Not your parents' Woods!

Into The Woods
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Lapine
Directed by Oanh Nguyen
Musically Directed by Bill Strongin
Choreographed by Kelly Todd

Back Stage West Critic's Pick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THEATER ARTICLE

Theater Adds Foreign Touch to 'Woods'
by Pat O' Brien, The Press-Enterprise

July 27, 2006

Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" has been around long enough -- 20 years -- that it's ripe for a bit of tweaking.

Oanh Nguyen, artistic director of the Chance Theater and nominee of a 2005 GLAAD Media Award, has made it a snug fit for the small Anaheim Hills theater and its adventuresome sensibilities.

"We're making it a much more intimate and visceral experience," Nguyen said.

The Sondheim musical takes familiar fairy-tale characters and causes them to meet in the first act, then discover some harsh realities in the second act.

Instead of a Broadway spectacle, the focus will be the story of the Baker and his wife and son -- who in this case will be in the Narrator role -- and on the theme that it's hard to know what you really want in this world.

Thirteen minor characters are incorporated into a six-person storytelling chorus, which will use techniques taken from ancient Greece, Africa and Japan.

"They are creating magic by use of music, movement and shadow-work," Nguyen said.

Nguyen wants the characters and their stories seen through a different lens.

"We're approaching it as if you are seeing this in another country. The approach of telling the story will be foreign," he said.

Although there are dark undertones, Nguyen said it is both fun and funny.

"Hopefully, you will be surprised about what will happen next. It should prove to be a new experience to people familiar with the show," he said.

"To me, it's not really about what happens after 'happily ever after,' but more the struggles and tribulations that happen all through Act I and II. It's just part of life and something to embrace."

The show runs through Sept. 10. Anaheim Hills. 714-777-3033, www.chancetheater.com

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THEATER REVIEW

Magical woods an enchanted setting for a new twist on traditional fairy tales
 by Anne-Margret Bellavoine, Anaheim Bulletin

August 1, 2006

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's wistful musical "Into the Woods" is directed at the Chance by Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen for a magical summer eve in the dark.

Characters from several Grimm Brothers fairy tales cross their paths in the forest as each waits for wishes to become true.

Centered on Warren Draper as the Narrator and Mysterious Man, Cinderella (Erika C. Miller), Little Red (Sarah Moreau), Rapunzel (Michelle Anderson), Jack (Jeremy Lelliott) and the Baker (Bob Simpson) and his Wife (Lowe Taylor), all weave a tangled web spun by the Witch (Jocelyn A. Brown). She wants beauty and youth and to protect her daughter Rapunzel.

The Baker and his Wife desire a child. Jack needs to sell his beloved old white cow to raise money for his impoverished mother. Cinderella wishes to go to the ball to dance with a Prince (Josh Christoff), competing with her stepsisters Lucinda (Michelle Anderson) and Florinda (Krystal Cori Garcia), under the scornful eye of her Stepmother (Sherry Domerego) also Jack's mother. Rapunzel wishes to escape the witch's grip and elope with her own Prince (A.J. Gutierrez), also the Wolf. Sassy Little Red must cross the woods to visit her Grandma without straying from her path. Peter Schnake rounds out the cast as the Steward.

The six leads find their paths cross by chance and purpose as the Baker and his Wife search for a milky white cow, red cape, golden slipper and flaxen hair to deliver to the witch.

In fairy tales as in life, one must be careful of what one wishes. Happily ever after and perfect happiness are elusive and impermanent as we always want more and find reality lacking.

The traditional morals of the stories question whether ends justify means, and who is to blame when the story goes awry and mistakes are endlessly repeated across generations.

Musical direction is provided by Bill Strongin on the piano with Aimee Gomez on the violin and Gayle Jett on flute and clarinet.

John Robinson's surreal set is bathed in winsome light by Tonya R. Moake with projected images by Chris Tornow.

In the end, four characters find a flawed temporary happiness after accepting harrowing losses.

The songs' biting lyrics carry the story as it spins out of control after a lull of perfection at intermission. This midsummer dream turned to nightmare is wonderful summer entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.

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THEATER ARTICLE

A Dark Collision of Fairy Tales
by Stan Jenson, Blade Magazine

August 4, 2006

Stephen Sondheim has long been the darling of Broadway. He gained fame penning the lyrics to "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," then tackled both the words and music for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." The works that followed, such as "Sweeney Todd" and "A Little Night Music," were artistic giants, but they were not always accepted by the audiences.

Probably the finest combination of Sondheim's musical genius and accessibility to audiences is "Into The Woods," which in 1987 won a Tony Award for Best Score. The show is an amalgamation of several familiar fairy tales: Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella. And, of course, there is a witch (Bernadette Peters on Broadway) and two princes, both charming.

In the first act, everything is quite cheery, even if a bit more Freudian than we typically find in our fairy tales. Red Riding Hood's encounter with the wolf is a teenager's mixture of fear and fascination with her first sexual encounter. Her lyrics as she recounts her meeting with this highly masculine creature include "Nice is different than good," and "I was scared - well, excited, but scared." In the second act, things start to go wrong, and unlike most fairy tales, we experience death: the death of major characters, ideals and innocence.

