Saturday, June 8, 2013

Into The Woods at McCarter

Into The Woods
Fiasco Theater Company @ McCarter Theater
Sunday, May 26, 7PM

It's been a couple of weeks and my memory ain't what it used to be, but I think I can muster up enough coherent thoughts on this extraordinary production to write a review.

As I posted previously, Fiasco's stripped-down production is pretty much perfection.  It's creative, surprising and moving in ways that I don't necessarily associate with Into The Woods.  Most productions seem to emulate (i.e. copy) the well-known original Broadway production's lavish design and feel or else ignore the material's dark undercurrents in favor of twee preciousness.

This production takes place on a bare stage decorated with discarded piano parts and strewn with dusty old relics you might find in grannie's attic.  But in the whimsical hands of the cast and with a little imagination, these garage sale finds transform into trees, towers and birds.

The upside to this stripped-down approach is that it focuses our attention on Sondheim's pithy lyrics that expound on complex themes of family and responsibility.  I'm very familiar with the show, having directed it as well as been forced to sit through many a tedious production, and Fiasco has managed to make the scenes and songs seem fresh and the quick, dense lyrics intelligible to my jaded ears.

The cast of 10 (I'd actually include pianist, Matt Castle - who, incidentally, I replaced in a show many, many moons ago - as an 11th cast member) play all the roles, creating some hilarious doubling opportunities.  Some even do triple duty, supplementing Castle's piano accompaniment by playing random instruments scattered about the stage.

It seems redundant for me to continue my review considering Brantley's capture my thoughts so well in his review in the New York Times.  So I'll just list some of my favorite moments and leave the critical dissection to the pros.
  • Double casting the princes as Florinda and Lucinda.
  • Using shadows to represent the Giant's murder.
  • Having the entire female ensemble speak/sing the role of Cinderella's mother.
  • Creating a communal feel by eliminating the narrator and distributing his lines to the cast so that it seems like a group of storytellers re-enacting the events for us rather than us just watching a play.
  • Re-orchestrating the music for Jack's mother to give her character a more folk/country feel.
  • Andy Grotelueshen's comedic use of a cowbell as Milky White.
  • Staging "On the Steps of the Palace" as if Cinderella were actually stuck on the steps.
Sure, the singing voices aren't always optimal, but the trade off is an emotional clarity and depth that, in this case, transcends a perfect belt.  Though I won't lie, I would sell my left nut to hear Carolee's "Last Midnight."  A girl can dream.

No comments:

"I'd rather be nine people's favorite thing thana hundred people's ninth favorite thing."

Jeff Bowen, Lyrics "[Title of Show]"