The Company of “Into the Woods”/Photo: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade
RECOMMENDED
When I next hear some friends—and not just suburbanites—talking about their fears of venturing into downtown Chicago at night, I will likely break out into the title song of “Into the Woods,” now in—can I say it—a perfect production at the Nederlander. “Into the woods without regret, / The choice is made, the task is set. / Into the woods but not forget, / That’s why I’m on the journey. / Into the woods to get my wish, / I don’t care how, The time is now…” Streets downtown at showtime are now lousy with cops, nearby streets are closed, women and men look around nervously and regret their choice of heels. Never mind. Get downtown and see shows. This one especially. It may change you for good. It will certainly raise your standards on what to expect from a musical, even one direct from Broadway.
Jason Forbach and Gavin Creel in “Into the Woods”/Photo: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade
This production is so darned good that on the night of the press opening, two understudies, Ximone Rose as the Baker’s Wife and Ellie Fishman (no, not my daughter Elly Fishman), were show-stealingly good. That is, if this show could have been stolen from any of the universally stellar cast, many of them veterans of the recent, lavishly praised and repeatedly extended Broadway run. Where to begin? There’s glamorous Montego Glover as the witch who literally transforms in the woods and who delivers a heartstopping, chilling and beautiful rendition of the late-hour anthem “Last Midnight.” And the lessons she imparts in “Children Will Listen”—echoing the simple dulcet version delivered by Cinderella earlier—are equally powerful. Katy Geraghty takes on the always hungry, always cross but ultimately touching Little Red Ridinghood and who with hilarity and song and some gazelle-like skipping raises the worth of mirth with girth. In so doing, Geraghty reinvents a role which is usually played by pixie-like cuties. Then there’s those audience favorites, the two vain princes, played by Gavin Creel and Jason Forbach, both of whom add endless and enchanting, perfectly choreographed comic touches to every moment they have on stage. There’s the dear puppeteer, Kennedy Kanagawa, who, though wordless, creates one of the productions most original characters whom the audience actually cheers for. I should mention everyone else, but, in the words of the show, “then again no.”
This outing of “Into The Woods” travels well. The elegant, minimal set is little more than a few stage trees that move up and down, a table with a tea set and a bed. The crackerjack orchestra handles Stephen Sondheim’s catchy but rhythmically complicated score from on stage. It’s up to the cast, under the direction of Lear deBessonet, to create the world they rove through and the audience to fill in through imagination the fairytale settings we know from storybooks and films. “Into The Woods” may have more plot twists than any other musical ever written, but it moves quickly and comprehensibly. And with the unlikely aid of perhaps the most intricate song lyrics ever in a musical, too. This cast articulates all lyrics with precision, which in the ensemble numbers is a wonder. Well, so’s the whole show. The run is very short and likely won’t be extended. Go downtown, the time is now!
“Into the Woods” at Broadway in Chicago’s Nederlander Theatre, 24 West Randolph, broadwayinchicago.com. Through May 7.
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