“Once upon a time” doesn’t always end with “happily ever after.”
That is especially true in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods,” now on stage at Arizona Repertory Theatre.
The musical’s first act introduces us to a myriad of fairy-tale characters: the poor mistreated Cinderella and her tormentors, Jack of “Jack and the Beanstalk” fame, and Little Red Riding Hood and her devouring wolf all have key roles in the story.
The premise is the Baker and his wife go in search of some witch-directed items in order to remove a curse that condemns them to a childless life. They, as well as other searching characters, eventually get what they want.
In the second act, we see what darkness can come when we get what we want.
The cast of University of Arizona students, directed by Danny Gurwin, bursts with musical abilities. Sondheim is notoriously difficult to sing — so many words, such complex melodies. This cast was up to the task, especially Reagan Kennedy, a UA senior in musical theatre who played the Witch. Kennedy’s voice soars and when she sings “Witch’s Lament,” she makes all the regret and loss at losing Rapunzel palpable.
Sydney DiSabato shone as the greedy Little Red Riding Hood, and Alex Bruckner was impressive as the often-desperate, sometimes confused Baker’s Wife. Steven Enriquez as the Baker faltered a bit in the first act, but by the time he sang “No More” in the second, he embraced the longing and fear that grips the character.
This production made sure the humor came out, especially in “Agony,” sung by Cinderella’s Prince, Vin Pugliese, and Rapunzel’s Prince, Ben Tyrrrell. The talented men infused the song with all the drama and over-the-topness it demands. As well, DiSabato earned plenty of well-deserved laughter in her role of Little Red Riding Hood.
The costumes by Patrick Holt were kind of brilliant. From ballgowns to rags, each told us who the character was. And it is worth going to the show just to see the dashing yet menacing wolf costume. Michael Laverde made it jump even more with his cocky and sinister portrayal of the wolf.
The set, by Joe C. Klug, consisted of about four clumps of trees. These woods are supposed to be scary; they were not at all. They didn’t even give a hint of how dangerous the woods could be.
The play was performed in the round, which presented some problems for director Gurwin. The trees sometimes provided visual barriers to the actors, and often the performers were playing to one side of the audience, and not the other. It is a hard, complex issue to solve when you have 16 actors and a smaller stage; Gurwin wasn’t able to find a solution.
Though there were flaws in the production, the talented singers were almost flawless. That may not help you live happily ever after, but you are sure to leave the theater with a satisfied grin on your face.
