Local Review: The EPCC Theatre Ensemble's Production of "Into the Woods"
Look back at my review for the film version of "Evita." Notice how I say that the role was much bigger than Madonna was. Madonna simply didn't have the talent or power to play a role such as Eva Peron and as a result, the entire film went under. Eva Peron is a role that must be carefully cast or else the show will suffer. That can also be said for "Into the Woods", the only difference is that everyone must be very carefully cast because even if one cast member can't be up to par with the material, then the show can suffer majorly, especially seeing how "Into the Woods" is an ensemble show and the entire principal cast has a role of pretty much the same size. Also, "Into the Woods" (or anything Stephen Sondheim for that matter) is a TOUGH SHOW. The music is very precise and not only do you have to be a great singer to be a lead in the show, but your acting has to be equally as good because in any Sondheim show, you have to invest in the words you are singing while they are flying out of your mouth at 500 miles per hour. All of that being said, The EPCC production of "Into the Woods" was a hot mess. The theatre company did not have the people too pull off this show. The show did have some strong leads and there were moments that I was able to enjoy, but most of the time, it was just a mess.
As if you didn't already know, "Into the Woods" is musical Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine that takes multiple fairytales such as "Cinderella", "Jack and the Beanstalk", and "Little Red Riding Hood" and combines them to form one story in which all of their stories take place in the same universe. There are also a few new characters and we see what happens after "happily ever after" in the second act. The show leaves you with morals about human complexion, growing up and the importance of being careful what you wish for and how even though you may get what you want, it still might not work out in the end. "Into the Woods" is one of my favorite shows of all time and it really is deeper than it might look. There is very little that could ruin "Into the Woods" for me, however this production almost did. However, there was enough there in this production to where it wasn't totally tainted for me. One of those things was, like I said, the strong performances from the leading players.
Arazelia Perez-Peck's performance of the Witch was fantastic. Her renditions of songs such as "Stay With Me" and "The Last Midnight" were gorgeously sung and she absolutely slayed those numbers. Another absolutely wonderful performance came from Erick Canales, who's acting and singing was beautiful in the role of the Baker. In the role of Jack, Salvador Ali Mendoza's acting was fine for most of the show (singing, not as much), but in the second act he started playing some of the lines for laughs which doesn't work considering what is happening in the scenes. I was also able to enjoy Jordyn Catanach (The Baker's Wife), Hannah Perches (Jack's Mother), and Ajith Kumar (The Wolf).
The rest of the cast wasn't as up to par. The entire evening was filled with singers who were off key, missing notes, or simply weren't suited for their role. The first full number that I enjoyed was "It Takes Two", which wasn't until close to the end of the first act. The weakest link of the evening was Christina Marquez, who's portrayal of Little Red Riding Hood was the living embodiment of the word annoying. It was really a shame too, since I know she is talented, but she was directed to play the role as if she were an infant. It was actually really sad to see that talent go to waste. Others who did not fare well in the show were D.J. Oropeza and Luciano Madrigal, who played the two princes and gave a rendition of "Agony" that was just that.
The direction by Keith Townsend was very odd. There were also many additional cast members who really didn't serve much of a purpose. I'm sure they helped a lot moving the set and giving the choral numbers (which did sound good, by the way) a fuller sound, but I have never seen a production of "Into the Woods" where they have cast human actors as a hen or a harp. In about any other production of this show, those two things would be props. I am not sure what the intent of those choices were, but it looked absolutely ridiculous. For once, I can't even say the staging or the costumes (by Texas Costumes) were good. The pacing was all over the place and I could see everything that was going on backstage through cracks in the set. Like I said in the first paragraph, it was a hot mess. The first act was generally a disaster, but the show did pick up a little bit in the second act. From "Moments in the Woods" on, it became the "Into the Woods" that I generally know and I was really touched. Despite how the rest of the show went, I was really moved by the numbers "No More" and "No One is Alone." I even started to cry a little because how could you not? And as I just said, at this point in the show, it somehow pulled together. If the rest of the show was like that second half of the second act, this production could have been great.
I think what bothered me most about this production is that it could have been saved. Watching the show, it seemed like there wasn't enough rehearsal. I don't know where some of the concepts they put forward in this production came from, but even with some of the same things they did, change some aspects of the physical production and add two or three weeks of rehearsal, it could have been a bit better. I know that it was originally intended for EPCC to do "Grease" in this slot of their season and I think they should have stuck with that or made some extra room in the season to make this show the best it could have been. EPCC just didn't have the time or people to put on this incredibly demanding show and as a result, the final product was just really bad.
