BWW Reviews: Stephen Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS at the Center for the Arts at River Ridge

"Art isn't easy." That's what Stephen Sondheim wrote in Sunday in the Park with George. Actually, truth be told, art can be easy; it's Sondheim who's difficult. He writes some of the most problematic music and lyrics imaginable, and any school that tries to tackle his brilliance needs to be commended. But what if a public high school goes beyond the call of duty and tackles his brilliance with incredible performances that would make the composer proud? Well, that's the case with the INTO THE WOODS production put on by the River Ridge High School Drama Department at the Center for the Arts.

This is a high school show that will give you faith in the future. Don't ever worry about the next generation of musical theatre powerhouses; they are alive and well in the Bay Area, and there are a great number of them currently at River Ridge. They got to show off their excessive talents Friday night to an awestruck audience that wound up on its feet for an extended standing ovation. Standing ovations can be deceptive--sometimes shows do not deserve them. This one does.

INTO THE WOODS is a deceptively complex show, both in music and theme, with some of the most difficult Sondheim songs ever, which is saying something. But I left the theatre grinning, shaking my head in wonderment, tears in my eyes. Here is a cast that understood the show's deeper, darker message...and absolutely owned the production.

The cast is sterling. Top of the heap is Abby Brazier in the iconic role of the witch. Simply put, it's her show. Her "Stay with Me" is stellar, and her "Last Midnight" incredible. When she's onstage you rarely watch anyone else. She's a powerful belter, yes, but I preferred her softer, more vulnerable moments. Her transformation is glorious, and we follow her journey, her pain, until her final, dramatic farewell. This is what theatre is about, and the fact that Ms. Brazier is only a junior in high school begs the question: What can she do to top this?

Michael Mekus and Elizabeth Morgan are both marvelous in the roles of the Baker and his wife. Their "It Takes Two" is wonderfully done, starting off like one of Eugene O'Neill's Strange Interludes set to music. They connect wonderfully onstage, and we really view the show through their eyes.

Mekus showcases his wide dramatic range in the emotionally wrenching Act 2 number, "No More." His part in "No One Is Alone" is incredibly raw, very real, something most teenagers would have a hard time connecting with, but Mekus absolutely owns the character's moments of pain. This young actor has consistently done great work in so many local shows, but these emotional moments in Act 2 are his best so far.

Morgan is a revelation. The Baker's Wife is one of the great roles in musical theatre, and she is just astonishing. The part is that of an outsider, "in the wrong story," and Morgan captures the depths of this role. Her exquisite "Moments in the Wood" is brilliantly performed; thanks to Morgan, that song is quickly joining the ranks of "Last Midnight" and "No One is Alone" as my favorite in the show.

Not only is Morgan stunning as the Baker's Wife, but she also showed off her incredible wide variety of skills by doing all of the show's clever choreography.

Ben Bailey and Jonah Laird are perfectly cast as the two Princes (Cinderella's and Rapunzel's, respectively). Bailey is particularly funny, his hand gestures so wonderfully exaggerated, and his walk straight out of Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks. Laird has perfect timing and is an expert on mining for humor with a very dry comeback. Although I liked their "Agony," they could have done even more with it.

Bailey also portrays the Big Bad Wolf, and he taps into his inner rock star for the furry part. He's quite menacing, like an odd combination of a lecherous werewolf and a WWE champion; I preferred his growling interpretation to Johnny Depp's more purring lech.

As his prey, Little Red, Alysia Wargo-Rodriguez hits all the right notes. She makes for a marvelous Little Red, full of wide-eyed wonder turned sour.

As Jack of "Jack and the Beanstalk" fame, Ryon Eberhard is darling. He owns the stage and makes for a particularly precious character that the audience roots for. His friendship with the cow, Milky White, is quite touching. Chris Cavazza's Milky White steals the scenes with this surprisingly great character (in a great costume). It has to be seen to be believed, but it reminded me of "Au Hazard, Balthazar," a movie where we root for a mere donkey. Here, we root for a cow and are saddened like Jack at its demise (beautifully staged), trying not to think about the hamburgers we had just eaten prior to the show.

As Jack's mother, Dezzie Sala pushes her way to near the top of the cast with an amazing portrayal. It shows that no matter the size of a part, what you do with it is what matters. In her hands, Jack's mother becomes one of the leads and we are sad when she is no longer in the show during Act 2. We miss that wonderful talent and, that rarity of rarity's with teenage performers, a fully realized character.

Emma Peterson is perfection as Cinderella. Tom DeCanio's Narrator does the job well, though I wish he interacted with the scenes more. Connor Evering is strong as the Mystery Man, though sometimes we lose some of his lines due to diction issues. Rebecca Douglas is a lovely Rapunzel and makes the most of the part; we are horrified at her fate in Act 2 (fans of the movie that have never seen the stage version probably have no idea what I'm talking about here). Taylor McGlynn's voice shakes the walls and is quite threatening and even scary as the Giant. And Kayla Rodriguez is quite memorable as Little Red's Granny; her escape from the Big Bad Wolf's stomach is one of the show's riotous highlights.

I wish Cinderella's Stepmother (Sarah Moyer) and Stepsisters (the wonderful Grace Morgan and Ella Staneszewski) had more to do. They are very entertaining, especially when the Stepsisters lose their sight, but I felt they stayed in the background for much of the story and needed to find a way to make us care even more for them.

Theatre teacher and Broadway veteran Diana Rogers has directed the show magnificently. Her staging is brilliant, and her actors understand their parts well. She has guided an incredible production. The set is breathtaking and truly gives us a feeling of being in the woods. In some ways it reminds me of the land of Avatar come to life. A three-dimensional verdant world of dark magic. Cinderella's Prince's horse is already legendary (it's a beautiful concoction that must be witnessed), but I was less enamored by Cinderella's birds (the white paper on strings just didn't do it for me). But even the detail of how they make the Stepsister's blood pour out of the slipper is amazing and quite funny (for something so morbid).

The only real problems with the production were some tech issues, like microphones not coming on or going off at the correct time, feedback, and some lighting miscues. Jack's microphone was off at the beginning of the show and it made the start seem quite messy. These need to be ironed out because this is too good a show, and the cast is too off-the-charts fantastic, to settle for anything less, especially tech glitches that are easy to fix.

Marvin Lovett's musical direction is spot on, and his orchestra was wonderfully tight: Lou Zager on clarinet, Debra Langrock on the flute, Dale Sloman on the trumpet and Aiden Gmelin on percussion.

I left the theatre amazed at what these young performers under the guidance of Diana Rogers have accomplished. They have taken Sondheim's difficult piece and made magic out of it. Yes, the stars have aligned; the moon is full; and a brilliant INTO THE WOODS is in full bloom at the Center for the Arts at River Ridge. Don't miss it.

INTO THE WOODS at the Center for the Arts at River Ridge plays Saturday night, March 7th at 7:00 pm and Sunday, March 8th at 2:00 pm. Tickets are available at the door.

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