STURDY 'WOODS' SHOWS SIGNS OF OLD GROWTH.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic IF THE Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities' production is indeed the 12th time director Glen Casale has tackled the musical ``Into the Woods,'' you can hardly blame the man for going into the trenches with equally seasoned Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine musical veterans. Casale's production, with musical director Steven Smith Stephen Smith, Steve Smith, or Steven Smith may refer to: In sports:
A beanstalk-climbing Jack who looks like he'd qualify for a home loan doesn't quite meet the production's needs despite the doltish dolt n. A stupid person; a dunce. [Middle English dulte, from past participle of dullen, to dull, from dul, dull; see dull. exuberance of Daniel Frank Daniel Frank was an American athlete who competed mainly in the Long Jump. He competed for the United States in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St Louis, United States in the Long Jump where he won the silver medal. Kelley. And Tracy Katz Paladini's Red Riding Hood - ghoulish ghoul n. 1. One who delights in the revolting, morbid, or loathsome. 2. A grave robber. 3. An evil spirit or demon in Muslim folklore believed to plunder graves and feed on corpses. and arch though her performance is - is no little girl. How could she be? She played the role on the musical's first national tour. In 1989. Do the math. Onetime Cinderella-eligible actresses (Kim Huber, playing the play's ingenue in·gé·nue also in·ge·nue n. 1. A naive, innocent girl or young woman. 2. a. The role of an ingénue in a dramatic production. b. An actress playing such a role. for the fourth time) become better suited to play the Baker's Wife. Erstwhile Prince Charmings (Gordon Goodman as Cinderella's Prince) lose enough of their square-jawed perfect beauty to make audiences notice. I'm harping on this particular string because the appearance of these and a few other actors are enough to take an audience member ever so slightly out of the illusion that we're involved in a Grimm fairy tale. That said, ``Into the Woods'' remains a bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. delight. It's a Grimm yarn, certainly, but also a Bettelheim-worthy gaze at the rocky bonds between parents and children, the tenuous nature of love and coupling and particularly the question of whether a happily-ever-after is possible. It can't be an accident that Lapine's most skillfully rendered characters are not the ones we know from Grimm, but a childless Baker (played by Ira Denmark) and his wife (Mary Gordon Murray, the cream of the cast) who have to reverse a curse and placate a wicked witch (Yvette Cason). The Baker and his Wife are constantly bickering bick·er intr.v. bick·ered, bick·er·ing, bick·ers 1. To engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel; squabble. See Synonyms at argue. 2. . Brought into the present, this pair could be one of the discordant couples of Sondheim's ``Company.'' So, great sets, great production values, strong actors. If Casale goes for a 13th trip into the ``Woods,'' he might think about casting it younger. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com INTO THE WOODS - Three stars Where: Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center A performing arts center, often abbreviated PAC, is a multi-use performance space that can be adapted for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. , 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach. When: 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through Sunday. Tickets: $42.50 to $52.50. Call (310) 372-4477. In a nutshell: A few too many long-in-the-tooth players, but a well-done production nonetheless. |
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