USMDepartmentofTheatrerunsIntotheWoods SondheimclassicbewitchesUSMaudiences

BenReed Arts&CultureEditor

Asa partof their2023-2024 mainstage program, USM’sDepartmentof Theatrehasproduced theirrenditionofInto the Woods, amusicalwritten byStephen Sondheim and James Lapine. The story intertwines severalclassic fairytales, includingCinderella, Jack &theBeanstalk, LittleRedRiding Hood,and Rapunzelto tellthe storyof abaker andhis wifewho must setout ona questto reversea witch’scurse thathas lefttheirfamily barren,andtheir interactionswiththe fairytalecharacters aroundthem. Themusicalmade its Broadwaydebutin 1987,andgarnered accoladesfrom the Tony Awardsinthe majorcategoriesof BestScore, BestBook, andBest Supporting Actressfor Joanna Gleason,whooriginally playedtherole oftheBaker’s Wife.The showhasbeen reveredasa classic,andhas beenreproduced invarious stageadaptations sinceits inception.In 2014,Disney produceda filmadaptation withanensemble castincludingJames Corden,Emily Blunt,MerylStreep, JohnnyDeppand AnnaKendrick, amongothers, andwent onto receivenominations at boththeGolden Globesand Academy Awards.Nowit hascometo ourdoorstepas afocalpoint oftheDepartmentof Theatre’smain stageprogram. TheDepartment of Theatrecollaborated withthe OsherSchool ofMusic toprovide alive orchestrato accompanythe actorswith wascomposedof alargewooden catwalkthatspanned thestage, completewith aset ofstairs anda landing. Hundredsof piecesof paperadorned thestructure to resemblethetreetops ofaforest. Smallersetpieces, including flowerbeds andhouse-likestructures toresemblethe homesof Cinderella,Jack andthe Bakerwere movedon andoff stageas needed.The liveorchestra pitwas placedbehind thewooden structure,still visibleto theaudience, yetit remainedundistracting to theaudience. withvisually viacolor Inaddition, thedirector andI discussedusing touchesof contemporaryclothing to makethecharacters andtheirstruggles morerelatable toamodern audience,”saidHutchins. theirmusicalnumbers.

Ihadthe immensepleasureof seeingthisproduction onits openingnight, especiallyas ticketshad almost completelysoldout acrosstheirweek-long run.The set

Acrossthis show’svarious adaptationsaround the world,the costuminghas stayedmostly rigid,staying inthe veinof gowns,dresses, andtrousers forthe ensemble.What stoodout inUSM’s productionwas not onlythe vibrantcolor palette,but theuse ofcertain modernelements, suchas abackwards baseballcap, converseshoes, andasymmetrical skirtsfor someof thefemale characters.On thetopic ofhis inspiration forthe costumes,designer KevinHutchins described hismovetomake thecostumesappearmore modernas away tomake theproblems portrayedmore relatableto audiences.“Mygoal wastouse avibrantcolor palette toalloweach charactertopop againstthescenery and tohavea relationshipwiththe characterstheyinteract

Theperformances ofthis castwere filledwith passion,pizzazz, andrespect forthe material.This musicalisone thattakeschildhood fablesandattaches realworldatmospheres tothe characterarcs thataudience memberscan thentake outof thetheater.Parenting and childhood,and desireand lossare someof thecentral themesexplored onstage asthe ensemblewishes for their individual circumstances to change, only to second guessthemselves astheir actionscome backto haunt them. At first glance,standout performancescould be foundin KallieBrown asthe Witch,Molly Scottas Cinderella,Chana Wingardas theBaker’s Wife, Will McPhersonasJack, andNickSutton, whoplayedboth the Wolf and Cinderella’s Prince–though the prowess of everypersonon stagealonedeserves applause.

WhileUSM’srunof Intothe Woods has finished,the Departmentof Theatrestill hasa lotmore togive the USMcommunity thisyear, withtheir upcomingproductionofEurydice Risingtakingthe stageon April4 andrunningthrough April8.