Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Welcome to the fractured fairy tales of Stephen Sondheim. The Swanhurst Chorus’ 24th Annual dinner show musical is “Into the Woods” with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine. It opened on Broadway on November 5, 1987 and ran for 764 performances, starring Bernadette Peter as the Witch and Joanna Gleason as the Baker’s Wife. It was made into a movie in 2014 starring Meryl Streep as the witch. The show was inspired by Bruno Bettelheim’s “The Power of Enchantment” written in 1976. The musical intertwines the plots of several Grimm Brother’s fairy tales with an original one about a baker and his wife who are living under curse of an evil witch when they learn they can’t have a child. The Baker and his wife set off into the woods to break the curse. The other main characters include Red Riding Hood, Jack in the Beanstalk, Cinderella and Rapunzel. Act 1 observes them pursuing “happily ever after” destinies. The second half explores what happens when they confront giants, mayhem, conflict and disappointment. In the end, they discover that perhaps happiness is found in living the tale and turning the pages to see what happens. Directors Roger Machado Fournier and Heather Gaffney-Hsu and musical directors Stefanie Bonalewicz, Shannan Davis and Mahria Trepes come up victorious with this Sondheim musical.
Roger and Heather infuse this show with keen insight into these characters and does double duty by also playing the Baker and the Baker’s wife. The musical directors who also do double duty by appearing in the show. They taught the intricate and tongue twisting songs to their hard working cast and obtain topnotch vocals from them. The main character running in and out of all the fairy tales scenes is the witch played splendidly by Stefanie Bonalewicz Fontaine. She has marvelous stage presence as this malevolent woman and her transformation from old hag into stunning beauty is amazing. Her first number is the tongue twisting song about vegetables in her garden that the Baker’s father stole from her. The witch only shows affection to her adopted or rather stolen daughter, Rapunzel. Stefanie’s other songs include “Stay with Me” where she wants her daughter to remain trapped in a tower and in “Witch’s Lament” where she mourns her after the Giant kills Rapunzel. However it is her eleventh hour number, “The Last Midnight” that stops the show with its poignancy and power at her brilliant rendition. Stephanie enthralls the audience with her dynamic portrayal.
Roger Machado Fournier and Heather Gaffney-Hsu as the Baker and his wife perform many comic bits in the first act but it is in the second act that they tug on your heartstrings with their dramatic prowess. They must hunt down four things that will break the witch’s curse including a white cow. They have very many clever antics during their hunt for these items with their wild machinations. Roger’s most emotion packed songs are the duet with his father called “No More” and in the quartet “No One is Alone.” Heather’s voice is heard in several numbers but her most poignant one is “Moments in the Woods” after her tryst with Cinderella’s Prince. Roger and Heather’s duet of “It Takes Two” is also wonderful.
Playing the role of Cinderella is Shannan Davis who displays her yearning to attend the King’s Festival. She sings “On the Steps of the Palace” and her most impressive song is “No One is Alone” when she comforts Red Riding Hood about the death of her grandmother. Cinderella explains both the grandmother and Cinderella’s mother will be with them forever.
The two young performers who play Red and Jack are marvelous. Hadleigh Andrade is topnotch as Red Riding Hood who buys bread and sweets from the Baker only to devour them before she reaches there. Her encounter with the Wolf enlightens her in “I Know Now.” Red becomes a stronger person and more bloodthirsty after she and Granny skin the wolf. The lesson she learns is to be careful what you wish for. Trevor Lopes plays the dimwitted Jack excellently. His comic quips and sayings are laugh out loud moments including “I have a harp and a cow for a friend now.” Jack must sell his beloved cow, Milky White which sets up the encounter with the Lady Giant in Act 2. Trevor’s strong voice is heard in the group numbers and in his solo “Giants in the Sky” when he learns there are consequences for your actions when you steal from others. Trevor displays a lot of depth in this role.
Nishan Lawton is fabulous as the Narrator with his strong voice resonating in the theatre. He also plays the Mysterious Man who is secretly the Baker’s father. Nishan displays his powerful baritone voice in “No More.” Jason Shealy as the Wolf and Cinderella’s Prince and Brandon Clark as Rapunzel’s Prince are hilarious as these siblings. They stop the show with their comic number “Agony” which is my favorite song in the show. In the first act they are suffering because they can’t get the girls while in the second act they complain about their wives. Their acting of pomposity in these roles is stellar. Jason also displays his lower range as the Wolf when he sings “Hello, Little Girl” with Hadleigh. Mahria Lopes is a hoot as Jack’s cantankerous mother. She constantly yells at him and later yells at the Lady Giant with disastrous results. Melanie Kane clad in a blonde wig, displays her strong soprano voice as Rapunzel who is trapped in a tower by the witch. She has many funny moments including dropping her tears on her Prince’s eyes to restore his sight. So for a splendid rendition of this Sondheim musical with a delicious dinner before it, be sure to catch “Into the Woods” at Fenner Hall in Newport before time runs out.
INTO THE WOODS (2 to 11 March)
Swanhurst Chorus of Newport, 15 Fenner Hall, Newport, RI
1(401)324-9820 or www.swanhurst.org
