Jun 29, 2018 | Theater Reviews, Uintah County

Fairy Tale and Real Consequences in Outlaw Trail Theater’s Into The Woods in Vernal

Front Row Reviewers

By Kristin Forbis

As the last theater person on the planet to see Into the Woods onstage, I wanted to start out by saying I now understand all the hype. What a show! Outlaw Trail Theater’s production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods, in Vernal provides a stunning outdoor experience performed by a strong and downright dynamic cast.

Premiering on Broadway in 1987, Into The Woods won multipleTony Awards and has been performed on thousands of stages since, with almost as many portrayals of the story. The musical weaves together the tales of Little Red Riding Hood (Aspen Palmer), Jack (Ammon Smith) from Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella (Amy Lemon), and Rapunzel (Rachel Wells). The plot stems from characters in the Grimm Brothers’ telling of Rapunzel: namely the Baker (Joel Benedicto), the Baker’s Wife (Amber Harrison), and the Witch (Ariel Nicole) who has cursed the couple with infertility. A Narrator (Andrew Bentley, who also serves as a Mysterious Man in the woods) starts the show with the appropriate cliché, “Once Upon a Time,” and cuts to the chase of the main characters’ deepest desires: Cinderella’s dream of attending the King’s festival, Jack’s prayer that his cow, Milky White (Boston Anglesey), will produce milk, and the Baker and his wife’s desire to have a child. Act 1, though dizzying at times, leaves the audience with that comfortable “happily ever after” vibe. Act 2, however, is the dose of reality life eventually dishes out but fairy tales rarely acknowledge. Each character ventures Into the Woods to learn some of life’s hardest lessons, and what ultimately matters in the end.

Production and Musical Director Brian Litton’s casting in this show is fantastic. I felt the opening and closing scenes, where nearly every member of the cast is on stage, could have been a real mess. Litton, however, accomplishes the opposite: balancing the sound, staging, aura, and blending of characters all belting their stories simultaneously. Both the opening and closing scenes were my favorite in the entire show. This also seems the place to give my endorsement of the amphitheater experience itself and the set constructed by a hardworking and large group of people. I’ll call one out by name: Jim Munford is apparently a wizard with a paintbrush, who transformed the stage and permanent set pieces into a convincingly eerie woods and surrounding fairy tale land with rumored ease and in record time. I’ve seen at least ten productions at this venue and the set construction for this show is hands down my favorite, though I can’t think of one that I thought really stunk. And as long as I’m talking about the set, I have to include a shout out to my favorite sub-characters, the Tree Wranglers. Those unsung actors WERE the trees. But seriously, I thought they were remote controlled at first.

Though not at all inclined, I couldn’t pick out a weak lead if I wanted to. Although arguable, the Witch in Into the Woods is the glue throughout the story and, though a babynapper, distills some of the show’s best wisdom on parenting and the coming of age of nearly every character. Nicole does an excellent job in this role and captivates in both her ‘before’ and ‘after’ forms. Her vocals in “Last Midnight” through the Finale prove her well deserving of this coveted role. Lemon as Cinderella captivates from the first note and manages herself on stage with the poise expected from a destined princess. Her rendition of “On the Steps of the Palace” was simply beautiful. Cinderella’s birds, elegantly brought to life by dancer Nicole Bustos, were a unique and visually stimulating addition to the show. Benedicto and Harrison, as the Baker and his Wife, were a fun pairing of local stage veterans. Their coming together on “It Takes Two” was heartwarming in both the acting and harmonies. I appreciated Palmer as Little Red the most in Act 2, when it’s clear she’s turned in her innocence for the makings of a heroine who is also strong enough to show her tender side in singing “No One is Alone.” Very nice voice for an actress so young. I also got a kick out of Red’s Granny (Taunia Wheeler, who also plays Cinderella’s Mother and the voice of the Giant) who had plenty of spunk for someone half-digested by a wolf. Smith, as Jack, does a fine job with such a large role and channels the teenage spirit of adventure in “Giants in the Sky,” which was the moment I realized he was a force to be reckoned with. In the way only a beloved albeit non-producing pet cow could, Anglesey as Milky White nearly steals the show. And in the way only an exhausted and fiery mama bear could, Andrea Wardle delivers a solid performance as Jack’s mother. She is as convincing as an incessant nag as she is devoted to her son’s survival. It was too bad she didn’t get her chance at the giant because my money was on her. I can’t finish character highlights without giving props to Rapunzel and the Princes, the three roles I find most amusing in this show. From naive princess in a tower to her dramatic crying spells as a new mom, Wells made me laugh more than once. I felt for her but I also found her theatrics hilarious. Lacking the time to go into detail, I’ll lump the Princes as a package deal of shallow, out of touch egomaniacs. Mike Sorensen as Rapunzel’s Prince delivers memorable vocals and does a great job showing his character’s growth. Collin Peterson plays not only Cinderella’s Prince but also the Wolf in Little Red’s tale. Suffice it to say he is spot on as a rotten scoundrel in both roles.

Outlaw Trail’s production falls in the squeaky clean family friendly category. The Baker’s Wife does get kissed (on the cheek as far as I could tell) by Cinderella’s Prince, who seems intent on more but nothing further comes of it on stage.

Behind the scenes is a massive production team made of talented locals. Crews for sound, stage, props, costumes, and beyond must be doing a great job because nothing during the performance distracted me from enjoying the show. Now, I know this isn’t Broadway or even Capitol Theater. They do not have even close to the same budgets, I’m sure, but I enjoy this level and quality of community theater as much or more because there is a feeling of family in the experience. Knowing the show is a labor of love from average (yet extremely talented) community members adds to the magic for me and, in the end, it’s something like enjoying your favorite home cooked meal made to perfection versus the everything-money-can-buy version at an overpriced restaurant. There’s a passion and feeling that money can’t buy.

Travel Into the Woods at the Outlaw Trail Amphitheater in Vernal, where mother nature plays a part, providing sunsets and always a second Act in the mystical dark of night. The outdoor nighttime experience is worth the ticket price alone.

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