Review: Musical Theatre West Ventures Back INTO THE WOODS in Long Beach

"Careful the things you say… children will listen…"

This prophetic line is a stark but fair warning that comes during the second act of INTO THE WOODS, the Tony Award-winning, fan-favorite musical fantasy that features memorable music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a sarcasm-laden book by James Lapine. 

While most of us grew up learning that many of the fairy tales we read or heard as kids often end at "happily ever after," this musical—intertwining several classic stories that include familiar characters from Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel—up-ends that early tradition and shows us the darker side of what actually happens when one's wishes come true (spoiler alert: it's not all gumdrops and rainbows).

First debuting at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in 1986 before making its Broadway transfer in 1987, INTO THE WOODS has—shockingly—been revived just twice on Broadway (though it is quite a popular go-to title in regional and community theaters), with its most recent Grammy Award-winning 2022 revival landing nearby with most of its Broadway cast in tow for its national tour stop at Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre (I was lucky enough to experience that production three separate times during its stay—and was honored to have caught Gavin Creel’s amazing final role on a national tour). 

That revival—a carbon copy of the New York City Center Encores! minimalist production—was a lovely, refreshingly “new” take on the Sondheim classic that seemed to effortlessly make the songs and the dialogue feel sparkly and much more front-and-center, even without the usual bells-and-whistles of a full-on production (though I did love the giant shoes, the adorable cow puppet, and the large on-stage orchestra).

For Musical Theatre West's winning large-scale production—now on stage at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach through April 13, 2025—director Kari Hayter and a company of terrific, high-energy performers have revived the musical in a more expected, true-to-the-classic staging, bursting with the color and aura of a storybook fairy tale come-to-life, which one might have anticipated to experience here considering its subject matter… but, of course, enhanced by the show's embedded biting wit and modernist cynicism sprinkled throughout in generous amounts. 

And, of course, the mere existence of those timeless, beautifully-verbose tunes by Sondheim are always wonderful to revisit, especially when performed by a talented cast and a gorgeous-sounding orchestra (every time I hear the lyric, “while her withers wither with her,” I am once again reminded what a genius lyricist Sondheim is).

Much more grand and fully-realized from edge to edge, MTW's eye-popping production is quite a contrast to that minimalist, yet still entertainingly buoyant 2022 revival, providing attendees at the Long Beach theater many admirable approximations of what a fully-appointed show could offer when a production calls for it. 

With that said, I instantly recognized scenic designer Tom Buderwitz's sets that have been freshly pressed and cleaned for this staging—which, if I recall correctly, I last saw being utilized at the Plummer Auditorium back in 2014 for 3-D Theatricals' equally fun production. Here, though, his vintage sets have now been paired with beautiful, new-to-my-eyes costumes designed by Elizabeth A. Cox (Cinderella's dress is just divine), animated choreography by Christine Negherbon, and mood-enhancing lighting designed by Brandon Baruch that just made everything look wonderfully magical.

While, sure, nothing necessarily new, earth-shattering, or overtly revised is presented in MTW's showcased vibe, this lively, genuinely spirited presentation reminds old and new fans exactly why the show—for many theatergoers—continues to be a beloved show decades after it first conjured itself on stage. Particularly for those who have never seen a live, fully-staged large production of this musical before, MTW's brand new, classic-leaning iteration is definitely a worthy one to see.

As other versions (including Disney's big-screen adaptation in 2014) have shown before, INTO THE WOODS interweaves several well-known Brothers Grimm fairy tales with a main overarching original plot that follows a seemingly passive Baker (Derek Manson) and his strong-willed Wife (the commanding Cayman Ilika), who seek to lift a family curse placed on them by their angry next door neighbor, the Witch (the fierce Daebreon Poiema) that has, apparently, prevented them from having children. 

The couple's journey soon leads them deep into the woods, where they cross paths with various fairy-tale characters—including abused local scullery maid Cinderella (the lovely-voiced Madison Claire Parks) and the charming Prince (the dashing Richard Bermudez) pursuing her more regal-looking alter ego; stubborn young farm boy Jack (of Beanstalk fame, played by adorkable Davide Costa) en route to sell off his cow pal Milky White under the instructions of his cantankerous mom (Bree Murphy); pastry-holic Little Red Ridinghood (hilariously pernicious Amanda Angeles) and the very, um, hungry/horny Wolf (Bermudez again in disguise) stalking her; and long-haired Rapunzel (Camryn Hamm) who is trapped at the top of a high tower being constantly beckoned by another young Prince (Antwone Barnes) calling her from many feet below. Also among them darting in and out like an interruptive ghost is a quirky Mysterious Man (Wayne Bryan), who looks suspiciously similar to the show's narrator.

