Review: Strong singing, dazzling visuals honor Sondheim’s memory in Moonlight’s ‘Into the Woods’

Four actors dressed as fairy tale characters onstage in "Into the Woods."

The Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical has been turning up on stages nationwide since Sondheim’s death in 2021, but it hasn’t been produced at the Moonlight in 23 years

May 14, 2024 2:17 PM PT

Reviewing a show in the final days of its run is unusual for me, but I didn’t make it to Moonlight Stage Productions’ “Into the Woods” until Sunday because I was in New York City for two weeks, where I saw the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd,” but couldn’t afford a ticket to Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along.”

The beloved lyricist-composer, who died in 2021 at the age of 91, has once again become a hot commodity on American theater stages. Musical theater aficionados love the cleverness and humor of Sondheim’s lyrics, his ever-changing tempi and the complexity of his music. One of his most popular musicals, co-written with bookwriter James Lapine, is “Into the Woods,” which made its world premiere in 1986 at San Diego’s The Old Globe, and returned to Broadway in 2022.

On May 1, “Into the Woods” opened a three-weekend run at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. The last time the musical was presented at the outdoor theater was 23 years ago. The musical is a mashup of classic fairy tales (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk) where the characters interact with each other but don’t find their traditional happily ever afters.

Because the “Into the Woods” score is challenging, the key to a good production is having top-notch singers and musicians. That’s what Moonlight has pulled off in its production, which runs through Saturday Director Steven Glaudini has fielded a very strong and funny 19-member singing cast, and music director-conductor Elan McMahan has flawlessly coached the singers and guides the 16-piece orchestra from the pit.

Bets Malone as the Witch in Moonlight Stage Productions' "Into the Woods."

The reason singers love Sondheim is that his songs offer opportunities to both showcase the range of their vocal talents and to flex their acting and musical interpretation skills. Perhaps no one does this better in Moonlight’s “Into the Woods” than Larry Raben, who plays the forlorn Baker, who was cursed by a witch with sterility. His sensitive and heartbreaking performance of “No More” in Act Two is the show highlight. Also outstanding is Vista native Bets Malone as the Witch, a role she has played three times before, beginning in 1990 at the Moonlight when she was in her teens. Malone is an exceptional singing actress.

Other standouts in the cast are the always-excellent Allison Spratt Pearce as the Baker’s Wife; sweet-voiced singers Courtney Blanc as Cinderella and Rashaun Sibley as Jack; the hilariously quirky Steve Gunderson as the narrator and Mysterious Man; Brooke Henderson as the impulsive and bratty Little Red; and Sandy Campbell as Jack’s beleaguered Mother. And Moonlight vets Evan White and David Burnham add great comic relief as the dim-brained, philandering princes.

The show features lighting by Jennifer Edwards and sound by Jordan Gray, but much of its scenic design is courtesy of Moonlight’s new high-definition video wall, which is used to dazzling effect in this show, with projections designed by Blake McCarty. The 2-1/2 hour show moves more quickly without breaks to move scenery on and off stage.

“Into the Woods” kicks off Moonlight’s 2024 summer season. Still to come are the La Jolla Playhouse-born Jimmy Buffett jukebox musical “Escape to Margaritaville,” June 5-22; the movie-inspired “School of Rock,” July 10-27; the Carole King bio-musical “Beautiful,” Aug. 14-31; and the movie-based “Tootsie,” Sept. 11-28.