Some fine singing voices in Theatre@CBT’s ‘Into the Woods’

Sondheim’s Into the Woods charmed most critics when it opened in 1987 with the enchanted journey by way of a wide range of fairytales and characters with intertwining plots. The exhibit blends playfulness with some definite Freudian undertones, together with mistakes in parenting and abandonment. All of the stories (together with Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Rapunzel, The Baker and His Spouse — devised by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine — involve a trek by the woods, each acquiring tangled up with the some others. Just after the “happily at any time after” of the 1st act, the figures return to find out all the things has a price anyone will have to pay out in turn.

Some of the guide performers in Theatre@CBT’s weekend generation had genuinely high-quality singing voices. A person that soared was Michelle Moses Einstein as Cinderella. Her voice experienced the proper amount of money of vulnerability and sweetness to convey the function. Other notable solid performances were being Lauren-Nicole Gabel as The Witch, and Alissa Margolis as Jack’s mother. David Pirog also encompassed the mood of Cinderella’s Prince — a comedic mixture of “charming” with the trait of vanity, and a wonderful baritone voice. Katie Weigl Strain pretty much stole the clearly show as Little Crimson Ridinghood. Her comic timing was absolute her facial and vocal expressions arrived by means of splendidly regardless of the constraints of a mask. She embodied the spirit of Tiny Red — a childlike naivete combined with a fierce, precocious character.

All the performers did pretty nicely by tricky solos by blending powerful performing with the singing, and several of the supporting gamers vocalized wonderfully, incorporating a harmonic “village” excellent in the whole ensemble quantities. A pair of other mentioned performances had been MollyBeth Rushfield as the cow, Milky White. I have not witnessed the cow portrayed with a dwell actor right before, however it has been finished. At initial, I was skeptical. But, it lent by itself to some humorous moments, in particular when in scenes looking at “Moo and Mature Loaded.”  An additional little nod need to be offered to Jessa Gabel, who portrayed Cinderella’s chook buddies as she ought to have, with the actor in the background and the focus on the prop for the sake of the tale.

Into the Woods is a massive technical company, even for qualified theater companies. There are quite a few intricate staging and theatrical features that will need to merge to make an immersive ecosystem that will actively draw the viewers into the tale. This didn’t happen, simply for the reason that this manufacturing experienced efficiency space restrictions that group theater inevitably has to contend with. There was an audio misstep with the voice of the giant the amplification did not functionality appropriately a few occasions and the result misplaced some momentum. There have been essentially no lights consequences. However, the costumes were proper and the wigs had been fashioned nicely for the characters, specifically Cinderella’s Stepmother and the Stepsisters. And, the orchestra was on point. If you have listened in excess of and more than to the cast recording, as I have, you anticipate to listen to the musical gildings, and the orchestra did rather effectively in having on a difficult Sondheim score.

Into the Woods covers multiple themes of expanding up, dad and mom and kids, and in the end, the information “Be cautious what you wish for.”  Despite the shortness of the run, it was, in numerous aspects, a deserving creation.

Into the Woods played February 12 and 13, 2022, at Theatre@CBT (Congregation B’nai Tzedek Neighborhood Theatre), 10621 South Glen Street, Potomac, MD.

CREDITS

Cast
Baker: Tommy Malek
Baker’s Spouse: Courtney James
Tiny Crimson Ridinghood: Katie Weigl Strain
The Witch: Lauren-Nicole Gabel
Cinderella: Michelle Moses-Eisenstein
Jack: Emily Lawrence
Jack’s Mother: Alissa Margolis
Stepmother: Elizabeth A Weiss
Narrator: Jennifer Ga
Cinderella’s Mother, Granny, Large: Meghan Williams Elkins
Rapunzel: Allison Meyer
Cinderella’s Prince: David Pirog
Rapunzel’s Prince: Tom Barylski
The Wolf: Jeff Breslow
Mysterious Guy: Kevin Sockwell
Steward, Cinderella’s Dad: Michael Chernoff
Milky White, Snow White: MollyBeth Rushfield
Stepsisters: Kaylee Chernoff, Ella Fielding, Sari Gabel
Birds, Hen & Little one Cow: Jessa Gabel
Sleeping Splendor: Lauren Fielding

Output Staff members
Director: Kevin Sockwell
New music Director: Sam Weich
Props Team: Jessa Gabel, Lauren-Nicole Gabel, Matthew Ratz
Producer: Lauren-Nicole Gabel
Phase Supervisor, COVID Coordinator: Lauren Fielding
Costumes: Elizabeth A Weiss
Audio Style and Tech: Matthew Datcher
Entrance of Dwelling: David Gabel, Ben Fielding
Seem Results: Joel Lord, Sarah Katz

Orchestra
Keyboard/Conductor: Sam Weich
Keyboard: Stuart Weich
Violin: Laura Searles
Flute: Lesley Cooper
Clarinet: Rose Weich
Trumpet: James Berman