Into The Woods
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Lapine. Directed by Richard Block. Musical Direction by Damien Slingsby. Choreography by Kathryn Jones. Gunghalin College Theatre. August 28 - September 12 2015
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
I have often sung the praises of
the quality of music theatre productions in Canberra, but Richard Block’s
production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The
Woods has raised the bar to an entirely new level. Sondheim’s canon of remarkable works
represents the Everest of musical theatre. To scale its challenges demands the
pinnacle of performance, the peak of musical direction and orchestration , the heights of choreography and the summit of production. Block’s fledgling
Dramatic Productions delivers in spades
at the Gunghalin College Theatre.
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| Jessica Baker as Florinda. Kitty McGarry as Lucinda. Miriam Miley-Read as the Stepmother and Philippa Murphy as Cinderella in Into The Woods Photo by Pete Stiles |
Part of this production’s
astounding success is due to Block’s ability to procure the sumptuous sets, props and
costumes of the Victorian State Opera’s original production. Pictorially, this production of Sondheim’s
ingenious take on nursery rhyme characters in search of wish fulfilment is a
delightful invitation to Sondheim's twist on the perilous adventures of the popular fairy tale characters : Cinderella (Philippa Murphy)
and her wicked stepmother ( Miriam Miley-Read)and step-sisters (Jessica Baker
and Kitty McGarry); the childless Baker (Grant Pegg) and his wife (Veronica
Thwaites Brown); Jack (Pippin Carroll) and his mother (Debra Byrne),;Rapunzel (Taylor Kunkel)
and her mother, the witch who seeks the spell to restore her beauty (Kelly
Roberts); Little Red Riding Hood (Sian Harrington) and the Wolf (Alexander
Chubb) and the two princes in
search of true love ( Chubb and Anthony Simeonovic).More supporting roles of
the Steward (Brian Kavanagh) and Gran (Yanina Clifton) maintain the high
performance standard of this production. Sondheim has cleverly interwoven the
familiar characters into a search for the things that will bring them true
happiness. His use of a storybook narrator (Tony Falla) draws the threads of
the mysteries together in a funny, sad, intriguing and thoroughly entertaining
magical brew of interwoven relationships and adventures.
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| Veronica Thwaites-Brown as The Baker's Wife. Grant Pegg as The Baker and Kelly Roberts as The Witch in Dramatic Productions' Into The Woods- Photo by Pete Stiles |
Dramatic Productions’ success must
be attributed to the fact that this is an entirely local production, showcasing
the most remarkable talent that Canberra has to offer in a musical that is
enormously challenging for performers, musicians, and crew. This production
offers audiences the opportunity to experience
a highly professional staging of Sondheim’s Into
The Woods on their doorstep. Performances by Philippa Murphy as Cinderella,
Sian Harrington as Red Riding Hood and Alexander Chubb and Anthony Simeonovic
as the Princes are worthy of any
professional production of this musical. So too are the performances of more mature performers
such as Pegg, Thwaites-Brown and Roberts.
Special mention should be made of Music Theatre legend Toni Lamond’s superb
voiceover rendition of the slain giant’s distraught and vengeful wife. She is
the terrifying avenger of unexpected consequence.
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| Tony Falla as Mysterious and Grant Pegg as The Baker Photo by Pete Stiles |
Musically, Sondheim is the great
experimenter with angular harmonies, complex rhythms and a diverse range of
styles, inherited from the classics, pop and folk. Into The Woods is less melodic than some of his other works, such
as Company, Sweeny Todd or Sunday In The
Park With George. Audiences are likely to leave the theatre humming the
repetitive title song and the Witch’s
Lament, but Sondheim’s occasional haunting atonality leaves a lingering feeling, rather
than a popular, hummable tune. Under Damien Slingsby’s superb musical direction, singers
and orchestra evoke the atmosphere of Sondheim’s moral musical. The orchestra
never intrudes, complementing perfectly the performances upon the stage, and
Kathryn Jones’s choreography, combining folk dance and ballet, captures the era
of European folk tale Richard Block’s
clean and direct direction is atmospherically complemented by Hamish McConchie’s lighting and James
McPherson’s sound design. Damien Slingsby’s atmospheric musical evocation of
Sondheim’s score is skilfully interpreted by his excellent orchestra and
Kathryn Jones’s choreography is jubilantly captured by her dancers , Rachel Thornton, Yanina Clifton and
Mackenzie Rae Lennard, all of whom double up in other roles. Every aspect of production demonstrates the
careful thought that has gone into all aspects of this local production of Into The Woods, making
it a highlight upon Canberra’s vibrant Music Theatre scene .
For those who live some distance
away on the south side of Canberra, the prospect of venturing out in search of
the Gunghalin College Theatre may appear daunting. Cast aside all doubt. The
Tuggeranong Parkway offers swift access from even the furthest reaches, and
Dramatic Productions’ beautiful staging of Into
The Woods by the legendary thinking man and woman’s composer is not to be missed.