Into The Woods without delay! But careful not to lose the way… Into The Woods who knows what might be lurking on the journey. Into The Woods to get the thing that make it worth the journeying— be it cow, wish, potion or festival…Street Lamp Community Theatre makes it worth your journey all the way up to Rising Sun to see their impressive production of the Sondheim beast that is Into The Woods. Directed by K. C. Testerman with Musical Direction by LaShelle Bray, this curiously quirky and vocally stunning production will have you marveling at all of the accomplishments happening in the intimate black box that is SLCT.
There’s something to be said for attempting to tackle any Sondheim show, especially at the community level. And given the unique spatial challenges that come with SLCT’s current black box setup in Rising Sun, come prepared to be both impressed and amazed because they achieve a miraculous wonder with this production. Director K.C. Testerman doesn’t fall victim to attempting to force a concept onto the show but doesn’t play it straight to form either. There’s something subtle and refreshing about the approach that Testerman takes to this production, allowing for humorous nuances and self-actualization among the characters and various scenes that play out during the course of the evening. For those who have seen the production innumerable times (or at least thrice this calendar year) it’s a true breath of fresh theatrical air whilst maintaining its grounded Sondheim roots so that anyone experiencing Into The Woods for the first time still gets an experience true to its origins. And while there’s little if anything that can be done about the show’s run-time, Testerman (and her astonishing Stage Managers Karen & Teá Decker) run a tightly paced and well-parsed ship, keeping the action rolling swiftly along so that you don’t notice those two hours and 40 minutes (including the intermission) as they barrel on by.
Sondheim is referred to as a musical beast because of the complex and insanely intricate harmonies, melodies, blends, and other cacophonous chaos that occurs in his score. Into The Woods falls right into that category of “attempt at your own risk.” But SLCT has an ace up their sleeve— or magic on their side? Take your pick. Her name is LaShelle Bray and she’s their musical director. Arguably one of the more dangerous pitfalls of the ITW’s score is “Your Fault”, the race-round-quartet-quintet number between Baker, Cinderella, Jack, Little Red, and the Witch, which requires precision, exacting articulation, and meticulous pacing. By golly, Bray’s done it. She gets that number exquisitely paced at the expedient tempo that it’s meant to be experienced, and the dizzying chaos of the lyrics are articulated and enunciated to perfection. That number stands out because it’s often one of the most challenging. But Bray radiates like that wondrous glimmer (that gets mentioned in this production not once but twice…cute Easter egg if you can catch it the second time…) all throughout her musical direction efforts with this performance. The complex harmonies are well-blended, the emotional investitures of the characters marry brilliantly into the song work; it’s truly a remarkable feat! And while Into The Woods isn’t a splashy dance show, director K.C. Testerman and co-choreographer Nicole Norton deserve praises for the window-box-leaps steps for the number or two that display true dance-style routines, and they both should receive accolades for their ability to adapt blockyography to the compact, intimate space of the SLCT black box. Even when all 17 performers are on stage you never feel overcrowded and that’s an impressive achievement in and of itself.
It’s all the little moments that bring this show together. Everyone in the cast— all 17 of them— is vocally fierce, well-balanced, and completely a-tuned to their inner Sondheim. And that’s saying something. Sondheim sounding great is more than half the battle and this cast most assuredly has that covered. It’s all the nuance, intricate details, and relationship work that makes this production a proper theatrical fairytale. But I almost overlooked the show’s aesthetic masterminds— Andrew DiMaio (lighting design), Joyce Williams & Brenda Kinzinger (costumes) and Kevin Woods (set.) And that would be an actual disaster to not give these four wonderfully talented individuals their due credit. Williams & Kinzinger work their sorcery to craft iconic, yet unique, looks for each of the storybook denizens that populate Into The Woods. DiMaio uses a lot of luminous midnight-blue lighting to create atmosphere during some of the spookier numbers, in addition to greens…we are in an enchanted forest, after all. And Woods’ set has trees and simplicity; what more could you need?
