Annapolis Opera brought Broadway to Annapolis Friday night with an entertainment bonanza. Somehow, I had not seen the 1987 musical Into the Woods with songs and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine. I can think of at least five Sondheim musicals I have seen, but somehow, not this one. Thanks to Annapolis Opera and my wife’s nudging that we go, I am now a fan of this Sondheim musical also. The AO performance was funny, communicated the musical’s messages, and was loaded with enjoyable singing and music. Kudos to all the opera-trained singers who sang show tunes with the panache to make it high quality Broadway.
l to r: Colleen Daly as the Baker’s wife, Arianna Zuckerman as the Witch, and Patrick Kilbride as the Baker. Photo by Michael C. Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
Attending Into the Woods is like getting a whack at a piñata. When you break it open, a multitude of treats flows out to you. Annapolis Opera used nineteen performers to portray 23 characters, at least - not even counting the birds. Then there were colorful costumes and sets, and an orchestra and conductor, and cool lighting and sound effects. All this to tell a new fairytale that interlaces with several well-known fairytales. A baker and his wife want to conceive a child but cannot because they are under a witch’s curse, and to remove the curse, they must undertake a quest into the woods to obtain four items to pay the witch’s ransom: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. Well, who do you think that they might run into in the woods who could supply such items? In these woods, Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk; Little Red Riding Hood; Rapunzel; and Cinderella. Voila, and everyone lives happily ever after at the end of the Act 1, except for Cinderella’s stepsisters who suffered an unfortunate mishap; those pesky birds. In Act 2, the mother of the Giant that Jack killed comes down a new beanstalk looking for him and menacing everyone; people threaten to sacrifice Jack to the Giant; Little Red develops PTSD and starts carrying a knife, infidelity rears its head, more than once (sadly, I must report that Snow White and Sleeping Beauty were involved); and not everyone survives. Now you know the rest of the story: life goes on and actions have consequences! Remember that piñata? Do you remember the aftermath: how you had to scramble to get as many of the goodies for yourself as you could, and maybe had to fight over some, and how some kids ended up with a lot of candy, and some stood to the side and felt unhappy? Fortunately, they were all kids and not yet armed. Even good things have consequences. Well, don’t despair; Mr. Sondheim and Mr. Lapine don’t leave us there. Their musical offers us hope and a path forward, through our need for each other; a closing number is the song, “No one is alone”.
left photo: Matthew Hill as Jack and Diana DiMarzio as Jack’s Mother. right photo: Kylee Hope Geraci as Little Red Riding Hood and Paul La Rosa as the Big Bad Wolf. Photos by Michael C. Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
AO’s Into the Woods had a large cast of excellent singer/actors. Because they trained as opera singers, I could label them as sopranos, tenors, etc., but for this production, they were all Broadway singers. For the show’s opening run on Broadway, Joanna Gleason won a Tony Award for best actress as the Baker’s wife. Colleen Daly had some big shoes to fill and did it impressively, singing and acting beautifully in that role, showing her acting range when she meets a charming prince in the woods and later sings, “Moments in the Woods”. Patrick McBride, in excellent musical theater voice, played the earnest Baker with steady consistency in a role where he is constantly struggling with the ethics of his choices. The surprise of the night was teenager Kylie Hope Geraci as Little, Red Riding Hood; she was spot on in her singing, diction, and acting – one imagines she has a bright future! In “I Know Things Now” she sang one of my favorite lines from the show: “Isn’t it nice to know a lot, and a little bit not”. Matthew Hill as Jack also impressed in singing and acting, a tenor who seemed a natural for musicals. Emma Grimsley as Cinderella brought endearing pathos to the role. Arianna Zuckermann made a commanding Witch who even got to do a little rapping early on. Diana DiMarzio played Jack’s mother in hen pecking fashion, belittling Jack and then defending him with her life. Jesse Mashburn sang with compassion as Cinderella’s mother. Denique Isaac as Rapunzel gave us an upset, abused child raised by the Witch, but also some opera riffs that left me wanting to hear more.
