Talent
This year’s musical production presents UW-L’s Musical Theatre program at its greatest. Previous UW-L musicals don’t stand a chance against Into the Woods. Although not comparable to a professional Broadway musical, each role in UW-L’s production was casted with perfection: their voices, temperaments and physical features lent faultlessly to their assigned roles.
I was especially pleased with Jack’s (Zachary Keenan’s) performance. He played it with a touching sense of innocence and a humorous dose of foolishness. His performance of “Giants in the Sky” seemed to be a perfect showcase of his abilities as a singer and actor. I was also pleasantly surprised with Alex Brick’s performance as The Wolf. Although his part was small, his impact was strong enough to influence the climate of the entire play, taking it from humorous to downright funny. Perhaps it was his ridiculous fur pants and sequin suit coat or his shameless interpretation of the bloodthirsty character. Whatever it was, the wolf was one of my favorite characters of the evening.
Music
Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods composer, is hailed as the greatest Broadway composer of our time, and Into the Woods is one of his most popular productions. I know of many people, all who have great taste in music, who adore Sondheim. Even those who have never heard of Sondheim appreciate the music of Into the Woods, but I think differently.
If catchy, flowing melodies are the kind of music you look for in a musical, you may have to look somewhere else. I found the music to be lacking something. The music within this production did have its moments, however (my favorites being “No one is alone” and “Children will listen”). But don’t let my opinion sway you, go and see for yourself. Music is subjective, after all.
Value
When compared to the price of a movie theatre ticket, Into the Woods is a phenomenal value. With the average movie theatre ticket costing over seven bucks, five dollars to spend on a live musical production sounds like an excellent deal. This is especially true considering how most movies shown this time of year are not the best. The Into the Woods ticket price is a small price to pay for live entertainment and the good feeling you get when supporting the arts.
Overall
Despite its shortcomings, Into the Woods remains an enjoyable evening. The humorous characters, promising talent, flattering costumes and silly story are reason enough to see the play. If musicals are your thing, don’t miss Into the Woods!
4.5 out of 5 stars
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