Through the eyes of a child: 'Into the Woods' at Roxy's Downtown
Director Rick Bumgardner and a solid cast and crew breathe new life into the classic Sondheim musical, which plays through August 10.
What do you long for? To travel the world? To pursue your ideal career ? To fall in love?
In the latest musical offering from Roxy’s Downtown, fairytale characters plunge “into the woods” to face their fears and chase their dreams. One of the lessons they learn: Be careful what you wish for.
With groundbreaking music by Stephan Sondheim and a mesmerizing book by James Lapine, “Into the Woods,” which debuted on Broadway in 1987, brought its collaborator’s long-held desires to fruition. Lapine wished to write a fairytale, while Sondheim longed to create a musical where the characters were driven by a “quest,” a series of tasks they must fulfill to achieve success.
The pair reimagined a weird concept they had pitched to Norman Lear: Several beloved characters from TV history get into a car accident and end up in a hospital where they interact with each other and with other well-known characters from popular medical shows and police procedurals. They applied the basic concept, substituting characters from “Grimm’s Fairy Tales,” known to nearly everyone in Western Europe and North America.
Back in 1812, scholars Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm recognized the common emotional experience and historical importance of stories from the German oral tradition. They collected nearly 300 folk fables from friends, neighbors, and fellow scholars and published the first of many versions and volumes of the series. The tales provide homey but otherworldly inspiration for this relatable yet complex musical.
As house lights dimmed on opening night, the entire north half of the theater became a part of the set, thanks to projections by Jason Huffman. The vivid, painterly, multicolored strokes tie the triangular-shaped set to the theater’s ceiling and walls. The effect is cozy, like the audience is wrapped up in a blanket and drawn close. The action occurs in an attic playroom complete with an array of childhood toys carefully selected by property designer Tracy Ciambra. An elevated area with a large round screen is used in several ways, both magical and practical. Set Designer J Branson and Lighting Designer Arthur Reese created this effective and charming design for Director Rick Bumgardner’s vision of “Into the Woods,” in which the forest adventures take place in the imagination of a small girl (Ivy Sailing), as she reads the stories silently in her child’s hideaway.
Bumgardner and Choreographer Courtney Wages masterfully move 17 actors on, off, and around the tiny Roxy’s stage, often at a breakneck pace. These two carefully craft beats that help the audience keep track of the many co-plots, pieced together in a folktale quilt.
Musical Director Simon Hill tames the galloping beast of a score with a mighty mini orchestra. Hannah Kavanaugh (flute), Nate Scott (bassoon), and Danny Ibarra (viola) are among the 10 skilled musicians in the skypit. Woven from unique rhythms, dissonant harmonies, striking chords, and contrasting lyric lines sung concurrently, Sondheim’s compositions shimmer with complexity. Hearing this production’s strong performers bring his magical works to life under Hill’s direction is exhilarating.
Claire Gerig is luminescent as Cinderella, her voice soaring through the glorious “On the Steps of the Palace.” She is both the graceful picture of a pretty princess and a normal young woman hoping for more from life. Gerig is such a strong actor that even scenes that sometimes feel silly, as when Cinderella calls upon her bird friends to assist her, are believable and touching. Tessa Seybert’s Little Red Riding Hood is all enthusiastic confidence with a big, free voice. As the show progresses and Red comes into her own, Seybert’s performance just grows stronger.
As the Baker’s Wife, Shannon McMillan brings her many performance gifts to the table. Her versatile voice and ability to convincingly portray her character’s strength and vulnerability make her an ideal choice for this role. Ryan Brown as her Baker delivers a sincere performance as a man who wants to do the right thing but isn’t always sure what that is. His rich voice gives an emotional boost to his character, especially in Act 2. These characters were created to drive the narrative, and it’s impossible not to root for the couple as they seek the objects the Witch requires.
It's exciting to see Tara Shaffer, a fine vocalist and fierce actor, back on the Roxy’s stage. As the Witch, she owns some of the show’s most challenging material, musically, lyrically, and psychologically. She strikes like a snake with “Last Midnight,” explaining in rapid-fire song why she placed a curse on the Baker and his Wife. Angst-ridden and easily agitated, Shaffer’s Witch embodies a manic energy, but her multi-layered performance also allows us to feel compassion for her character. Audric Mansoor McKedy is a bright light as Jack. He lifts us up with an exuberant rendition of “Giants in the Sky,” and his infectious joy inspires us to cheer him on as he pursues his own quest.
Julia Faust’s Rapunzel breaks our hearts with her wistful, solitary song and desperate need to be loved. Faust is a versatile performer, as she has demonstrated at Roxy’s several times this season. Zeke Thompson and Wyman Wheeler (Rapunzel’s Prince and Cinderella’s Prince, respectively) play delightful, narcissist goofballs who bring a hearty dose of genuine laughter to each act with their reprised number “Agony.” Thompson embraces his character’s lack of genius, while Wheeler leans into his role’s inexplicable confidence. The results are hilarious.
David Raehpour lends his natural storytelling ability and strong voice to his dual roles as the Narrator and the Mystery Man. Vonda Schuster employs her vocal talents, not just as a singer but as a voice actor in the role of the Giant’s Wife. She also appears as Cinderella’s Mother in the round projection screen and provides a healthy dose of physical humor to Red’s Granny. Xavier Huffman does a terrific job as the puppeteer who brings the cow Milky White to life. Jenny Hines (Jack’s Mother), Georgeanne Yehling (Cinderella’s Stepmother), Mia Krebs (Lucinda), London Eichelberger (Florinda), and Caleb West (Steward) complete this talented cast of singing actors.
Throughout the show, costumer Chadwick Armstrong enchants with designs that unify the characters in each story group. Jack, his mother, and Milky White’s handler, for instance, sport denims and other blue-toned outfits. As characters evolve, so do their costumes. Red Riding Hood’s picnic plaid is later augmented with a fur cape made from the skin of the wolf who ate grandma. The Witch, who wears a stunning tattered dress in Act 1, appears in a jewel-tone suit once she regains her beauty. Working with traditional fairytale silhouettes, Armstrong embraces a joyful cacophony of patterns and embellishments like patchwork and applique. These details, such as the delicate embroidery on the Baker’s Wife’s dress and the Baker’s knitted stockings, elevate the costuming.
While Act 1 ends with our various heroes achieving their “happily ever after” thanks to the magical nature of the woods, Act 2 asks us whether growth is possible without the obstacles that come with the journey. Danger is everywhere, and transformation is the reward for those seekers who survive, a prize more valuable than dreams come true.
The Details
“Into the Woods”
Through August 10 at Roxy’s Downtown, 412 1/2 E. Douglas Ave. in Wichita
Through August 3, showtimes are 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays. Three shows have been added to the run: 7 p.m. Thursday, August 8; 8 p.m. Friday, August 9; and 8 p.m. Saturday, August 10. The theater entrance is on the north side (rear) of the building. Food and drinks are available for purchase before and during the show.
Tickets are $35.57 plus fees when purchased online. Call 316-265-4400 to order by phone.
Teri Mott is a writer and actor in Wichita, Kansas, where she has covered the arts as a critic and feature writer and worked at nonprofit arts organizations for 40 years. She is a co-founder of the SHOUT.
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