls. Her "On the Steps of the Palace," illustrates not only her strong singing voice but her music story telling abilities. She shines, as does Amelia Beckham, in "A Very Nice Prince."

Nicholas Hermick (Jack) displays a wonderful child-sensitive quality, which is well-expressed in "Giants in the Sky."

Eileen Brady skips and sprightly dances in creating a delightful Little Red Riding hood. "Hello, Little Girl," co-sung with Jack Borenstein, the wolf, is a show highlight.
"Agony" is a fun-bit nicely sung by Cinderella's Prince (Jack Hale) and Rapunzel's Prince (Makay Johnson).

The "star" of the show was RhonniRose Mantilla, the witch, who made "Children Will Listen" one of the greatest songs in the Broadway musical lexicon, a meaningful show closer. She has a lot of the qualities of BW grad Ciara Renée, who has appeared on the Great White Way in BIG FISH, PIPPIN, FROZEN, and will take the stage shortly in Broadway's WAITRESS.

The rest of the leading players and chorus were excellent.

Jeff Herrmann's set design which cleverly used the entire proscenium stage, Tesia Dugan Benson's costumes, Angela Baughman's sound design, and David Allen Stoughton's lighting, all added to the over-all positive effect.

Capsule Judgment: Sprightly, fresh, well done, all involving INTO THE WOODS is a must see!

For tickets to INTO THE WOODS, which runs from November 10-21, 2021 in BW's Kleist Center for Art and Drama go to bw.edu/tickets or call 440-826-2369.

Upcoming BW/Musical Theater events:
December 4, 7 p.m.-SENIOR CELEBRATION-Each music theatre senior will perform one number from their virtual senior recital. Tickets required.

February 4-27, 2022-LIZZIE THE MUSICAL-Beck Center for the Arts, Lakewood--BW Musical Theatre students, as directed by Victoria Bussert, present the Lizzie Borden tale of did she or didn't she ax-out her parents. Tickets required.

April 22 & 23, 2022-LIGHTNING THIEF-Playhouse Square-Helen Theatre-BW grad Chris McCarrell, who starred in the off-Broadway production, will direct present BW students. The musical tale centers on Percy Jackson, a dyslexic twelve-year old with ADHD. While on a school trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the chaperones attacks him. Percy's favorite teacher, Mr. Brunner, lends Percy a magical sword-pen to defeat her. And, thus, the mythical begins. Tickets required.

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