STAGE REVIEW : Tangled Fairy Tales Aren’t Just for Kids

Going into “Into the Woods” becomes more rewarding with each new journey. And Whittier-La Mirada Light Opera’s production of this scintillating musical examination of fairy tales guides us through its thickets with a sure hand.

It’s a more enjoyable experience than seeing the original national touring company of “Into the Woods” at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles in 1989.

The theater itself makes a big difference. Stephen Sondheim’s score and James Lapine’s book are so intricate that they require a theater at least as intimate and warm as the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. It was all too easy to miss a lot of the details in the much larger, colder Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center.

Yet a smaller theater also might magnify flaws--if a company is not up to the material. Whittier-La Mirada is not a professional troupe; there are only three members of Actors’ Equity, the professional stage actors’ union, in this production. But you would never guess that the members of this cast are not all seasoned pros.

The complicated narrative intertwines the stories of Cinderella (Kim Huber) and her prince (Christopher Sanders), the Baker (Kenny Rhodes) and his wife (Sharon Mahoney), Jack the giant-killer (Roger Befeler) and his mother (Patti McClure), Little Red Riding Hood (Amy Griffin) and the wolf (Sanders again), and the witch (Tracy Lore), whose daughter Rapunzel (Kristi Peterson) is pursued by yet another prince (Edward Staudenmayer).

A narrator (Jack Ritschel) provides some perspective, until he is forcibly dragged into the scenario by the others, who don’t like the way he has been telling their story.

Kid stuff? Only on one level. While it’s true that my 6-year-old was enraptured by it all, bear in mind that she has seen the video version, which appeared on PBS, at least a dozen times, so she has a head start on untangling the dozens of plot strands.

On another level, “Into the Woods” could hardly be more adult. Its fundamental theme is the conflict between security and adventure--and the prices that must be paid to achieve them both. These, of course, are lessons that people learn until they die.

In the first act, the characters venture “into the woods” in order to achieve their hearts’ desires. By intermission, most of them have done fairly well and believe they will live happily ever after.

Ha. A deadly giant goes on the rampage in Act 2--in reaction to events in Act 1 that did not seem nearly so ominous at the time. It’s back “into the woods” for one and all. Some survive, some don’t.

Such a synopsis may overlook the fact that this is one of the wittiest of musicals, but director Mark Madama has the comedy in hand as solidly as the piece’s darker tones.

And the music sounds terrific. Musical director Jan Ritschel has trained her troops well--not a bad voice in the lot. Stephen Gothold’s orchestra is equally up to snuff.

The design is not quite as sumptuous as the original production. We never see the giant herself, nor do the magical beans make little sparks when they are thrown on the ground. No great loss. William H. Morse III designed a set (originally for Candlelight Dinner Theatre) that provides the necessary clearings for us to see our way through the woods, and Raun Yankovich’s lighting helps sort things out, too.

A Hollywood movie version is in the works, so it’s advisable to see the show now, in case the stage rights are temporarily withdrawn when/if the movie is ever made and released. Even if the rights are not withdrawn, it’s not a show that every community theater group should tackle. You want to see it in the right setting, with the right talent. Whittier-La Mirada has provided all of that, for one more weekend only.