Review: Ventura College Heads INTO THE WOODS in Stylish Fashion

As a Ventura native, I'm no stranger to Ventura College: I attended classes there fifteen years ago, and walked past the campus daily on my various commutes. Yet in the years since I migrated up the coast, the Ventura College Theatre Department has been given a complete facelift, including a beautiful new theater building, and I was delighted to experience this new space during Ventura College's recent production of Sondheim's classic, Into The Woods. Into the Woods reframes well-known fairy tales into a single narrative that brings characters from beloved stories together in an inclusive universe for a re-envisioned adventure.

Derivative narratives (when done well), utilize particular elements of another story to exemplify new concepts that show unexpected-but-inevitable aspects of well-known characters. Character motivations may be similar to audience expectation; but, especially with fairy tales--stories that been in verbal and literary circulation for centuries--added emotional nuance provides the audience with a more profound understanding of the characters' plights. For instance, it's both logical and reasonable to realize that Cinderella, after being relentlessly pursued by her prince, finds herself in an uncomfortable marriage after fleeing an abusive stepfamily. The concept of "happily ever after" is used with some irony in Into The Woods--rather than immediately associating the happy ending with rescue via prince, the audience sees that Cinderella's happy ending may, in fact, look a little less royal than they originally believed. This is the illuminating fun of re-imagined stories like Into The Woods: they provide a more in-depth version of basic tales to transform these fables from outmoded allegories into stories that illustrate the honest struggles of humanity.

Brent Wilson, who served as both director and conductor for this musical, along with the talented Ventura College production staff, created an intimate, unique production of Into The Woods--an impressive accomplishment for a show that's performed in fair frequency. Designed to exist in a black box space, the theatre was transformed into a forest. Draping fabric hung from the ceiling, reminiscent of both a leafy canopy and a carnival tent, combining elements of ethereal forest and ominous theatricality. The ceiling was composed of heavy fabric dimpled with twinkling starlight, alluding to the dark potential of the woods, but leaving glimmers of the brighter world beyond the treetops.

"Putting it in the black box has been great," Wilson says. "I wanted the audience to feel like part of the story, to be in the woods. I also wanted to challenge the actors by having the audience so close; it forces them to be engaging at all times." The audience, who sat throughout the stage space, became naturally occurring obstacles for the actors to navigate. And despite the small space and some awkward angles of view, the cast did a decent job of playing to all sides of the theater.

Wilson aimed to give this production a timeless quality; his success with the concept came in part from incredibly detailed and creative costuming by Abra Flores. The style was influenced by the nexus of punk and glam rock from the U.K. and U.S., circa the late 70s/early 80s. While this may recall an exact "era" to the minds of viewers, it perpetuates timelessness in its anachronism. It matters little that the civilization of the play's universe features villagers and royalty who travel via foot and horse. The overtly modern dress and attitudes of characters show that these stories are not necessarily "once upon a time"; they are, at their core, about human struggle--a constant in our race in every era.

Among the large cast of student actors, stand-out voices and performances included Elaina Crenshaw as the Baker's Wife, desperate to thwart the witch's curse and have a baby. Ayla Dumont played Little Red Riding Hood with an noteworthy fusion of budding sensuality and the pouty determination of a child, showing character growth in both literal and figurative fashion. Katy Jarvis as Cinderella offered an honest sense of conflicted obligation to the royal life she's fallen into; and Jori Gilky, as the witch, was a strong comedic performer with well-executed moments of witty omniscience.

Wilson says that directing both cast and orchestra was challenging. "There are too many cues to give and vamps to observe to be entirely invested in directing during dress rehearsals," he explains of his process. "I use my iPad and record each rehearsal and watch it after the actors are released. I take notes and give those notes before the next rehearsal." This system works for Wilson, who notes that with student performers, giving notes before rehearsal begins is more likely to elicit results than if he gave notes to tired actors post-rehearsal. "I enjoy the dual role because it forces me to treat the drama and music as equals--each augmenting the other. I was trained and worked in the operatic hemisphere as a performer, so I'm lucky to have to have worked in both capacities as a musician and actor."

Sondheim works are complex and ambitious undertakings for any production company, and despite some issues with sound mixing (there were some performers whose speaking voices, when not amplified by microphone, were inaudible), the musicians and vocalists did an efficient job with the piece. It's always interesting to see young performers flourish in challenging productions, and talented cast members handled the material with poise. The ensemble and less-experienced performers valiantly kept up despite the grueling work of performing a three-hour musical (sometimes twice in one day!). Ventura College's production of Into The Woods was intriguing, with exceptional production work by Wilson, Flores, and Willy Eck, the set and production designer.

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