The Chance Theater has been gaining both artistic and popular recognition since its founding in 1999. Oanh Nguyen is currently the artistic director and director of this production. His face is familiar from many national commercials as well as a number of major films. His choices of shows have included original works, classics, contemporary standards and musicals. Last year's gay-themed "Porcelain" won the GLAAD Media Award [correction: the production was nominated], and "The Laramie Project," exploring the murder of gay student Matthew Shepard, and "Cabaret" both had significant gay themes.

Nguyen selected "Woods" in part because he and the other founding members of Chance are in their 30s and dealing with families. He was intrigued by what stories we choose to pass on from generation to generation. Cinderella has her roots in ancient Asia, and the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson's works have survived for centuries. He hopes the audience will look at this new exploration as familiar stories told by a different culture. Even if you have seen "Woods" before, this staging is completely unique. Nguyen believes that musicals are a uniquely theatrical art form. Like Shakespeare, musicals are a heightened form of language, and he has explored the theatricality of "Woods" with new relationships between the characters and a smaller cast portraying the 20-plus roles.

Nguyen was born in Vietnam and came to the United States in 1975. He is keenly aware of the marginalization that sometimes affects our gay community; therefore, he finds it inevitable that gay themes will appear in most of his seasons.

"Into The Woods" plays at The Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave. in Anaheim Hills, from July 27 - Sept. 10, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 general, $22 seniors/students and are available at 714-777-3033 or online at http://www.chancetheater.com.

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THEATER REVIEW

'Woods' nurtures new fairy-tale spin
Chance Theater spotlights its mastery of musicals
by Eric Marchese, Orange County Register

August 8, 2006

At the time Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine created "Into The Woods," its concept was a novel one.

At the end of the first act, each of the main characters - including Cinderella, Rapunzel and Little Red Ridinghood - had seemingly gotten their heart's content. Act 2, though, cleverly showed us that the standard "happily ever after" isn't what it seems.

The 1986 show's dark take on the standard fairy-tale genre is now so utterly familiar as to qualify "Woods" as a contemporary classic. At its heart, the show's subtext is something so searing it's impossible to blunt: that the relationship between parents and their children is a timeless one intertwined with joy, heartache, disappointment, crossed wires and, underlying it all, love.

In the Chance Theater's staging, directed by company artistic director Oanh Nguyen, a musically substantial cast delivers the show's dark tones, burnishing key moments with poignancy.

The Anaheim Hills-based repertory company has mounted at least one major musical over each of the past few seasons, including works by Sondheim. This staging offers a pleasing mixture of old and new faces in the cast and behind the scenes, with musical director Bill Strongin's commitment to the score creating a substantial platform for the performers, many of whom are triple-cast.

The plot hinges on the Baker (Bob Simpson), whose family has been cursed with barrenness. The Witch (Jocelyn A. Brown) gives the Baker's Wife (Lowe Taylor) the chance to bear a child: The couple has 72 hours to find a white cow (Jack's), a red cape (Little Red's), a shank of golden hair (Rapunzel's) and a golden slipper (Cinderella's).

Sondheim and Lapine's songs interrelate the various storybook figures while examining their private feelings and challenging our long-held beliefs (for example, the giant who unleashes its wrath on the village is a woman).

Nguyen's cast meshes well while delivering superbly upon Sondheim's songs and handling Kelly Todd's advanced dance steps over and in front of John Robinson's crisscrossing set. From onstage, Strongin performs the score on piano while conducting Gayle Jett on flute and clarinet and Aimee Gomez on violin - an expressly delicate and effective convergence of instruments.

Taylor shows the Baker's wife's soft side, glowing with excitement while also conveying her resolute strength. Simpson lets us know that his Baker, who waffles endearingly, is ambivalent - and, at times, desperate - about fulfilling the Witch's mission, which would make him (yikes!) a dad.

Brown's Witch is as angular and sharp as Oz's Wicked Witch of the West, and Brown uses an exaggeratedly mannered, lightly British diction to capture her eccentric personality. Erika C. Miller's slapstick take on Cinderella, contrasts nicely with her golden vocals. Josh Christoff's heavyset, rather dimwitted prince matches up nicely with Miller while offset by the more wiry A.J. Gutierrez as Rapunzel's Prince. ("Agony," the duet of the two princes, is most effective.)

Lovestruck with his pet cow, Jeremy Lelliott's Jack is more dreamy, earnest and slow-witted than the outright "dolt" his mom would have us believe. Sherry Domerego creates nice shadings between that role, frustrated by her son's ways, and Cinderella's cold-blooded stepmother.

Sarah Moreau creates a lightly comical, girlishly bashful Little Red, able to withstand the advances of Gutierrez's voracious, lascivious Wolf. Michelle Anderson's haughty Lucinda (Cinderella's stepsister) succeeds more than her Rapunzel, whose persona isn't well worked out. Intended or not, Warren Draper's Brooklynese adds an element of irony to the Narrator, while his Mysterious Man is, aptly, one odd little dude.

