INTO THE WOODS
at Woodrow Wilson High School

Reviewed on November 15, 2014

Corinne Williams
The Madeira School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - DC

Woodrow Wilson High School transported the audience from a crowded auditorium to a far kingdom with fantastical characters on new adventures, with the audience in tow, Into the Woods. The complex story line follows the characters of Brothers Grimm stories, including Cinderella, Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk. The first act of this complex show follows the main characters of these fairy-tales, anchored by the Baker, his Wife and their quest to have a baby and break the curse put on them by the evil Witch. In the second half, after their lives have been settled and tied up in a bright bow, reality sets in. The wife of the giant whom Jack stole from and then killed wants revenge. The fairy-tale characters must take another look at their suddenly imperfect lives, and face the grief and sadness that reality brings.

One challenge in the production was the range of emotion each character portrayed. The two acts of the show were like two different plays, one an over-exaggerated comedy and the other a dramatic tragedy. Every member of Wilson's cast embodied these difficult emotions brilliantly, leaving the audience in stitches in the first act and in tears the second. Aside from some lack of power in the vocals of some actors, Wilson did a solid job performing the many different aspects of a complex and difficult show.

The three lead actors, the Baker (Ben Topa), the Baker's Wife (Sophie Thurschwell) and the Witch (Yana Madrid), complemented each other effectively. They anchored different stories together and enabled the audience to understand the complicated plot line. Topa's and Thurschwell's consistent and reliable acting and energy was comforting and fun to watch, while Madrid's stand out moments kept the audience engaged and excited about what came next. Especially impressive was Thurschwell and Topa's natural and believable chemistry on stage.

The three leads' consistency and natural energy was complemented by the over-exaggerated and exciting supporting actors, including Little Red Riding Hood (Joey Schulman), the two princes (Tristan Huber and Zac Nachbar-Seckel), and Jack (Alex Caroll-Cabanes). Schulman, in particular, never dropped her character and embodied the sassiness, frankness, and immaturity of Little Red. The two Princes' chemistry and hilarity were also a highlight of the show because the actors played their characters to the fullest, especially in their duet, "Agony." Alex Caroll-Cabanes' portrayal of the child-like and innocent Jack was on point. His energy never wavered throughout the play and his cute, childish ways evoked many laughs from the audience.

With such a magical show comes very difficult technical work. The set pieces were huge and the stage exits small, but the stage crew's seamless transitions were quietly executed and didn't detract from the performance. From the clever arrangement of the birds to the hand-made, slightly unrealistic cow, the audience enjoyed the work put into every prop in the show. Although sometimes unrealistic, the simplicity of the props added a necessary element of comedy.

Woodrow Wilson theater arts department taking on Into the Woods was as difficult as obstacles faced by characters in their show. From giant set pieces to extremely dynamic characters and dances, Into the Woods was like the vengeful giant that Little Red, Cinderella, the Baker and Jack slay. Aside from a few technical glitches, Wilson slayed that giant with flair and ease.

Madeleine Lucas
Oakcrest School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - DC

Be prepared to have to stray from the path as the cast of Woodrow Wilson High School's Into the Woods takes you on an enchanting journey of difficult choices and unforeseen consequences.

Debuting in 1986, Into the Woods became an instant modern classic. Famous for its beautiful score and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, this entrancing musical brings together the stories of many well-known fairytales, including Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel. The original story about a childless baker and his wife ties the threads of the other fairytales together, and leaves a twisted trail of wishes, choices, and consequences. The original Broadway production won three Tony Awards and Into the Woods is one of the most frequently produced shows of our day, attesting to its continuing popularity.

Full of complicated, lyric-heavy music and a sophisticated storyline, the cast did a superb job with their diction and clarity, both as a unit and as individuals, a necessity for a show of this style. The show also has a lot of characters, and each person made bold choice and showcased strong individual talent. Ben Topa carried the lead of the show as an endearing and heartfelt Baker. He showed good vocal ability and chemistry with his cast mates, especially with his Wife. He also displayed his character arc with control and maturity providing clear distinctions between the ignorant, uncertain person he was at the beginning of the show and the wiser, sadder, but still hopeful person he becomes after having suffered.

Topa was backed up by a strong group of supporting actors. Eva Schulman, Cinderella, wowed the audience with an engaging stage presence and a beautiful, controlled soprano. Like Topa, she had a great understanding of her character arc, and used it to carry the energy and emotion of the last scenes of the show. Jack, played by Alex Caroll-Cabanes, brought great enthusiasm to the stage. He fully embraced the young boy aspects of his role and warmed the audiences' hearts with his lovely voice and affection for his cow. Joey Schulman, Little Red, was a standout. She had a spunky stage presence that was backed with a strong, clear voice. Clearly a multi-faceted actress, she livened the show with her great comic moments, but also delivered when her character took a more serious turn.

Those with less stage time made great use of the time they had. Michael Bayliss, the Wolf, brought great comic and personality to his song. The Princes, Zac Nachbar-Seckel and Tristan Huber, were crowd favorites. Each entering and exiting the stage with a unique leaping motion, they fully committed to their superficial characters, wowing with their song "Agony" and drawing many a laugh from the audience.

