Sondheim fans
never tire of his ingenious wordplay or his intricate melodies, embellished to
dovetail with his seemingly endless rhymes. Nowhere are those cheeky rhymes
more playful than in INTO THE WOODS. We have reason to rejoice this spring: The
Lyric Stage’s production of INTO THE WOODS (extended through June 15th)
revels in Sondheim and James Lapine’s delicious, sardonic deconstruction of
Grimm’s famous fairy tales.
The first act
concludes with happy endings all around but Act II reveals the rest of the
story and it’s not so “happy ever after.” The princes get bored. Rapunzel goes
bonkers and a giant climbs down that beanstalk looking for revenge. Sondheim’s
“trick of the woods” is matched by the magic from director Spiro Veloudos and
his creative team.
David Towlun’s
denuded forest seems to be changing shape behind Scott Clyve’s haunting, chiaroscuro
lighting! Elisabetta Polito’s costumes not only reflect their wearer’s
character but they enhance the story. (Wait ‘til you see Little Red’s cape for
Act II!) Music director Catherine Stornetta gets wonderful singing from the
entire cast. (Sometimes you find that good singing doesn’t necessarily mean
good acting but Veloudos’ company marries the two.)
Will McGarrahan
is just wry enough as the narrator and slyly mysterious as the wizened old man.
Erica Spyres makes Cinderella just sweet enough but not cloying. Maurice
Emmanuel Parent and Sam Simahk are hilariously self-absorbed as the “charming”
but not “sincere” princes. John Ambrosino and Lisa Yuen are a spirited Baker
and his wife. Maritza Bostic is adorably stubborn as Little Red. Her scenes
with Parent as the swaggering wolf are irresistible. Every performance is a
delight, from Maureen Keiller’s nasty stepmother to Jeff Mahoney’s
self-important steward.
It seems
peculiar, in a show where every moment is a joy, to single out one or two
performers as standouts when every actor already stands out in relief, (perhaps,
in my case, it’s because I haven’t always loved what other actors have done
with the parts) but in the Lyric’s WOODS, Gregory Balla gives a faultless
performance as Jack. He makes the boy far more than a dimwitted dolt. He’s so
deadpan earnest that you can forgive his naïveté and his bad manners where giants are
concerned.
Aimee Doherty
gives a daring performance as the witch. She’s funny, she’s wicked. She can
deliver the patter song about the beans with panache and she can turn on a dime
in Act II when she’s on the losing side. She stares, dumbstruck, and your heart
goes out to her. Her tour de force is one of the thousands of reasons to see
the Lyric’s INTO THE WOODS. In short, it’s “unmistakable bliss.”
