Into the Woods Review: A Sensational, Sondheim Revival

The comfort of fairy tales has always been an unlikely source of comfort. Children are orphaned and cruelty reigns supreme. Happier endings will lead to constant disappointment with real-life. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine wrestled with the weirdness and contradictions of children’s stories to such brilliant and unsettling ends that “Into the Woods”As a balm for adults, it has created its own mythos.

Broadway’s revival of “The Sound of Music” is more than a lifeline for those who have been missing live performances for a while. It’s a crystalline showcase for sensational performances from an all-star cast of marquee veterans, and a testament to the enduring genius of the beloved musical, now in its fourth Broadway incarnation since premiering in 1987. The biggest giant in the sky this time around is Sondheim himself, and exalting his legacy is the production’s unmistakable guiding principle.

Director Lear DeBessonet’s minimalist staging is partly due to the origins of the production at New York City Center Encores!. This is where it debuted to great acclaim in spring. (Encores! Previously, he was known for producing lesser-known works for weeklong revivals. “Into the Woods” marked the first in the series’ commitment to presenting one popular favorite per season.) There are no grand set changes or special effects, nor anything to distract from the score’s slippery-sweet melodies and a cast that seems to be having the time of their lives.

There’s more dimension to these written characters than in storybooks, but “Into the Woods”This ensemble leaves plenty of room for interpretation and is making a feast of all the possibilities. They are at once familiar types who signify narrative themes — innocence, perseverance, wisdom, desire — and distinct individuals with their own ticks and quirks and inner worlds. They’re relentlessly funny except when they’re heartbreaking (and sometimes even then). They’re mordant and hopeful and just trying to make it to the next midnight. In other words, they’re even more like you and me than we may have previously thought.

Phillipa Soo’s Cinderella is a gentle-souled, indecisive dreamer — and a pratfalling klutz with a sharp but guileless sense of humor. Sara Bareilles lends the Baker’s Wife verve and vulnerability, with a warm and assured comedic touch that suffuses her every moment. That includes, of course, her tryst with a preening and irresistibly vapid Gavin Creel, an MVP of cartoon masculinity in his double role as Cinderella’s Prince and the Wolf. Creel is a smart and well-trained laugh riot. He can sniff out women for lunch, or win them over to his wife.

Julia Lester, his red-hooded, gluttonous mark, is a humorous portrait of brashness and naivety, a deadpan avatar for youthful disaffection. At the opposite extreme, Patina Miller’s Witch dispenses her world-weary savvy with a certain gleeful relish, delighting in her role as a bully who is as needy and fragile as everyone else. The equalizing effect of not being too different from the rest has a positive impact, even before Annie Golden’s Giant starts making indiscriminate roadkill.

Sondheim is the greatest star of the revival, and his score is brilliantly brought to life by the Encores. orchestra. Instead of being hidden away, musicians take up a large portion of the stage. The action takes place mostly at the front. There is not a single note or word left unspoken.

The effectiveness of DeBessonet’s pared-back approach is aided by refreshingly simple design. The evocative set by David Rockwell imagines a scatter of birch tree trunks and a moon that rises and falls against an ombré sky. Its colors shift like a mood ring with Tyler Micoleau’s lighting, which also lends the woods delicate richness and shadow. Andrea Hood’s costumes in bold colors and earth tones distinguish characters without being overwhelming.

“Into the Woods” is far from sanguine about whether happiness can ever be more than fleeting — skewering that fantasy is one of its most ruthless lessons. But people don’t go to the theater to learn. They go to be entertained — to see, to hear, and maybe to think, to escape and weep and guffaw. If a production this radiant can make you laugh and laugh (and even cry a little) as the world burns, isn’t that all that anyone could wish for?

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