Review: Intimate, Funny, Moving INTO THE WOODS at Ten Thousand Things

Accessible, democratic, high quality performance: these are core to Ten Thousand Things' aesthetic. Accessible because Ten Thousand Things takes theater directly to underserved populations, performing in prisons, rehab facilities, immigrant learning centers and the like, for free, under florescent lights in cafeterias and community rooms, with just a few rows of folding chairs set up around a central playing area. Democratic because a core artist group advises on policy, casting is deliberately color-conscious and multi-cultural, and there is no star system at play: each performer carries multiple roles, shifts scenery, and helps provide soundscape. High quality because the actors are all singers and movers and adept at shifting from comedy to drama, while also thriving on audience interaction.

INTO THE WOODS is new artistic director Marcela Lorca's debut directorial outing for the company after the retirement of renowned artist and social change agent Michelle Hensley, the founder of Ten Thousand Things. Seeing this Sondheim masterpiece up close and stripped of pretentiousness is a treat. The singing is more expressive than showy, and no microphones are needed. Sound and music director Peter Vitale, sitting in a corner, uses a keyboard and bells and drums and is occasionally assisted by an actor playing guitar or trombone, but the accompaniments are minimalist. This foregrounds the wit and wisdom of the lyrics.

Lorca was born in Chile and has worked in this country for decades. She has a particularly strong movement background, and she's created some simple gestural ensemble dances that supply the flavor of a Broadway musical without any of the extravaganza that can mask a predictable or vacuous plot.

At first, of course, INTO THE WOODS seems predictable since it is based on familiar fairy tales: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk. But this isn't really a show for kids, and it goes well beyond 'happily ever after.' Sondheim starts with the original and bloodier versions of these stories by the Grimm brothers and Charles Perrault, and links them together in new ways. With the help of James Lapine (also key to SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE), who is quite conversant with Jungian thinking, the show directly addresses revenge and justice, sexual awakening and confusion, marital challenges post honeymoon, resilience in the face of grief and death, and how we can remake family units in service of the next generation.

All the performers here are fine, and busy: nine actors carry all the roles, sometimes with lightning fast costume changes. These are facilitated by the upcycled thrift shop chic look of the costumes, designed by Sonya Berlovitz.

Experienced actor Jim Lichtscheidl anchors the company in the pivotal role of the Baker, and is ably matched by Aimee Bryant playing his resourceful wife. Brian Bose knows how to wring every bit of pathos out of Milky White's papier mache head; he also bounds exuberantly across stage on a hobby horse as Cinderella's Prince, and exhibits admirable control of his falsetto in singing Red's Granny. Sheena Janson Kelley plays Cinderella with affecting humility and bell-like high notes. Elizabeth Reese commands a wide range, singing Jack's Mother, the wolf, a stepsister, and the brilliant satirical duet "Agony" as Rapunzel's prince, in a male register. Tall drink of water Tyson Forbes is irresistible and commanding as the Narrator and the Mysterious Man and also gets to chew the scenery as Cinderella's Stepmother, in a neon wig. Veteran performer Austene Van has the presence necessary to play the Witch even though she doesn't have the strongest singing voice in the cast. That honor may go to newcomer Ben Lohrberg as Jack. Rajané Katurah brings spunk and discovery to the role of Little Red and also sings Rapunzel and Cinderella's mother. She and Lohrberg are the only non-Equity members of the ensemble, and they hold their own admirably.

This company will perform INTO THE WOODS for free some 17 times, bringing art to underserved audiences, in their own spaces. They'll do about 20 paying performances around the Twin Cities in a few locations through March 24. I encourage you to get to one of these for your own pleasure; your dollars support the outreach that is the central purpose of this national treasure of a company. It seems quite clear that the mission of Ten Thousand Things is in safe hands now that it has transferred leadership from Hensley to Lorca.

Photo credit: Paula Keller

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