Magical "Woods" is a don't-miss production Magical "Woods" is a don't-miss production (December 09, 2005)

TheatreWorks' revival features talented ensemble

by Jeanie Forte

Once in a blue moon, a production comes along in which every element fits together perfectly, and you're drawn in from start to finish. You leave the theater with a feeling of supreme satisfaction, having witnessed true magic in the alchemy of live performance. TheatreWorks' current production of "Into the Woods" is such a show.

Stephen Sondheim's enchanting music and lyrics are brought to life with superb staging and a talented cast. This is Robert Kelley and his production team at their finest, and that's saying a lot.

Those not familiar with "Into the Woods" will find this a great production for first viewing, full of charm and sophistication. Theater-goers who have seen it already, even many times before, will fall in love with it all over again. People who are lukewarm about live theater will become converts. It's that good.

"Into the Woods" plays out in two distinct halves, like twin sides of a coin. The first half takes familiar fairytale elements and characters -- a childless Baker and his Wife, a Little Red Riding Hood, a poor boy named Jack, a hapless Cinderella, and a crafty Witch -- and stirs them together, concocting a heady potion of desire, daring and deviousness.

As the characters contrive schemes for fulfilling their innermost yearnings, they discover to what lengths they are willing to go in order to succeed. They learn about life, about themselves, about their mates. The rousing Act One finale, "Ever After," has the glow of broken spells and gratified wishes. And that's the fairytale ending -- "they all lived happily ever after."

Act Two takes us beyond the fairytale, into the sobering depths of the "ever after" woods, where children must grow up and adults must take responsibility for their actions, where life is not neat or tidy or predictable, and death is real. Sondheim's vision is quite dark at times, but ultimately uplifting -- it's his own particular brand of reassurance and hope amidst what can be a bewildering and threatening world.

The cast includes local favorites and outstanding imports -- casting director Leslie Martinson deserves kudos along with director Kelley for putting together an amazing ensemble. Longtime crowd-pleaser Francis Jue is back, in excellent form as the wise Narrator, and James Monroe Iglehart prances and growls as the deliciously evil Wolf. Both these popular performers are a delight to watch. Iglehart also struts his stuff later in the show as the no-nonsense Steward, and Jue also choreographed, with admirable restraint.

Jackson Davis, a TheatreWorks regular, is phenomenal as the Baker; he brings depth and maturity to a complex role. Robert Brewer has graced local stages in many roles, but he's perfect for Jack, with a youthful swagger and deceptively innocent good looks.

Dual princes Patrick Leveque and Michael Hunsaker are appropriately hunky, with honeyed voices and hysterical, balletic leaps. Their duets are terrific highlights.

Christiane Noll is a revelation as the Baker's Wife. Her voice, her expressiveness, and her comic ability all combine in a brilliant, flawless performance. Thursday Farrar, as the Witch, casts a spell over the audience from her first hiss, demonstrating terrific range. What a delight when she is transformed.

Cristin Boyle is a fluttery, vulnerable Cinderella, determined but wistful, eager but weary, with a beautiful lyric soprano. Regional veteran Maureen McVerry entirely inhabits the role of Jack's Mother with charming, motherly venom.

Little Red Riding Hood transitions from spoiled brat to thoughtful adolescent quite believably in the capable talent of Courtney Stokes, an experienced and exceptional young performer who clearly has a great future in store. Bill Olson almost steals the show as the mournful but surprisingly sprightly cow; the physicality he brings to the role is remarkable.

Cinderella's mother and stepsisters are given full treatment by three fabulous actresses, Suzanne Grodner, Alison Ewing, and C. Kelly Wright, all of whom have been praiseworthy in previous TheatreWorks productions. Here they shine brightly with comic vigor and first-rate voices.

Tielle Baker, Martin Rojas-Dietrich, Kristen Sharpley, Gary S. Martinez and Kristin Stokes round out the ensemble with wonderful talent and energy. There isn't a weak link among them.

Take this outstanding cast and put them on J.B. Wilson's lovely, evocative and occasionally amusing set, dress them in Jill C. Bowers' spot-on costumes, and support them with the expert musical direction of local star William Liberatore, and you have a recipe for greatness, a memorable production the likes of which may not be seen again for a long while. It's only in town five weeks. Treat yourself for the holidays.

What: "Into the Woods," music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, presented by TheatreWorks

Where: At the Lucie Stern Theatre at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto

When: Through Jan. 7, with 7:30 p.m. shows Tuesdays, 8 p.m. shows Wednesday through Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. shows Saturdays (no matinee Dec. 10), and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows on Sundays. No performances Dec. 24, 25, and Jan. 3.

Cost: Tickets range from $20 to $54.

Info: Call (650) 903-6000 or go to www.theatreworks.org.

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