People Will Listen To & Love “Into The Woods,” @ the Ahmanson

Many a fable, folk, and fairy tale, have been written throughout the generations, from Aesop to Anderson to Disney to Grimm, but no one relays how fairy tales parallel life occurrences better than the late, great, phenomenal Stephen Sondheim, in his magnificent, Uber creative tour de force, “Into The Woods,” now gracing the stage at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles. The New York City Center Encores’ production of this larger than life fairy tale, “Into The Woods” is superbly directed by Lear DeBessonet, along with music supervisor, Rob Berman; music director, John Bell; and choreographer Lorin Latarro, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. “Into The Woods,” (and ‘home before dark,’) in all its glory, tells the original, whimsical tale of what happens if the show proceeds beyond Act 1, with the closing number, aptly called “Ever After.” But what if things don’t end happily ever after, as wished for or expected? Hence, act 2, where we face death, divorce, infidelity, danger, teeming with monsters and unknown giants, abandonment, job loss, and all such tragedies that befall so many in this so called fairy tale of life, where the story is real. The simple yet large scale extravaganza, with set by David Rockwell, and costumes by Andrea Hood, deliver a mythical, yet enchanting spin on how reality and fantasy collide and shake hands, and how the ‘happy ever after’ loses its shine. Not to mention, the exquisite work of sound designers Scott Lehrer and Alex Neumann; and lighting designer Tyler Micoleau, who bring this Broadway caliber production to the west coast, and magically transports the audience back to childhood. The harrowing, haunting music and lyrics that is Sondheim’s signature, as always, leave the audience in complete awe. Featuring a stellar cast with more than one standout, including Montego Glover as the witch; Katy Geraghty as Little Red Ridinghood; Gavin Creel as Prince Charming/ and alter ego, the Wolf ; Stephanie Block as The Baker’s Wife; her real life spouse, Sebastian Arcelus as The Baker; David Patrick Kelly as Narrator/Mysterious Man; and puppeteer of Milky White, Kennedy Kanagawa. Many members of this company were in the original 2022 production in New York. The audience is engaged right from the start, as the opening musical number features the entire company, presenting the show’s namesake, “Into The Woods,” giving an overview and dark foreshadowing of what lies ahead. “Into the woods, but not too fast, or what you wish, you lose at last. Into the woods, but mind the past. Into the woods, but mind the future.” Much like Sondheim’s “Pacific Overture,” the tunes are catchy, repetitive sing-songs, leaving the audience clapping, humming, and toe tapping, way after show’s end. In a media interview once with the late Sondheim, he mentioned that he particularly liked the double entendre meaning in his lyrics: “Must it all be either less or more? Either plain or grand? Is it always ‘or,’ and never ‘and?’ That’s what woods are for, for those moments’ in the great big beautiful woods.”One memorable piece of scenery are the dangling houses and cottages we first see when entering the theatre, propped up above the stage, amidst the forest; almost bringing shades of tornado strewn houses in the Wizard of Oz, with the message/mantra that “there’s no place like home.” The entire company’s raw talent and skill is their palpable joyous, cohesive energy, along with the uncanny ability to read a room, even as vast a space as the Ahmanson, and react to responses in a New York minute. The dialogue interspersed between musical numbers is filled with poetry and crawling with vivid metaphors and similes, such as: “the cow as white as milk/the cape as red as blood/ the hair as yellow as corn/ the slipper as pure as gold.” Indeed, one will never envision a milky cow in quite the same way again. The musical accompaniment and rhythm with a live orchestra, replete with keyboard; percussion; flute; clarinet; French horn; violin; viola; cello; and trumpet, adds the necessary beat and humor to a moral lesson. The story centers around an animated, yet seasoned narrator ( David Patrick Kelly), retelling the story filled with hidden messages. All the while, he is composed and bemused, as a most magical poet and storyteller should be. He recounts the story of the baker and his wife as they encounter a myriad of characters in life or death encounters. Kelly’s rapport with the audience is infatuating, as he receives much laughter and applause to his narration, on a serious yet lighthearted mission in one. In my opinion, the witch, played by Montego Glover, is comparable to my fave Broadway diva, Bernadette Peters, as she belts her heart out with her renditions of “Witch’s Lament,” “Stay With Me, “ and “ Children Will Listen.” Glover garners ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the youngest of audience members as well as those young at heart. When we realize that children are always listening to and noticing what you say and do, we hear the truth in these lyrics and within ourselves for the first time anew.
A unique feature of “Into The Woods,” much like in opera, is that each character gets his/her own, one of a kind solo/aria, as it were, telling one’s unique story/situation. For instance, Cinderella (Diane Phelan), where, “On the Steps of the Palace,” she turns the act of leaving her glass (golden) slipper behind into a conscious choice. The soaring melody of “No One is Alone,” most resonates with me personally, along with the unique juxtaposition of the numbers, “Agony,” and “So Happy.” The company’s storytelling, singing, and dancing can only be described as delicious, bawdy, and 100% dazzling. Their recounting and ranting is a sight and treat for the audience’s eyes and ears, as they recall familiar childhood characters and narratives. It’s quite humbling, I imagine, to do Sondheim proud in this work based on complex themes, with lyrics so stirring and profound. Encore’s original musical production of “Into The Woods” at the Ahmanson has nuances so credible, that the legendary composer Stephen Sondheim himself would be in awe!

http://www.ahmansontheatre.org