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Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods” has become a beloved theater staple since its debut in the 1980s and it’s understandable why. The show brings together a gaggle of archetypal fairytale characters and explores what comes after “happily ever after” in smart, funny and poignant ways and gives performers what must be an awfully fun challenge. Because it’s so popular, we get productions of the show on what seems like a regular basis, including from TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Hollywood and, in 2016, Palo Alto Players. It’s Los Altos Stage Company’s turn now, and the small-but-mighty company holds its own with a charming (no princely pun intended) version.
“The Woods” in this case serve, as woods often do, as a symbol of a journey; a struggle; a transformative experience. Everyone must at some point venture through the dark woods of life. At show’s start we meet various folktale characters expressing their wishes: Cinderella (Allie Townsend) wants to go to the royal festival. Jack (Stephen Kanaski) wishes his cow, Milky White (Caitie Clancey), would give milk while his mother (Judith Miller) wants to sell the animal. The Baker and his wife (David Mister and Dana Cordelia Morgan) want a child. There’s also bratty, bold Red Ridinghood (Brigitte Losey), who’s been warned not to stray from the path; two vain princes (Steve Allhoff, who also plays the Wolf, and Anthony Stephens); Cinderella’s wicked stepmother (Sasha Motalygo), stepsisters (Samantha Ricci and Kori Traina) and feckless father (Stephen Howes); Rapunzel, sheltered from the world in her tower (Jordan Kersten); the witch who cursed the Baker and trapped Rapunzel (Juliet Green); Red Ridinghood’s Granny (Melissa Jones, who also plays the spirit of Cinderella’s mother, helpful birds, a giant and another cow) and a Mysterious Man (Gary Landis, also playing the Narrator). All of them will cross paths at some point during their time in the woods.
While the plot of the first act unspools humorously along standard fairy tale lines, ending with everyone seemingly making wishes come true, Act 2 shakes things up and goes much darker by showing that things aren’t always as simple as they first appear. “Witches can be right. Giants can be good,” as the song goes. The princes, for instance, find they love the challenge of rescuing maidens more than the maidens themselves (and Snow White and Sleeping Beauty arrive on the scene). More distressingly, a justifiably vengeful giant is killing villagers and the characters must work together to decide how to best deal with the situation for which they all deserve at least partial blame.
Sondheim is a masterful lyricist and while the second act gets a bit preachy with its repeated deliverance of moral messages, it’s a very satisfying take on fairy tale tropes (many of which have to do with the complicated relationships between parents and children). The ambivalence and ambiguity that comes with growing up and growing wiser (“Isn’t nice to know a lot? And a little bit … not,” Red Ridinghood realizes) is brilliantly captured.
Here’s where I may get my musical-theater nerd card revoked, though, by admitting that I’ve never been a big fan of the actual music of “Into the Woods.” It’s no doubt intricate but to me it’s largely grating, though it has its moments, including “Children Will Listen” and the princes’ comical “Agony.” The whole show also goes on too long, a bit like a hike through the woods that starts fun but then ends up being a lot more strenuous than you’d hoped.
The Los Altos cast (directed by Allie Bailey) is likeable, including Clancey who just about steals the show in the silent, pantomime role of Milky White, speaking volumes with just body language and facial expressions (Jones, in fact, also steals the one scene she’s in as the other cow). Allhoff and Stephens shine as the pompous princes, as do Losey and Kanaski as the children, Red Ridinghood and Jack. Morgan, who dazzled in Los Altos Stage Company’s “Distracted” earlier this year, is excellent again as the Baker’s Wife. That’s only mentioning a few but all the performers are pretty good, other than sometimes struggling to stay in rhythm with the musical accompaniment (led by D. Asa Stern).
Brett Carlson’s set design, with multiple entry points in and out of the winding woods, is attractive and costumes by Mae Matos suit the familiar characters well, although the cow suits seem rather cheaply done. Hair and makeup by Shiboune Thill made some of the performers look too obviously powdered and wigged from my seat close to the stage.
Is “Into the Woods” overrated? Possibly. Overproduced? Likely so. Nevertheless, while it’s not one of my personal favorites, the show earns its lasting place in the popular-theater canon, with Los Altos Stage Company putting their own winsome touch on the clever, fanciful epic (and I’d love to see a spinoff starring those utterly endearing cows).
What: “Into the Woods.”
Where: Bus Barn Theater, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos.
When: Through Dec. 23.
Cost: $20-$38.
Info: Go to Los Altos Stage Co.
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