Into the Woods at The Guthrie Fractures All the Fairytales in a Fantastically Fun Production

It’s been over thirty years since I saw a live stage production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods. After all this time I must say, I really enjoyed this journey back Into the Woods. The production is filled with humor and wonderful performances from new faces around the country as well as many local favorites. It’s especially nice to see a couple of local actors making their Guthrie debuts. It’s fantastic to see a big scale musical back on stage at the Guthrie, this is their first since 2019 when they staged Guys and Dolls just a few months before I launched The Stages of MN. This is such a wonderful production that I’m confident it will usher in the return of the annual summer musical at The Guthrie. It’s also nice that the return is a musical that can be enjoyed by all. Unlike Sunday in the Park with George or Guys and Dolls, Into the Woods is a show that can work for families with kids say 12 and up. I think they will get a kick out of watching the fairytales they grew up with on their ear and viewed from a more mature perspective. It’s also a great gateway into the more sophisticated musical for that age group between 12 and 16, who have been exposed mostly to Annie and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This is Sondheim after all, whose music is complex and layered which can be challenging for those used to the instantly sing-a-longable “Do-Re-Mi”. This is Sondheim at his most accessible and allows those new to his style quicker access to the rewards of his artistic genius. After this, if they are old enough, show them Tim Burton’s film version of Sweeney Todd. By time Company plays at the Orpheum this fall, they’ll be begging you to take them. And that my friends, is how you create a lover of musical theater, and it all starts this summer at the Guthrie.

The classic fairy tales that James Lapine retells with his book for Into the Woods are Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk. Using the original characters of a Baker, his wife, and the Witch who lives next door, Lapine weaves the stories together. In order to lift a curse that the Witch has placed upon his family, the Baker and his wife must bring her four objects before three days have passed. A Cow as white as milk, a Cape as red and Blood, Hair as yellow as corn, and a Slipper as pure as gold. Each one of the objects plays a role in the four fairytales and so the Baker and his wife find themselves interacting with those characters as their stories play out. By the end of Act One, all of the fairytales has reached their happy endings as well as the new tale of the Baker and his wife. Now be careful, there have been reports of people leaving at intermission not fully aware that there is an Act Two wherein we learn that not everyone lives happily ever after in the woods. Act Two is also where characters have to deal with the consequences of their actions and things they do seem less like a fairy tale plots and more like the foibles of real people. The unfaithful spouse, the overprotective mother, Classism. Stephen Sondheim’s songs don’t simply serve as musical moments for characters to express their emotions or to serve as simple entertainment. The songs serve to progress us through the story, at times replacing dialogue rather than reinforcing what has been said. They are integral to the plot.

It’s very much an ensemble show with the Baker and his wife played by Robert Knight and Madeline Trumble being the closest to leads, as their characters weave in and out of all the other characters stories. Both Knight and Trumble are fantastic with great voices and performances that make you care about them. They also imbue their relationship with a genuine sense of warmth and affection for each other. Lovely to see local artists Suzie Juul as Little Red Riding Hood, Kim Kivens as Jack’s Mother, and Anna Hashizume as Rapunzel making their first appearances at the Guthrie. Juul and Kivens bring so much humor to their characters while Hashizume gets to show off her considerable vocal skills. Always great to see Sasha Andreev and Max Wojtanowicz in a show as any show is lucky to have their vocal talents. Regina Marie Williams plays the Narrator and the Mysterious Man and is perfect in both roles. For the narrator in particular, you need a strong presence and someone who commands the audience’s attention, which is Williams’ bread and butter. Trevor James plays Jack whom his mother tells us isn’t quite right in the head. Playing stupid well takes talent, and James does a great job of making his idiocy come from within the character not just on the nose one liners. We believe he’s that dumb and that his cow is his best friend. Finally, I want to mention John Yi who plays Cinderella’s Prince and more importantly Milky White, Jack’s best friend, the cow. Yi is dashing and charming as the prince, but it’s as Milky White, a silent role, that Yi gets more laughs than probably anyone in the cast.

The production is directed by Sarna Lapine, whom according to a web search, is James Lapine’s niece. It must run in the family because Sarna Lapines understanding of the material and how to stage it, is spot on. We get some wonderful moments staged very creatively, my favorite being the rescue of Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother from inside the Wolf. The Scenic Designer is Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams, and it’s a less literal design than I’ve previously seen. There is no beanstalk for instance, but what is there works, it’s more about suggesting where the scene takes place. I think it works well and allows for the scene to be reset quickly with a few design elements being brought on and off. The Music Director is Denise Prosek and she and her orchestra bring Sondheim’s score to life on stage, it’s a great sound and nice to be able to see them, but in a subtle way that never detracts from the action on stage. I’m less enamored of the Costume designs by Valerie Therese Bart, it’s a like a modern dress approximation of fairy tale times clothing most of the time, with some instances of full on period costume (The Princes), but then also some completely modern looking ensembles(Jack after he got rich robbing the giant). The Narrator is wearing a sport coat and looks like she’s heading to a club.

Into the Woods runs through August 13th at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2022-2023-season/into-the-woods/

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