Theatre Review: ‘Into the Woods’ presented by Rockville Musical Theatre at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre


The company of Rockville Musical Theatre’s “Into the Woods.” Photo by Bruce Rosenberg.

Any Sondheim musical is an absolute treat to see onstage and “Into the Woods” is no exception. Presented by Rockville Musical Theatre, Sondheim’s story of love and loss is an actor’s dream with multilayered characters and an ingenious score. The Baker (Ryan Karg) and his wife (Ruperta Nelson) pursue a quest to reverse a decades old curse—that they will never have children—placed upon The Baker’s father by the local witch. In a moment of pity (or manipulation), The Witch (Amanda Jones) instructs The Baker to track down four objects: a cow as white as milk, a slipper as pure as gold, hair as yellow as corn, and a cape as red as blood. He has three days to acquire these objects, or she will not reverse the curse. When the couple ventures into the woods to retrieve the objects, they meet Cinderella (Lizzie Bartlett Holman), Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk (Isabelle Noel), and other well known characters. What begins as a simple quest for change becomes a meta-take on fairytales, what duty means, and whether any of us are truly good or evil. 

Rockville Musical Theatre has assembled one of the strongest casts of vocalists in recent memory and paired with some gorgeous tech, “Into the Woods” has certainly done Sondheim proud.  

The cast of “Into the Woods” is generally small, with almost every character acting as an integral part of the plot. Director Erin Bone Steele has added a few bodies onstage to flesh out numbers and this works in the cast’s favor. Actors Nealah Rose Malmstrom and Sebastian Bilinski act as the puppeteers for Cinderella’s birds and they add large dose of magic of the show. Choreographer Isabelle Olivos-Glander has created a very pretty track for them to follow when they are onstage. A cross between contemporary dance and organically generated movement, they twirl and dart around the stage as they help Cinderella complete her tasks. The effect is lovely. Another wonderful addition was Hannah Friedman as puppeteer for Jack’s beloved cow, Milky White. Friedman does an excellent job of pouring emotion into the Milky White puppet and we truly feel bad for her when Jack decides to give her up to The Baker for a sack of beans. Personifying a puppet to that extent is no small feat and Friedman should be congratulated. 

Most, if not all, set changes are performed by the cast and this lends to the feeling that the characters are at least semi-aware that they in a fairytale. The set itself is a triumph and set designer Douglas Becker should be applauded for his vision. Most movable pieces double as a background for multiple settings and the execution of the wood itself is superb. Becker has found a happy medium between a luscious woodland paradise and the Queen of Heart’s garden from “Alice and Wonderland.” Act One of “Into the Woods” is a fairly standard collection of intertwining tales. This set is versatile enough to work for Act One, as well as the much darker Act Two. Another excellent technical element of the production is the costumes. Each piece was well-conceived by costume designer Linda Swann and several pieces stand out as particularly effective. Cinderella’s ball gown is a frothy blue and white dream and elicited “oohs and aahs” from the audience when it was revealed. Similarly, Cinderella’s stepsisters, Lucinda and Florinda, sport garish gowns of orange and pink. Reminiscent of birthday cakes, they are a stark contrast to Cinderella’s classic blue and white gown.

Jasmine Jones as Florinda and Jenny Gleason as Lucinda are among the strongest comedic presences in the cast. As Cinderella’s fantastical foils, Jones and Gleason bring excellent vocal performances and spot on comedic timing to the evil stepsisters. In a musical filled with iconic duos, one of the most hilarious and charming is Cinderella and Rapunzel’s princes. As with most of his other characters, Sondheim refers to them only by their archetypal titles and the Noah Beye and Jarod Glou certainly do their titles justice. Beye as Cinderella’s Prince and Gloud as Rapunzel’s Prince are comedic gold and each actor finds the joy in “Agony,” one of the funniest numbers in the show. In the second act, Cinderella’s Prince must show some vulnerability which Beye pulls off swimmingly.  

When the musical takes its infamously dark turn in Act Two, there are a few characters who have the difficult job of holding down the fort emotionally—chiefly, The Baker, Cinderella, and The Witch. All three characters must cast off the guise of a one dimensional fairytale character and become real, morally complex beings. Cinderella possesses a strong depth of character throughout so it is not a surprise when she takes on the mantle of a leader in Act Two. It is still wonderful to see Holman act her way through Cinderella’s various obstacles. With a gorgeous soprano, her rendition of “On the Steps of the Palace” was darn near perfect, but it is “No One is Alone” where she shines. The number drips with earnest vulnerability and Holman and Karg make for a stunning vocal team. The Baker is the heart of the show and Karg clearly is a strong dramatic actor as well as wonderful vocalist. Karg is a fine anchor throughout and, like Holman, his strength lies in his ability to harness emotional strife and create some poignant acting moments.

On the darker side of things lies The Witch which is a difficult character. She has a striking arc that happens very quickly, so most acting work must be subtext. Jones brings a subtlety and great charisma to the part and “Last Midnight” was acted as terrifically as it was sung. Jones’ cry of death before being evaporated with a strike of lightening was haunting and perfect. Overall, Rockville Musical Theatre has assembled one of the strongest casts of vocalists in recent memory and paired with some gorgeous tech, “Into the Woods” has certainly done Sondheim proud.  

Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission.

“Into the Woods” runs through July 16, 2023 at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville Maryland, 20851. For more information and tickets, call the Box Office at 240-314-8690 or go online. 

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