Into the Woods at Sutter Street Theatre

Verdict: Against all odds, this show lives happily ever after.


Sutter Street Theatre may well be in contention for the title "the little theatre company that could". I mean, let's face it - the idea of tackling Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods had to be considered somewhat daunting for the Folsom company. How would they accommodate the relatively large cast on Sutter Street’s tiny stage? How would they create sets expansive enough to give the impression of deep dark forests, tall towers and angry roaming Giants? How would they manage to harness the complex Sondheim arrangements and where would they find the singers to deliver the demanding songs?

Those were certainly questions in my mind as we made our way down to Folsom. I'd been to exactly one previous show at Sutter Street, the decidedly less ambitious Hats last year, but the memory of that performance didn't fill me with confidence that they'd be up to the challenge of Sondheim.

But you know what, I think they pulled it off. How? It starts with the cast, an impressive collection of Sacramento theatre veterans (Ruth Phillips, Lauren Miller and Michael Coleman, to name three), and talented youngsters and complementary players. Add to that a friendly atmosphere and the appreciative audience enjoyed the whole experience. Certainly that cast and its talents overcame the obvious drawbacks of the place - mostly the lack of stage real estate and the disconcerting absence of live musical accompaniment.

Into the woods is a little piece of Sondheim brilliance in which several well known fairy tale characters - including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of beanstalk fame), and Rapunzel - cross paths in interlocking stories with a Baker and his wife and the not so neighborly Wicked Witch who lives next door. It's an intricately plotted and orchestrated bit of briliance that perfectly does what an overstuffed musical like All Shook Up fails to do: make you care about each of the characters.

There were four standouts in the talented cast: Lauren Miller as the Baker's Wife, Stephanie Zito as Cinderella, Stephanie Lawson as Little Red Riding Hood and Mark Ettensohn as Cinderella's Prince. Ms. Miller brought to the role of the Baker's Wife an outstanding singing voice and a believable sense of long-suffering Weltschmerz that was affecting and effective. Her scenes in act two with Cinderella's Prince were comically poignant. Ms. Zito as Cinderella, by contrast, was all optimism and practicality. Ms. Lawson's Red Riding Hood had a youthful air of optimism and resiliency, rebounding from repeated misfortunes with believable spunk. Finally, Mr. Ettensohn's Prince was all preening and vapid arrogance, infusing his character with all the self-importance and entitlement that comes from a life of indulgence and privilege. The song Agony and it's second act reprise has always been a particular favorite of mine, and Mr. Ettensohn and his brother, Rapunzel's Prince (played by a too-young-for-the-part Jacob Goodyear) delivered it with gusto.

Director Susan Mason keeps the parts moving briskly, and the pace never lags. The staging includes very creative use of props and scenery, although I'm not sure they ever truly succeed of evoking the threatening oppression of the woods. At times the action does appear cramped, particularly during ensemble numbers featuring the entire cast. Actors are often forced to squeeze past other actors as they weave around the square trees and other set pieces, unavoidably bumping into or barely missing each other. At those moments one is pretty acutely aware of the cramped space and small stage.

But, as I said above, by and large this is an impressive accomplishment and I highly recommend it.