Soaring Sondheim

Local fans of Stephen Sondheim musicals can rejoice this year. The county calendar includes the just-concluded run of “Sweeney Todd” at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza; at least one production of “West Side Story” is scheduled (a touring production, again at the Plaza); and there are two Sondheim shows set for the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center: The revue “Side by Side by Sondheim” is slotted for the end of April, and “Into the Woods” opened last weekend.

Librettist James Lapine and composer-lyricist Sondheim have adapted and rearranged a number of classic fairy tales so that characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella and Jack (of beanstalk fame) interact. Superficially a comedy, the show has a decidedly modern psychological bent and dark tone, and that--coupled with the ruthless inaccessibility of Sondheim’s melodies--makes this show decidedly inappropriate for or, probably, uninteresting to anyone younger than a teenager.

Still, it’s probably one of Sondheim’s most enjoyable post-”A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” musicals. Nominated in 1988 for 10 Tony awards, “Into the Woods” won for best book, score and actress (“The Phantom of the Opera” was named Best Musical) and enjoyed a run of nearly 800 performances, quite long for a Sondheim show.

In the show’s first act, the characters come together and a few tales wind to their familiar conclusions. It’s clever, funny and self-contained to the point that (as Sondheim biographer Meryle Secrest revealed) in the show’s early days, Sondheim would stand in the parking lot, explaining to departing patrons that there was a second act yet to come. The second act is a look at what happens after “The End,” and it isn’t all pretty.

The large ensemble cast features Aurick Canete as the Baker who sets the stories in motion, assigned by a witch (Nathalie Gitomer) to collect several trophies: a cow from Jack (Johanan Merino); a hood from Red Riding Hood (Erin Cariker or Natalie Bologna); a slipper from Cinderella (Jennifer Guerrero); and a lock of hair from Rapunzel (Catrina Quintanilla). Also featured are Brian Peyton and Steve Roche as a couple of bumbling princes, Delaney Gibson as the Baker’s wife, Peyton again as a lascivious wolf and Dave Mason as the narrator.

Jan Glasband, who plays Cinderella’s stepmother, directed with choreographer Dani Brown. The comedy is largely of the knockabout variety, certainly accommodating a few opening-night malfunctions, and the cast handles the difficult material with commendable adroitness.

This “Into the Woods” is essentially a youth production: Most of the actors are under 21 years old. And although director Glasband and choreographer Brown are well into adulthood, musical director Lauren Graham is an 18-year-old student at Moorpark College. She has studied piano for a dozen years, and can also play brass, clarinet and saxophone.

This isn’t her first experience with Sondheim; she was rehearsal pianist and played clarinet in the band for a Simi community theater production of “Funny Thing,” and was musical director for “Into the Woods” at Simi High School last year.

Although she says she doesn’t find the “Into the Woods” score particularly difficult, Graham notes that its numerous time and key changes can be daunting and that Sondheim isn’t easy on the singers.

“When they have to put their melodies against the accompaniment, there’s no [melody line] for them to pick up their pitches,” she said.

Even so, Graham says that after some initial difficulty, the members of the cast are doing very well.

Graham, who plays piano through the entire show (bass guitarist Tony Morisi is the remainder of the “orchestra”), allows that her work is “pretty draining. I’ve got tendinitis in my shoulder and my wrist and can get pretty tired at the end.”

Despite obvious musical ability and professionalism--she was drafted after an earlier musical director dropped out at the next-to-last minute--Graham says her career ambition is to attend a seminary and embark on a career in youth ministry.

DETAILS

“Into the Woods” continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through March 19 at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles Ave. Tickets to all shows are $15; $12, students and seniors; and $10, children. For reservations or further information, call 581-9940.

Todd Everett can be reached at teverett@concentric.net.