Into The Woods

How utterly delightful to revisit this musical in 2022, not quite a year after the death of Stephen Sondheim.  To make it even better, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of SA has assembled a talented cast and crew to do justice to this landmark musical, entertaining us since its San Diego premiere in 1986.

Into The Woods is not an easy musical to stage, covering as it does so many deviously interwoven aspects of the Grimm Brothers’ take on fairy tales, including giants.  It was entertaining to observe reactions when the audience caught on to all the connections as they were gradually revealed within the narrative.  Then there is the complexity of the score and the songs and harmonies to consider, the variety of locations and number of characters to cover.  We are fortunate in Adelaide to be graced with many community-based companies that take theatre seriously and commit to an immense amount of work to produce entertaining seasons of famous theatrical offerings. The Gilbert & Sullivan Society has mounted a very watchable and entertaining version of this beloved musical. 

The cast bring a breadth of talent and energy while their focus and ensemble camaraderie kept the production moving.  Catherine Breugelmans shone vocally and expressively as Baker’s Wife exhibiting polished professionalism and a captivating stage presence while Jared Frost grew into his role as Baker, his beautiful voice capturing the final anguishing scenes with sensitivity and clarity.  Megan Humphries’ vocals as The Witch captured nuances the character needs to exhibit throughout the narrative.  Liliana Carletti’s Little Red Riding Hood was a wonderful mix of innocence and insouciance paired with top notch soprano vocals.  Emily Morris delivered a moving Cinderella character as she navigates disappointment, doubt, longing and happiness with outstanding vocals to match, particularly in the captivating “No One Is Alone”, pairing with Jared Frost - a definite musical highlight. 

Rapunzel’s Prince (Dominic Hodges) and Cinderella’s Prince (Sam Mannix) both commanded attention during their scenes with gentle humour and satirical posturing, much to the audience’s delight, while voicing their roles beautifully.  Additionally, Mannix portrayed The Wolf with utter conviction and perfect characterization alongside his deep, resonant vocals. James McCluskey-Garcia was a delight and an assured presence whether as Narrator or the Mysterious Man.  Cinderella’s sisters, step-mother and father (Grace Frost, Dharini Rajaramanan, Nadine Wood, and Ryan Ricci) all captured their characters’ peccadilloes with aplomb and Steve Lewis was the perfect foil as the dour Steward.  Karen Muller voiced Cinderella’s Mother and Giant as well as appearing on stage as Granny.  Cassidy Gaiter’s Rapunzel also worked well as the character wove a spell with her melodic voice and the repeated refrain.  As Jack, Buddy Munro-Dawson delivered a fine portrayal of the innocent and slightly awkward dreamer who finds his purpose.

The staging was a technical wonder in a small space with several digital screens projecting what could not physically be attempted live on the stage.  The design of the digital content and lighting was in the capable hands of Matt Ralph.  Director and set designer Gordon Combes provided two staircases and several entry and exit points plus high level balcony/catwalk, the spaces providing enough variability to house the cast and suggest location and status.  His capable direction allowed the cast to work their magic and kept the narrative clear and well-paced.  Costuming too by Combes and Anne Humphries was creative and apt.  To all the other crew and creatives, I salute your talent and dedication as the show would not have succeeded without your valuable input.

Musical Director Jillian Gulliver has done a superb job with the entire production and together with Assistant/Repetiteur Billy St John, her group of gifted musicians has created a masterful musical backdrop for the cast, doing justice to Sondheim’s challenging score.  I particularly enjoyed the subtle choreography by Celeste Barone which elevated certain scenes and stayed true to the various characters without over-taxing the cast.

If you are a fan of musicals, or perhaps have always ‘meant’ to try one on for size, or you just need to immerse yourself in some Sondheim, please see this production and support local community companies.  In my humble opinion, everyone definitely should indulge in a little Sondheim at some stage, and simply revel in the creativity this legend has left us with.

Lisa Lanzi

Photographer: Ahsan Qureshi - Proshots