The EPCC production of "Into the Woods" ran from March 2-12 and was directed by Keith Townsend. The cast consisted of:
Narrator- SABAS DEL TORO
Cinderella- JAEME ORFANOS
Jack- SALVADOR ALI MENDOZA
Jack's Mother- HANNAH PERCHES
The Baker- ERICK CANALES
The Baker's Wife- JORDYN CATANACH
Cinderella's Stepmother- MARGARET BARRERAS
Florinda- CHLOE CURTIS
Lucinda- LARRISA REYES
Little Red Riding Hood- CHRISTINA MARQUEZ
The Witch- ARAZELIA PEREZ-PECK
Rapunzel- KRYSTAL GAMEZ
Mysterious Man- DIEGO PARADA
Wolf- AJITH KUMAR
Cinderella's Prince- DJ OROPEZA
Rapunzel's Prince- LUCIANO MADRIGAL
Lead Steward- HEZEKIAH GRANT
As if you didn't already know, "Into the Woods" is musical Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine that takes multiple fairytales such as "Cinderella", "Jack and the Beanstalk", and "Little Red Riding Hood" and combines them to form one story in which all of their stories take place in the same universe. There are also a few new characters and we see what happens after "happily ever after" in the second act. The show leaves you with morals about human complexion, growing up and the importance of being careful what you wish for and how even though you may get what you want, it still might not work out in the end. "Into the Woods" is one of my favorite shows of all time and it really is deeper than it might look. There is very little that could ruin "Into the Woods" for me, however this production almost did. However, there was enough there in this production to where it wasn't totally tainted for me. One of those things was, like I said, the strong performances from the leading players.
Arazelia Perez-Peck's performance of the Witch was fantastic. Her renditions of songs such as "Stay With Me" and "The Last Midnight" were gorgeously sung and she absolutely slayed those numbers. Another absolutely wonderful performance came from Erick Canales, who's acting and singing was beautiful in the role of the Baker. In the role of Jack, Salvador Ali Mendoza's acting was fine for most of the show (singing, not as much), but in the second act he started playing some of the lines for laughs which doesn't work considering what is happening in the scenes. I was also able to enjoy Jordyn Catanach (The Baker's Wife), Hannah Perches (Jack's Mother), and Ajith Kumar (The Wolf).
The rest of the cast wasn't as up to par. The entire evening was filled with singers who were off key, missing notes, or simply weren't suited for their role. The first full number that I enjoyed was "It Takes Two", which wasn't until close to the end of the first act. The weakest link of the evening was Christina Marquez, who's portrayal of Little Red Riding Hood was the living embodiment of the word annoying. It was really a shame too, since I know she is talented, but she was directed to play the role as if she were an infant. It was actually really sad to see that talent go to waste. Others who did not fare well in the show were D.J. Oropeza and Luciano Madrigal, who played the two princes and gave a rendition of "Agony" that was just that.
The direction by Keith Townsend was very odd. There were also many additional cast members who really didn't serve much of a purpose. I'm sure they helped a lot moving the set and giving the choral numbers (which did sound good, by the way) a fuller sound, but I have never seen a production of "Into the Woods" where they have cast human actors as a hen or a harp. In about any other production of this show, those two things would be props. I am not sure what the intent of those choices were, but it looked absolutely ridiculous. For once, I can't even say the staging or the costumes (by Texas Costumes) were good. The pacing was all over the place and I could see everything that was going on backstage through cracks in the set. Like I said in the first paragraph, it was a hot mess. The first act was generally a disaster, but the show did pick up a little bit in the second act. From "Moments in the Woods" on, it became the "Into the Woods" that I generally know and I was really touched. Despite how the rest of the show went, I was really moved by the numbers "No More" and "No One is Alone." I even started to cry a little because how could you not? And as I just said, at this point in the show, it somehow pulled together. If the rest of the show was like that second half of the second act, this production could have been great.
I think what bothered me most about this production is that it could have been saved. Watching the show, it seemed like there wasn't enough rehearsal. I don't know where some of the concepts they put forward in this production came from, but even with some of the same things they did, change some aspects of the physical production and add two or three weeks of rehearsal, it could have been a bit better. I know that it was originally intended for EPCC to do "Grease" in this slot of their season and I think they should have stuck with that or made some extra room in the season to make this show the best it could have been. EPCC just didn't have the time or people to put on this incredibly demanding show and as a result, the final product was just really bad.
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Narrator- SABAS DEL TORO
Cinderella- JAEME ORFANOS
Jack- SALVADOR ALI MENDOZA
Jack's Mother- HANNAH PERCHES
The Baker- ERICK CANALES
The Baker's Wife- JORDYN CATANACH
Cinderella's Stepmother- MARGARET BARRERAS
Florinda- CHLOE CURTIS
Lucinda- LARRISA REYES
Little Red Riding Hood- CHRISTINA MARQUEZ
The Witch- ARAZELIA PEREZ-PECK
Rapunzel- KRYSTAL GAMEZ
Mysterious Man- DIEGO PARADA
Wolf- AJITH KUMAR
Cinderella's Prince- DJ OROPEZA
Rapunzel's Prince- LUCIANO MADRIGAL
Lead Steward- HEZEKIAH GRANT
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