Precocious and adorable, Grace Anderson is playing Milky White and she’s just a gem to watch. When the Baker and his wife are having their rekindling during “It Takes Two”, Anderson is literally chewing scenery. She busies herself with munching on the ivy that’s growing on Rapunzel’s tower. And when a certain unfortunate event befalls the poor character, Anderson does a stage drop that’s worthy of both a gasp and a giggle. She’s just too cute for words! On the opposite end of the cuteness spectrum, you’ve got the drunken oaf of Cinderella’s Father (Jerry Jones) who doubles up as the Steward. Watching Jones’ gallop about on the hobby horse (which has sound effects!) is quite humorous. And let’s not forget Liz Zimmerman, who only gets one moment to shine vocally as Cinderella’s Mother— appearing like magic in the knothole of the tree and delivering her sung-lines with mellifluous grace. But Zimmerman doubles up as Granny and lives up her 15-seconds in the limelight in that role when she comes ‘bursting out’ and her antics are hysterical.
The ‘freeze-frame’ tactic is often employed in that opening run-on montage of introducing some of the principal characters, especially when the spatial confines of the stage are tight. You won’t be able to contain your laughter when you watch Stepmother, Lucinda, and Florinda (played by Mimi Wallace, Amanda Margkrathok, and Meg Anderson, respectively) strike their freezes every time the scene blips away from their part of the story. Margkrathok and Anderson get double praises because once they find ‘new vision’ at the end of the first act and all throughout the second act, their physical tomfoolery will just tickle you pink, particularly as one of the pair never quite seems to be facing the correct direction. Jack’s Mother (Sonya Brown) is another rival for “who gives the funniest freeze-frames.” In the vein of the uniqueness of this production, finds one of the lines that Jack’s Mother delivers, which is traditionally meant to be acerbic and witty, with a heartfelt and maternal tenderness (“that’s okay too”) and again it’s curious but refreshing to hear that ‘moment in the woods’ land in the way that Brown delivers it.
Weepy, weary, and barely given lines let alone songs, yet the character’s descriptor is that she’s got songbird vocals, Natalie Giovan’s Rapunzel is as dulcet as she is simple. It’s lovely to hear her voice list lightly over actual lyrics in that duet with the witch, “Our Little World.” And while, as is scripted, Giovan shrieks out her histrionics, there’s something deeper happening in those cries. It’s an emotional stone that’s being tossed when she sobs her despair; rather than going for the low-hanging-fruit-of-comedic ease, Giovan gives Rapunzel a sorrow so that you actually want to empathize with her plight, again making for a curious but refreshing experience with this character.
Lucky Marino and Dave Klingensmith are a pair of princes who will just push all the laughter-buttons when it comes to the way they play through “Agony” and its reprise. Marino, as Cinderella’s Prince, and Klingensmith, as Rapunzel’s Prince (also doubled up as Mr. Wolf) play up the notable height difference between them in an attempt to physically upstage one another during that number. And their vocals carry delightfully through the song while the keep the number paced appropriately. All too often the tempo for “Agony” drags, making it much too much like its namesake but that’s certainly not the case for Marino and Klingensmith. Keep your eye out for more of Marino’s shenanigans both when he encounters the Baker’s Wife during “Any Moment” and when he re-encounters Cinderella before the end of the performance. Marino goes hog-wild with dissolving the fourth wall on that “I was raised to be charming not sincere” bit and it’s hilarious. There’s also something wildly unsettling but in the most refreshing way possible when he and Cinderella share their final lines together; this moment is traditionally delivered as bittersweet and tender but with Marino and Erin Murphy (as Cinderella) it becomes fiery and sarcastic, adding an edgy darkness with cheeky humor to that— ‘moment in the woods.’
It was their fault— Jack (Chris Williams), Red (Sadie Cole), Cinderella (Erin Murphy), the Witch (Jamie DiMaio), the Baker (Pat Collins) and the Baker’s Wife (Breonna Lewis.) The super-six. The special-sextet. Whatever you want to call them, this is the merry band of disaster-makers that gets the whole story whirling out of sync with itself. And all of them are brining star-quality vocals to the iconic numbers that their characters sing. But what’s more impressive are the character choices that they’re making to make these characters quirky, refreshing (yes, it’s the word of the review) and utterly unusual in the most fascinating way possible. Don’t get me wrong, their voices are quite the marvel all their own— particularly when Breonna Lewis is taking her options with belting at the end of “Moments in the Woods” or the ‘burn-the-house-down’ rendition of “Last Midnight” that Jamie DiMaio’s Witch spills out like a cauldron exploding over the audience. And when Pat Collins delivers his rendition of “No More” there are feral emotions unleashed with unadulterated fury and anguish but glorious tonal clarity. And of course the quintet— Williams, Cole, Murphy, DiMaio, and Collins— are delivering a masterclass in “Your Fault: How To Sing this Song the Way Sondheim Intended.”
