Watching this production, I have no idea why Vivian W. Lien’s ’03 Little Red Riding Hood sings “I Know Things Now” or why the incredibly lusty wolf slipps into Fred Astaire mode for a verse.
The show’s shortcomings are especially apparent in the second act, which is far darker than the first, but has not been treated with a greater sense of urgency. As a result, there is no tension, and the general dullness becomes almost palpable. The song, “Your Fault,” a high energy series of accusations amongst the main characters, plays like an argument over who forgot to walk the dog rather than a passionate dispute with life-or-death consequences. The fact that the characters stand in a straight line for most of the song certainly doesn’t add to the drama. Even small details are overlooked—when the Baker exits the stage, deserting his child, he comments that his son “will be happier in the arms of a princess.” While it would be nice if there seemed to be a sense of importance in that scene, how hard would it have been to actually put the infant in the hands of Cinderella? Forget actually having the princess develop a relationship with the child by rocking him back or forth or protecting him somewhat. It just would have been nice to at least have the Baker’s line make sense.
It’s clear a lot of hard work went into producing a musical such as this; music director Michael D. McNabb ’02 along with vocal director Stephen B. Anderson ’01 have created a show that is musically adept and aurally appealing. This is why the experience of watching Into the Woods is so incredibly frustrating. There’s a lot of hard work and there’s a lot of talent. It just appears that there wasn’t a lot of thought. A few simple questions about what artistic points were being attempted, what the themes of the show are, and what each character wants and learns, could have clarified the show’s unintentional murkiness and eliminated the pervasive dullness. As is, this flat production, despite its appealing visuals, vocals and occasional boffo performances, fails to provide an ending that could be described as “happy ever after.”
Into the Woods will be performed tonight and tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. on the Loeb Mainstage.
Into the woods
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