l to r bottom: Natasha Ramirez Farr as Cinderella’s Stepmother, Emma Grimsley as Cinderella, and Paul La Rosa as Cinderella’s Prince. l to r top: Erin Ridge as Lucinda and Patricia Hengen as Florinda, Cinderella’s Stepsisters. Photo by Michael C. Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
The show has many enjoyable ensemble numbers, such as the Baker and his Wife singing “It Takes Two” (remember my wife’s nudging). One I particularly enjoyed was the duet “Agony” between Paul La Rosa as Cinderella’s prince and Brandon Lockart as Rapunzel’s prince, as they bemoan the choices forced upon them. Cinderella’s family was a hoot with her stepsisters Florinda (Patricia Hengen) and Lucinda (Erin Ridge), stepmother (Natasha Ramirez Farr), and her father (Timothy Mix). Christopher Hartung as Steward, Alisha Woodberry as Snow White, and Daisha Togawa as Sleeping Beauty contributed effectively. In a non-singing but major role, Dean Anthony who also directed the show, was a great choice for narrator/Mysterious Man with his clear deep voice.
Mr. Sondheim’s engaging music was presented beautifully by Conductor Craig Kier and the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. If you heard this melodious music on the radio not knowing what it was, you would immediately think Broadway. Musical themes are developed for some of the characters and solo instruments and sections were constantly coloring the action on the stage.
left photo: Arianna Zuckerman as the Witch after transformation. center photo: Emma Grimsley as Cinderella calling on the birds. right photo: Brandon Lockhart as Rapunzel’s Prince and Paul La Rosa as Cinderella’s Prince. Photos by Michael C. Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
Special kudos to Director Anthony for keeping a show with so many characters moving at a brisk clip and setting up the comedy in a manner that works. I liked the touch of having most of the cast appear on stage near the close of each act reciting old sayings and aphorisms with an ironic and funny twist. The sets effectively displayed facades of three home fronts from fairytales and therefore, three scenes at once. The use of a mobile of bird cutouts for the birds which figure in the action worked in this context, adding to the fun. Also, cutouts of horses and white cows were hilarious. Designer Glenn Avery Breed’s costumes were delightful and fairytale-worthy, as was the lighting and special effects from Production Manager and Lighting Designer Christopher Brusberg.
Dean Anthony, seated, as the Narrator being accosted by the characters. Photo by Michael C. Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
There is one small concern I will mention with In the Woods. The lyrics and dialog for Into the Woods are extraordinarily creative and clever. It’s almost too much at once; one lesson or insight hardly settles before another is thrown our way, and we don’t get to go that deeply into any one character. The volume works for entertainment purposes, but perhaps not in honing the message. I suppose the message overall also was that there is a lot that goes on in life, some you influence that affects others and some beyond your control that affects you. The closing refrain will stay with me for a while: “Be careful what you say. Children will listen. Be careful what you wish for, for wishes are children. Careful the path you take, wishes come true”.
l to r: Erin Ridge as Lucinda, Natasha Ramirez Farr as Cinderella’s Stepmother; Denique Isaac as Rapunzel; Timothy Mix as Rapunzel’s Father, Paul La Rosa as Cinderella’s Prince, Matthew Hill as Jack, Diana DiMarzio as Jack’s Mother, Emma Grimsley as Cinderella, and Christopher Hartung as Steward. Photo by Michael C. Halbig; courtesy of Annapolis Opera.
Finally, I have to give kudos (my wife insists, and they are well deserved) to Annapolis Opera Music and Artistic Director Craig Kier for taking on such a massive undertaking and providing employment opportunities for so many vocalists while opportunities are still constrained by the pandemic.
The Fan Experience: Performances of Into the Woods were held March 18, 19, 20 in the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. The musical is sung in English with no super titles; singers did not wear microphones. The performance lasted about three hours including one intermission. Parking at the Hall was free.
An informative pre-opera talk was given by Hannah Epstein, Music Teacher and Musical Afficianado, as part of AO’s Insight series of talks about In the Woods. She gave interesting insights into the construction of the musical, and there was a discussion of the difference between singing in operas and musicals.
Annapolis Opera has scheduled a concert and a vocal competition before returning to staged opera on May 15 with Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. Before attending a performance, be sure to check the company’s masking and vaccination requirements in place at that time.