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Into the Woods by Granite Hills Acting Workshop  Along time ago, in a forest far, far away...
There once was a poor Baker and his Wife. Though happy together, they were sad that, even after years of trying, they had borne no children and the Baker's Wife had no bun in the oven. And then, on one fateful day, a Witch came to their humble home and told them of a curse that she had put on the Baker making him infertile -- a curse in retaliation against the Baker's Father who had stolen some magic beans from the Witch's garden when the Baker was just a wee boy. But now the Witch was prepared to end the curse. Before the next three midnights passed, the Baker and his Wife were to bring the Witch four items: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. What follows is a frantic and bizarre scavenger hunt that brings the bakers into the lives of Jack (whose cow is not worth beans), Little Red Ridinghood (who is very emotionally attached to her blood-red cape), the crazy Rapunzel (with lots of yellow hair to spare), and Cinderella (whose golden slippers might be graceful on the ballroom dance floor, but are quite awkward in the woods -- as Cinderella and her skinned knees can surely attest!). Their search takes them into the woods, that mysterious and dangerous place outside the village where most of the scariest parts of the fairy tales tended to take place -- and where the most important lessons were to be learned. The scavenger hunt, and the First Act, do not end until all the fairy tales are set to right, and we can all rest assured that everyone will live happily ever after. But wait just one moment! This is a Stephen Sondheim musical, and our little story is far from over. For in Act Two we get to find out what happens after happily ever after, which is not nearly as happy as had always been assumed. It seems a certain giantess is very upset that her husband was killed by some little human thief named Jack, and she intends to have her revenge. Now the people have a choice to make -- sacrifice Jack to the giantess and live, turn against each other while the giantess crushes them all in her mad search, or band together to fight the common foe. But under such harrowing conditions, it is not always easy to stick together, as we see in an amusing but all-too-true Your Fault scene in which each of the characters begin pointing their fingers, blaming the other for their predicament, and soon finding that maybe they are all a little to blame. This popular and successful show premiered at our own Old Globe Theatre, and the current Broadway revival of Into the Woods has garnered TEN Tony Award nominations, second only to the eleven by Thoroughly Modern Millie (which premiered at our own La Jolla Playhouse). And there is little doubt the Granite Hills production will win some awards as well! Under the always-amazing direction of Barry Bosworth, there are far too many outstanding performances for me to enumerate here, but I'll touch on some of them..... Strong singers Nick Bonnell (The Baker) and Tashya Garoutte (his Wife) led us through the woods as the only normal people -- characters not to be found in a fairy tale. Tashya put in an especially incredible performance with tremendous personality and her hilarious swoons whenever Cinderella's Prince is seen or mentioned. She and the Prince (Austin Thorpe) share one of the best, yet also the most disturbing, scene of the show as they share a few "Moments in the Woods." Austin Thorpe is a riot both as the ultra-charming (and ultra-arrogant) Prince and as the Wolf. As the Prince he spends most of his time chasing after Cinderella (Jennifer Volker). His brother (Jarryd Davis) is spending most of his time climbing after Rapunzel (Sarah Vincelett) in her tower. And those two brothers team up for a couple of riotously funny duets of Agony -- first singing of their vain attempts to woo their women, and in the second act lamenting their catches and musing about new women, namely Snow White (Michelle Anderson) and Sleeping Beauty (Danielle Holbach). But as good as Austin is as the Prince, he may be even better as the hungry wolf who seeks to make Granny (Gina Goodman) his dinner and have Little Red Ridinghood (Shannon Fitzpatrick) for a snack. But although Ridinghood eats a lot of sweets (they're all gone before she gets to Granny's), she is not necessarily sweet herself. She might have the most naïve and innocent expressions you can imagine, but this little girl's got a feisty streak in her that you don't want to aggravate. Just try to take her red cloak and see for yourself! Shannon earns many of the biggest laughs with her hysterical tantrums, "don't mess with me" attitude, and childish outbursts. Another huge standout is Marla Worm as the wicked Witch. Whether ugly and hunchbacked, or beautiful and regal, Marla commands the stage and the villagers. She's especially good at prodding the men-folk into doing as she demands, having a magic wand that packs quite a shock when aimed in the right place. The only thing she has a weakness for is the lovely, lilting voice of her nutty daughter who she keeps in a door-less tower, Rapunzel (Sarah Vincelett). Sarah's expressions of joy, anger, fear and confusion are perfectly insane. Elsewhere, Jennifer Volker is the hopelessly romantic Cinderella with an exquisite voice and kind, patient demeanor who wants a little more for a husband than a vain prince. Brandon Pohl is the naïve and extremely sensitive Jack who is very attached to his beloved pet cow. Chanel Nicolet is Jack's mother who turns from sweet and caring to impatient and angry in the blink of an eye. Her death scene is a RIP! Jason Araujo is the old yet spry Mysterious Man who keeps popping up out of the woods to help things along. And Derek Maples is the snobby royal Steward who can barely tolerate dealings with the lower classes, and who clops his coconut shells together in a most stately manner when having to imitate the prince's horse (one of a couple tributes to Monty Python's medieval classic, also seen later in their "Run away!" retreat). Cinderella's Stepmother (Aimee Dotts) and Stepsisters (Christa Lorenz and Lisa Clarke) share a morbidly amusing shoe-fitting scene. And the Narrator (Corie Bales) narrates the grim comedy with teacher-like, sometimes judgmental, inflections (which might get her into trouble later).  Combine all that with some great costumes by Amy Skinner (especially the Wolf!) and Barry Bosworth's set design that made excellent use of movable trees, and you have one of the more impressive high school stage productions I've seen -- a magnificent and enchanting ending to a terrific season at Granite Hills High School. But you can soon see some of them return, along with their peers from across San Diego County, in Youth Summerstock, this year featuring Dames at Sea and Oklahoma!.
Rob Hopper San Diego Playbill ~ Cast ~
Narrator: Corie Bales Cinderella: Jennifer Volker Jack: Brandon Pohl Baker: Nick Bonnell Baker's Wife: Tashya Garoutte Stepmother: Aimee Dotts Florinda: Christa Lorenz Lucinda: Lisa Clarke Jack's Mother: Chanel Nicolet Ridinghood: Shannon Fitzpatrick Witch: Marla Worm Cinderella's Father: Nick Duffield Mysterious Man: Jason Araujo The Wolf & Cinderella's Prince: Austin Thorpe Rapunzel: Sarah Vincelett Granny: Gina Goodman Rapunzel's Prince: Jarryd Davis Steward: Derek Maples Snow White: Michelle Anderson Sleeping Beauty: Danielle Holbach Giant's Voice: Heather Adams Director: Barry Bosworth Costume Design: Amy Skinner Set Designa and Construction: Barry Bosworth Student Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Heather Adams Musical Director: Damien DiFede Assistant Musical Director: Jason Araujo |