Review: INTO THE WOODS at Candlelight Music Theatre

Candlelight Theatre continues to astound. While regional professional theatres are going from six week runs to three (see DE Theatre Co), the funky old barn in the bowels of sylvan Arden continues to welcome sold out crowds for a full six.

It’s an exceptional value; dinner and theatre for less than the price of a ticket at The Playhouse. Parking is free and the actor/servers are effervescent, attentive and ever ready with the bon mots. The quality of tech (lighting, sound, costumes, wigs, set) and onstage talent rivals that of any theater in the region.

Aisle Say is baffled. He’s befuddled.  (Not an uncommon condition for septuagenarians). There is no way in God’s Green Earth – or in this instance, Into The Woods – that they pay their actors anywhere equal to other professional troupes. Yet, consistently, new bios show up in the program book saying ‘I am thrilled to make my Candlelight debut’. Peter Reynolds, the Head of Musical Theatre at Temple is directing. Musical Director Hana Cai served a similar role at Temple and is now on the faculty at Lehigh. Both individuals have very impressive creds. The resumes of the actors making their debuts is impressive. How Candlelight does it remains a mystery.

Question: How did playwright James Lapine and Sondheim go about inventing a picaresque adventure peopled with fantastic creatures? It was a fairy tale quest, fairy tales sans the ‘happily ever after’.

All folktales have an axiom to grind, whether explicit or implicit. Bringing a number of tales together was a task as gargantuan as Jack’s Giant. Distilling this down to make sense to the audience, Lapine and Sondheim chose to illustrate 1) the relationship between parents and children and 2) the notion of community responsibility. Their’s was a folktale with a moral. In Act I, the Baker and his wife achieved their goals. Act II deals with the consequences of what they did to get there.

To princesses,  princes, the nasty stepsisters, the bakers, a little girl skipping to grandmother’s house, a voracious wolf and witch; the entire cast is spectacular.  The Director moved all scenes at a pretty pace. Oh, yes, dear readers, please be advised; there IS bloodletting.

I’ve seen this show many times. I love it. So creative. So endearing. So rich with dialogue and songs that entice you and speak to core values and what is important in life.

Stepsister Florinda (Leah Senseney) and Lucinda (Tess Sinatra) were the funniest twosome ever witnessed by Aisle Say. Their ‘takes’ when they are blinded and in attempting to wedge on the glass slipper were convulsively funny.

Cinderella (Anne Bragg) has a lovely, lilting, charming voice. Aisle Say would have loved to have been in Niambi Fetlow’s audition, this being her first at Candlelight. They must have been stunned, as we all were with her phenomenal stage presence and mesmerizing command. (Huzzahs to Costumer Timothy Lamont Cannon for the extraordinary witchy woman garb). In that contraption – and out of it – Fetlow had body control reminiscent of Ben Vereen. The witch’s duet with Rapunzel (Kendyll Young) stirring and passionate.

As the outsider to all character relationships in the story, the witch sang a soulful “No One Is Alone”, giving us all succor.

The Baker (Dante Brattelli) and his wife (Tori Healy) exhibited wonderful chemistry. Their duet, “It Takes Two” was a lesson by Sondheim that we all understood.

The minuet-type choreography by Dylan Cole in “Hello, Little Girl”, was playful and danced by two engaging singers, the petulant Red Riding Hood (Tina DeLano) and the Wolf (Anthony Connell). Very happy to see one of Candlelight’s most talented showman back on stage.

Act I Finale was beautifully staged and danced.

“Agony” must be one of the funniest male duets like…ever. It was superbly executed by Rapunzel’s Prince (John Murphy) and Cinderella’s Prince (Anthony Connell). This is one of the best examples of how much funnier a scene like this is when the performers play the most ludicrous lines as though they are absolutely serious. Neither of them clowns for even an instant, no matter how funny the line is. They are hysterical in a seemingly unintentional way.

In a later scene with the Baker’s wife, Connell’s Prince displayed some swashbuckling swordplay that impressed every female in the audience. Aisle Say witnessed more than a few swooning.

Wigs and makeup by Clayton Stacey were wonderful. The Lighting Design by Matthew J. Kator was superb. His use of LED lights allied with his own creativity and understanding of the show made for a special experience. Tisa Della-Volpe’s photographs were vivid. She knows exactly when to press the trigger for the perfect shot. Both of these artists lend yet two more compelling characters to the production, as witnessed by the accompanying photo.

Through October 29  Candlelight Theater Delaware – Dining and Entertainment Beyond Your Expectations (candlelighttheatredelaware.org)   302.475.2313

Next Up: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE,  starring Jared Calhoun

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