Whether depicting the Witch, a leafy tree or the Wolf's ravenous belly, Chris Tornow's projection designs capture the other-worldliness of fairy tales. The same can be said of the entire production, showing that the Chance's repertory-company approach to the musical genre makes them a theatrical force to be reckoned with.

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THEATER REVIEW

Into The Woods
by Shirle Gottlieb, Back Stage West
 Critic's Pick

August 10, 2006

Emblematic of ongoing human suffering throughout history, this Stephen Sondheim musical is as relevant today as the timeless fairy tales on which it is based. Under Oanh Nguyen's brilliant direction, an outstanding cast embodies the storybook characters with no-holds-barred and dramatic flair. That a young repertory company can achieve so much from such demanding material while working in a small space on a minuscule budget is a tribute to its talent, determination, courage, and collaboration. Everyone onstage is aware that beneath the comical veneer of this musical masterpiece is one of Sondheim's most powerful subtexts. Working as a seamless ensemble without missing a beat, they probe the roots of each character's problems, and the characters are enlightened in the process.

From the opening words, "once upon a time" (delivered by Warren Draper, who is marvelous as the wily Narrator), to the grand finale, "No One Is Alone" and "Children Will Listen" (poignantly sung by the entire company), the audience is transported into the magical, mythical, mysterious woods. The actors give flawless performances: Jocelyn A. Brown as the lonely, frustrated, conflicted Witch; Bob Simpson and Lowe Taylor as the simple, goodhearted Baker and his responsible Wife, who long to have a child; Sarah Moreau as the irascible Little Red who strays from the path to grandmother's house; Jeremy Lelliott as the naive Jack who climbs the beanstalk and lives to regret it; and Erika C. Miller as the beautiful Cinderella who goes to the festival and becomes a princess.

Three onstage musicians are directed by Bill Strongin from the piano; John Robinson designed the minimal set for this large-scale production; Kelly Todd choreographed every move of the 13-member cast; Cassandra L. Stone created the charming costumes; and Tonya R. Moake designed the lights.

Presented by and at the Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. Thu.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. Jul. 28-Sep. 10. (714) 777-3033. www.chancetheater.com.

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THEATER REVIEW

A Journey Worth Taking:
Into The Woods at The Chance Theater Hits The Mark
by Brian Hews, Los Cerritos News

August 25, 2006

It was three years ago when I first saw the musical Into The Woods. It was at my alma mater Pepperdine University. Performers were flying all over the stage with a cow, red cape, golden hair and magic beans. I loved the music, but could not quite figure out the plot; I knew it had a number of different fairy tale stories folded in, but trying to put it all together eluded me while I thoroughly enjoyed every song in the play.

My family and I so enjoyed the music that we later purchased the CD. We listened to it constantly, even my ten and thirteen year old kids learned to enjoy the music, and it was then we started to realize the intertwining of all the fairy tales contained in the show.

Fast forward to the present. My wife, scanning through my favorite medium, the newspaper, found Into The Woods playing at The Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills. Immediately purchasing the tickets we eagerly awaited the day. We were not disappointed.

Directed by Oanh Nguyen, the young cast performs brilliantly while working in an extremely small and intimate space. When you first walk in, "bird people" are meandering about the theater whistling, keeping early-birds (excuse the pun) generally amused up to show time. But then the opening words "once upon a time" are delivered (by Warren Draper as the Narrator) and the audience is at once taken to the magical mysterious woods, bringing together characters from different fairy tale stories and spinning into a single thread in which they all get to know each other as their various individual dilemmas and adventures unfold.

The first half is a mostly lighthearted romp through the familiar tales, touching occasionally on their subtexts of sex and violence and on their deeper meanings about human experience and desire. But when the characters join in a triumphant chorus of "happily ever after" at the end of Act 1, you know things are going to get a bit more sinister in Act 2. And they do.

In the second act, things start to go wrong, and unlike most fairy tales, we experience death: the death of major characters, ideals and innocence. Composer Stephen Sondheim's view of the dark side of the fairy tale world and the wit of his lyrics make this musical a wonderful vehicle for any company skilled enough to master the music and the complexity of the songs. Nguyen's professional, energetic production has been produced on a modest budget, which demonstrates how little you need bling when you've got brilliant material and a cast of talented young performers.

The actors give tremendous performances: Jocelyn A. Brown as the Witch; Erika C. Miller as the beautiful Cinderella; Sarah Moreau as Little Red; Bob Simpson and Lowe Taylor as the Baker and his Wife; Jeremy Lelliott as the young Jack.

Three onstage musicians are directed by Bill Strongin from the piano; John Robinson designed the set; Kelly Todd choreographed the 13-member cast; Cassandra L. Stone created the rustic and charming costumes; and Tonya R. Moake designed the lights.

Yes, Into The Woods hits the mark and is a fun night out for the entire family.

Into The Woods plays until September 10, show times are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Information: (714) 777-3033, 24/7 ticket line (800) 838-3006, online www.chancetheater.com.

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