Beau Meyer
Little Red Riding Hood (Zoe Bockhorst) and The Wolf (Cobi Tappa).
February may be John Harbison month, but it is also Stephen Sondheim month. After Madison Opera’s mid-month production of A Little Night Music, we now have Sondheim’s Into the Woods. I saw the Feb. 21 production at Shannon Hall.
Bringing together unconventionally the characters of some famous fairy tales, Sondheim exploits them in a fascinating exploration of relationships.
Sondheim’s verbal displays as lyricist are, of course, absolutely spectacular. If they do overshadow the musical achievements, there are certainly some memorable tunes — quite hummable ones, too. But is a wise and even profound musical, as well as an entertaining one.
Its constant switching of scenes and settings is challenging, but the cooperative production of the University Opera and University Theatre programs, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Union Theater, is splendidly resourceful. John Drescher’s scenic design and sets, with cleverly shifting units, are versatile and appealing. And director David Ronis draws witty action from his cast.
The show has some 21 roles, of varying sizes, and in this cast 17 singers appear, with alternatives in two roles. Some are student singers, and some are acting students. Vocally, their talents and skills vary considerably; many are of a rather routine Broadway bareness, but quite a few are pleasing and effective vocalists. But all are excellent actors, and bring off their characters with vividness. With such a large cast, it is unfair to note only a few, but I did enjoy Michael Kelley as the Baker, Christian Michael Brenny as Jack (of the Beanstalk), Broadway veteran Quanda Johnson as Jack’s Mother, Cobi Tappa as the Wolf and the Steward, and Tanner Zocher and Jacob Elfner as the two Princes.
There is one serious problem with the production: the use of amplification for all the singers. There are no surtitles; given the rapid pulse of some musical numbers, they might not be able to keep up with the singers. So amplification is helpful in allowing the words to be heard. But the general amplification level is set high. The student technical team makes no effort to vary the volume levels of individual singers. The insensitivity on this count is notable in the case of Bryanna Plaisir, who offers engaging acting, but whose Broadway-style braying in the tradition of Ethel Merman comes at the audience as ear-splitting, literally painful.
That said, this a wonderful production, a fine credit to all companies involved. The show has several more showings through Feb. 24.
