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| From left: Adam Burgess (Jack) and Lilian Wakefield (Jack's mother) |
By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker
When Into the Woods
made its Broadway debut in 1987, many audience members opined that the show
should have ended on the “happily ever after” note of the first act – a
charming amalgam of fairy tales with great songs, fun characters, and no dark
side. Theatre in the Grove’s current C.A.S.T. (Children’s After School Theatre)
production of Into the Woods, Jr. conforms
nicely to that model, as the one-act condensation never really delves into the
mature second-act themes of the Sondheim classic. The sanitized version, which
would horrify us in any other context, is both entertaining and appropriate in
a production designed for youthful performers, and the kids in the C.A.S.T production do a fine job of bringing this
complex Sondheim work to a younger
audience.
What from the original work is retained? Red Riding Hood and
her voracious appetite for baked goods, the Wolf and his voracious appetite for
Red and Granny, the Baker and his wife, the Witch whose curse renders the Baker
childless, the tasks set by the Witch to reverse the curse, Cinderella and her
dysfunctional step family, light-fingered Jack (of beanstalk fame), his loving
Mother and trusty bovine sidekick Milky White, Rapunzel, and two lovestruck
Princes. What is lost? Infidelity, murder, chaos, destruction, revenge, and
some boffo songs. The weirdly omniscient narrator is replaced by a group of
children reading a book of fairy tales – a nicely logical approach to the
material.
Director Jeanna Van Dyke has succeeded in attracting and
retaining many of the area’s best youthful performers – several standouts in
the current production are veterans of last year’s Fiddler, Jr. and last winter’s Hobbit
(including Assistant Director Adam Borrego),
and we have really enjoyed watching these young artists develop. We are also
pleased to see several new actors in the troupe, ensuring that C.A.S.T. will
have access to a broad talent base in years to come.
The Baker (Jeremiah Stephens) and his wife (Brea Grimes) are
perhaps the show’s strongest all-around performers – great vocals, clear and
convincing acting that anchors the entire production. Athena Van Dyke (as Red
Riding Hood) is charming, funny, and bouncy, and she has great timing. While
some of the higher notes are a bit of a stretch for her pleasant alto voice,
she manages to sell her songs effectively. Noah Burgess (as Jack) does a fine
job on “Giants in the Sky,” captures his character’s wide-eyed, dotty
innocence, and interacts beautifully with Milky White the Cow. Cinderella
(Brenna Fitzgearld) has a flair for the physical comedy required of her role,
and her pretty voice makes “Steps of the Palace” one of the evening’s best
numbers. Another show highlight is the always popular “Agony” – carried off
with aplomb by the two Princes (Adam Borrego and Nick Nieder). Mikayla Wallace
(the Witch) is convincingly sinister, although some of vocals are muffled by
her mask. The vocal ensemble numbers are equally strong, demonstrating the
depth of the show’s talent base.
As with any opening night, there were a few technical
problems, but the professionalism of the cast ensured that they never dropped a
beat. Remarkably, the whole show was assembled in only three weeks (just 12
days of rehearsal) – a tribute to the
dedication of the director, cast and crew. Forest Grove is lucky to have such a
fine youth theater program, especially one that is free to the actors (and with
a maximum ticket price of $5.00) so that all local youth have access to live
theater.
Into the Woods, Jr. plays at Forest Grove’s Theatre in the
Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, through Sunday, August 24th with
performances at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 on Sunday.
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