Williams, as the eager-eyed and bushy-tailed Jack, finds the earnest naivete in the character, making him truly childlike rather than simple or stupid. You get to see this most effectively in the moment when he protests with the Baker about exacting justice upon the Steward. It isn’t petulant, it isn’t outrage, it’s just the epitome of a child’s perspective and viewpoint on the situation. And for as much childlike wonder as Williams’ brings to the character, is as much vocally mature capability that he’s bringing to “Giants in the Sky.” Lusty peels of notes that ring clear like bells with all the indefatigable enthusiasm of youth in its prime is exactly what Williams’ is delivering for that song and it’s extraordinary. You get a dynamically versatile portrayal of Little Red Riding Hood from Sadie Cole. Simple and sweet turned sassy and fierce, both parts in balance as one, whole character. Matching vocal talents with the other leading performers in the production, Cole finds a way to bring her character work into her singing voice, particularly for “I Know Things Now.” And she is subtle when dishing out the humors of the character, making for a nuanced overall performance.
You expect winsome and doe-eyed from most Cinderella’s and at moments in this production you get that from Erin Murphy. But you also get cheeky, grounded, earnest, and anguish too. It’s more than just a pretty sound emanating from Murphy when she sings, though there’s definitely that happening with her portrayal. “On The Steps of the Palace” becomes this smirking little secret that she’s sharing with the audience, a delightful twist on the more traditionally parked-and-barked-upbeat-ballad-style number. And there is an undeniably maternal moment where Cinderella is tender and kind in a protective fashion toward Little Red during “No One Is Alone.” And her overall characterization is exciting to watch, especially as she interacts with the prince.
Pat Collins as the Baker and Breonna Lewis as Baker’s Wife have a solid, working relationship on stage. The fussing and bickering that the couple engages with all the way up to “It Takes Two” really creates a diving platform for rediscovery of that number. They get friendly and flirty with one another and the number is like splashing into a crisp ice bath on a hot summer’s day. Both Lewis and Collins bring uniqueness to their portrayals— Collins’ Baker is more sharply focused than most while Lewis’ Baker’s Wife seems more internalized, both contemplative and introspective. It’s dizzying to watch Lewis race-pace up and down the platform when she’s singing her solo “Moments in the Woods” and equally intriguing to watch Collins’ Baker venture on his own journey of self-discovery and identity.
Everything a Witch should be, Jamie DiMaio shows up in a glorious wonder-gown with a back-to-basics transformation that is so simple but so cleanly executed that you get the true magic of ‘suspension of disbelief’ in play at the end of Act I. Her patter-rap “Prologue: Into the Woods” is on point— even if there’s a moment where the ‘cd/record’ skips (again— Easter egg of uniqueness!)— and her overall desperation of needing familial love is powerful, particularly in the second act. DiMaio has a firm handle on her vocal affectation as the witch, carrying it seamlessly into her singing voice and delivering a textbook performance of “Last Midnight” that receives the applause it deserves.
Working harder than anyone else in the show (literally his words, though clearly meant to evoke chuckles from the audience) Sam Anderson is some sort of fairytale enigma playing both the Narrator and the Mysterious Man. When Anderson is the Mysterious Man…words. I don’t have them. Its like watching a possessed revenant out of some horror-comedy-film scrabble about as if he might physically set the stage on fire or perhaps is just hoping to be scratched under his chin. It’s absurd and hilarious and clearly nothing serious. I mean just look at his feet! Those shoes make that character that much more unhinged. And when he springs up breathless after taking a dive in the aforementioned role, dressing himself back in his Narrator gear, you get some of that cheeky self-actualization that has members of the audience beside themselves with giggles. As The Narrator, Anderson is selling “Historian a la Spamalot” vibes. And he might be the most unusual thing about this production— and that’s saying something!
It’s not just another journey as you go Into The Woods with Street Lamp Community Theatre…it’s a fountain of revitalizing fresh takes and musical genius. Two weekends only, which is not quite the same thing as two midnights gone, but don’t let those midnights get too far gone, or you too shall discover the hard way that opportunity is not a lengthy visitor. Get your tickets to see Into The Woods— it’s a wish come true this holiday season!
Running Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes with one intermission
Into The Woods plays through December 15th 2024 at Street Lamp Community Theatre— 5 Valley View Drive in Rising Sun, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 658-5088 or purchase them online.
