Word: cinderella
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...Designer Chuck Adomanis handles the scenic demands of Into the Woods well. The musical begins with the Narrator opening a large two-story "book" to reveal the homes of the Baker and his Wife, Jack and Cinderella. This is artfully done and a good contrast to the wide open stage of the "forest" where the rest of the action takes place. The tree panels are on a fine line between abstract and unrecognizable; Rapunzel's tower is downright weird. The rotating rake in the center of the stage is put to good use in indicating scene changes and the director...
...raised to be charming, not sincere," says Cinderella's Prince to the Baker's Wife. It is an apt description of this production of Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim's musical valentine to the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales. The competent cast does a good job with the funnier first act. But especially in the inherently weaker second act, the actors too often seem lost in pro forma direction and overwhelmed by the pit orchestra from hell. There are saving graces--the well designed set and scene-stealing cow are two examples--but John Weinstein's production of Into the Woods...
Into the Woods tells the fairy tale of a Baker and his Wife who must go on a scavenger hunt to appease the witch next door. Along the way they meet Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack of beanstalk fame, to name just a few. The title of the musical refers to the journey that each of these characters must make in order to fulfill their dreams. In the Act One finale they declare themselves "happy now and happy then, happy ever after," but the second act finds each of them just a little discontent. Their second trip "into...
...structure of this musical offers several opportunities for star turns. Jessica Walling is wonderful as Cinderella. A terrific actor, she is credible in a fairly ludicrous role. Walling makes Cinderella's conversation with origami birds and her prayer to an oak tree seem completely normal. Of all the characters in Into the Woods, it is probably Cinderella who changes the most. Walling does a good job of portraying this growing maturity, making it look both natural and logical...
This is particularly a problem in the two "Agony" sequences where Cinderella's Prince and Rapunzel's Prince lament their anguished quest for love. These are normally among the funniest numbers in the show yet they receive only token laughs in this production. Markham O'Keefe and Jason Watkins as the Princes seem to have no idea what they're doing. This scene is only funny if the princes actually believe what they're saying. O'Keefe and Watkins treat it as a cabaret performance and sing the whole song facing front and rocking back and forth on their feet...