As luck (?) or pesky happenstance would have it, many of these wish-seeking forest hikers also happen to have in their possession many of the various specific ingredients that the Baker and his Wife have been instructed to gather by the Witch in order to have their childless "curse reversed." The quest, of course, is mutually-beneficial: the Witch herself has a deadline for her own surface fortunes to improve.

But in a fun twist on expected fairy tale trajectories, Lapine and Sondheim tweak things by, yes, showing a first act where everyone happily gets what they desire, but is then followed by a second act that reveals the darker (and sometimes deadly) consequences of those wishes getting granted—where a rather large, vengeful threat enters their blissfully naive haven and wrecks literal havoc. Sadly, already-rocky relationships are tested even further, deep feelings are betrayed, and almost all the characters learn (too late) that wishes come with responsibilities and, at times, sacrifices. 

Throughout the musical, Sondheim and Lapine explore themes of morality, personal growth, the inescapable dangers that exist that may harm children, and the unexpected costs of the so-called happily-ever-after—making it not just your average fairy tale rehash.

Magically resplendent, sarcastically funny, and gorgeously-scored, MTW's production of INTO THE WOODS is, in its purest form, a joyful, entertaining retro romp through a fantasy world—where reality isn't too far removed—that will have kids enchanted and their designated accompanying adults smiling. 

Musically, the production is just a pleasure to listen to, particularly with its lovely combination of its talented, great-sounding cast and the show's lively orchestra under the precise baton of musical director Anthony Zediker. 

Sondheim's memorable, extra-playful songs in the show—from the plot-heavy opening prologue to the tear-inducing finalé of "Children Will Listen"—all sound marvelous here. 

Notable highlights include Angeles' adorably-delivered "I Know Things Now," Bermudez and Barnes' fun duet in "Agony" that steals the show early in the first act, the cheery duet between Ilika and Manson in the wonderful "It Takes Two," Parks' exquisite take on "On The Steps Of The Palace," Costa's admirably earnest "Giants in the Sky," Ilika's beautifully-rendered "Moments in the Woods," and basically every song featuring Poiema—from the heartbreaking "Stay With Me" to her ferocious renditions of the "Witch's Lament" and "Last Midnight." This is now, I believe, the third production I have seen Poiema in here at MTW, and she gets even more divalicious with every new role.

I also absolutely adored the quartet of Manson, Parks, Costa, and Angeles in "No One Is Alone" which rang much more profound and timely here in our environment. 

It's safe to say that much of the show's serious, more mature themes will probably go over most kids' heads, which is probably a good thing considering what they already have to deal with and are constantly exposed to in the real world.

What I have always admired about this musical (especially since becoming an actual adult some years after it first existed) is just how layered it can be. Despite seeming like a kid-centric show on the surface, INTO THE WOODS—at its deepest core—still proves to be a groundbreaking musical that deconstructs familiar fairy tale tropes to explore the very adult themes of desire, consequence, and moral ambiguity. 

While we do get lured in at first by its magical leanings on the onset, the show then makes a surprising pivot (but is it really a surprise in a Sondheim musical?) by introducing a plethora of moral complexities, including themes of responsibility, loss, and the consequences of personal choices. 

By using fairy-tale characters as subterfuge, INTO THE WOODS truly exposes how individual desires can really conflict with communal well-being and that the unpredictable nature of life itself can never be genuinely anticipated or controlled—which may affect the things we try to "protect" our children from such as fear, doom, and an uncertain future.

Thanks to Sondheim's intricate and highly-sophisticated score—using frequently overlapping melodies, motifs, and complex lyrical patterns—and Lapine's own smart, satirical bent, INTO THE WOODS continues to be an enjoyable show that can feel timely and timeless at the same time.

For MTW, the show is just another shining example of this production company's prowess as a Southern California Broadway-caliber producer of beautifully-realized revivals. I for one cannot wait for what kind of magic they conjure up next.

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Photos by  © TAKE Creative, courtesy of Musical Theatre West.

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Performances of Musical Theatre West's production of INTO THE WOODS continue through Sunday, April 13, 2025. The Carpenter Performing Arts Center is located at 6200 E. Atherton Street in Long Beach, CA. For tickets or for more information, please call 562-856-1999 x4 or visit online at www.musical.org.