The show ran very smoothly, an excellent indication of good technical work. Hard transitions and set changes moved quickly and without fanfare, showing good crew direction. Props were very precise and showed good initiative and attention to detail. Jack's cow and the prince's horse were both made by the school sculpture class and looked fantastic on stage.

The show suffered from slow tempos and a lag in the pacing, but the actors more than compensated with their high energy, attention to diction, and understanding of their characters. Woodrow Wilson's cast and crew achieved their wish of putting on an excellent production.

Mallory Stokker
Freedom High School
Submitted for publication to Georgetowner

Into The Woods, first produced on Broadway on November 5th, 1987, follows familiar fairytale characters down fresh and intertwining paths. The main characters of the story, a baker (Ben Topa) and his wife (Sophie Thurschwell), embark on a quest to remove a curse a witch (Yana Madrid) cast on them so that they could not bear children. Along the way, they meet iconic characters such as Cinderella (Eva Schulman), Little Red Riding Hood (Joey Schulman), and Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk (Alex Caroll-Cabanes).

Though the Baker and his Wife's intentions start out pure, they soon resort to underhanded methods to achieve their goals - lying to and stealing from Jack, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood. But despite their misdeeds, these characters come to be friends, and their greatest wishes and dreams are fulfilled... at the end of the first act. What makes this musical so unique is its second act, in which the characters face the consequences of the actions they took to grant their wishes in the form of an enraged female giant, whose husband Jack killed. Though some beloved lives are taken - Jack's mother (Kayla Waugh), the Baker's Wife - it teaches the characters how to work together as a community. Accompanied by memorable tunes and irreverent humor, Into The Woods has made a lasting impression on audiences as one of the most popular musicals to produce both on and off Broadway - a tradition Woodrow Wilson High School upholds.

Characterization was a highlight of Woodrow Wilson's performance of Into The Woods. Alex Caroll-Cabanes's innocent, boyish portrayal of Jack was charming and comic without playing for laughs. Joey Schulman showed Little Red Riding Hood's comic side, but also her loss of innocence in the second act. The Baker's character development was also performed effectively by Ben Topa as the baker grew more and more desperate to have a child. The princes (Zac Nachbar-Seckel as Cinderella's prince and Tristan Huber as Rapunzel's) stole the spotlight with their humorous performances and their rendition of 'Agony,' which was one of the best songs of the show.

There were some flaws with sound, however, such as with the microphones. A couple of the dance scenes with the ensemble seemed a bit random, though others provided smooth transitions between scenes. The pace of some of the songs was slowed, though this was probably to improve diction, which was excellent throughout the show. Overall, these problems did little to detract from the magic of the performance.

Into The Woods, despite being a comparatively modern musical, has made itself a classic musical to be performed on many stages. Woodrow Wilson High School, following in this tradition, did not disappoint. Rather, through excellent characterization and memorable renditions of Into The Woods's classic songs, the actors took the audience out of the auditorium and into the woods.

Katie Humphries
Washington Lee High School
Submitted for publication to Current

We begin our journey into the woods enveloped in a sense of fantasy and wonder. Wilson Theater Arts' production of Into the Woods was excellently executed with many aspects that left lingering impressions in the audiences' minds.

Into the Woods was written in 1986 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, It was met by vast commercial success, winning multiple Tony Awards including the Tony for Best Score and Best Book.

Act I incorporates many of the beloved fairy tale creatures that we all have grown up with, such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, and retells their stories whilst drawing multiple connections betwixt them all. Intermission comes with the wonderful conclusion that we have all grown fond of, "and happy ever after!" Yet there is a full other Act to go. In Act II, we are shown the aftereffects of everyone's wondrous wishes being granted and seeing the repercussions that they have bringing across the main theme of the show, be careful what you wish for.

The talented actors of the Wilson Theater Arts' department carried over Sondheim's challenging score with finesse and aplomb! Although running into some problems with diction and pacing, the show was overall one of the most enjoyable productions I have seen. The Baker, portrayed by Ben Topa, handled the demanding focal character with a mixture of strength and vulnerability making him one of the many standout performances of the night. Yana Madrid, the Witch, used wonderful physicality and a powerful voice to demand the audiences' attention whenever she stepped on stage, and she was able to act through the constraints of her mask in Act I. Cinderella's Prince, Zac Nachbar-Seckel, may not have had as much stage time as other characters but anytime he was present the audience was in a fit of laughter. His utilization of voice and physicality brought his archetypal character to an entirely different level that was unmistakable. Finally, Little Red Riding Hood, portrayed by Joey Schulman, had wonderfully impressive stage presence and comic timing. Her performance had a remarkable sense of professionalism that is rare to witness in high school theater. She grandly tackled all songs and brought a sense of youth that greatly added to the overall production.

The overall production was very well handled by the Stage Management Crew, Charlie Feller and Alice Ruznack. The scene transitions in a production of Into the Woods are very important considering how often they occur and how quickly, and in Wilson's production they all went very cleanly and smoothly. This feat is incredibly difficult to accomplish. The props for the show were beautiful and rounded out the show quite nicely.

Into the Woods is an unusually challenging show to produce that Wilson Theater Arts' Production beautifully put together, creating a wonderfully enjoyable night of fun at the theater.