How many of us have fantasized about the perfect mate, career, sex life, house, and perfect children — in short, everything we could ever want — when we were young? Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical Into the Woods delivers this at Bowie Playhouse. The 2nd Star Productions players provide all of this in Act I.
Director Alex Campbell creates a fairy tale starring Little Red Ridinghood, Cinderella, Jack of the beanstalk fame, Rapunzel, and the Witch. Campbell uses a flexible set to transition seamlessly from house sets to woods scenes. All of Felicia Moore’s costumes were wonderful, but the princes’ outfits stood out. Think Michael Jackson at the 1984 Grammy Awards, minus the glove.
Brendan Harper is impressive conducting a 10-member orchestra. It is rare to have live musicians and an ensemble in community theater this large firmly locked into every perfect musical number.
Songs like “Hello Little Girl,” featuring Davis Wotton-Klebanoff as the worldly, wise Wolf who expresses his desire for Imani Corbin’s innocent Little Red Ridinghood, and “The Spell on My House,” with Ryan Power (the Baker) and 2nd Star newcomer Liz Mulligan (the Baker’s Wife) fighting a curse that keeps them childless, are examples of how Sondheim’s music moves the musical through a 19-song first act.
My favorite is “Agony” as Cinderella’s Prince (Wotton-Klebanoff) and Rapunzel’s Prince (Willie Hadnot Jr.) sing, dance, and ham up their roles. The scene is an unexpected pleasure.
The tale of the Baker and his Wife, specifically created for this musical by Lapine, links the other fairy tales in the show. From from the Baker and his Wife to the whimsical and profound portrayal of the Witch, every character contributes to the narrative’s intricate web. This is an example of how well the acting is in this musical, adding depth to a long but never boring story.
As those of us over 30 can attest, those early wishes are fairy tales. The perfect mate realizes you are flawed. Someone else’s job prospects always look better. Sex gets boring. The house always needs repair. The older they get, the more often you wonder if you even brought the right kids home from the hospital, as Bounds sings beautifully in “Witch’s Lament.” Welcome to Act II in life.
Similarly, Act II in the musical twists from the whimsical comedy that opens the show to a much darker place as characters mature. Sondheim provides another “Agony” for the princes. This time, the depressed King’s sons meet in the woods, hiding from their lovers. Wotton-Klebanoff and Hadnot nail this number as well.
Wotton-Klebanoff and Mulligan get down, dirty, and on key in “Any Moment.” A leg lift by Mulligan grabs laughs as the other spouses are acting on another part of the stage. After the Prince kisses her on the cheek and seeks his next conquest, Mulligan attempts to figure out what just happened in “Moments in the Woods.”
Everything comes together in this production. I highly recommend it. Opening night was packed with an appreciative audience looking for the next joke. The acting, music, and singing were each dazzling.
Running Time: Two hours and 45 minutes including one 15-minute intermission.
Into the Woods plays through June 22, 2025 (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays), presented by 2nd Star Productions performing at The Bowie Playhouse – 16500 White Marsh Pk Dr in Bowie, MD. For tickets ($29 general admission; $26 for seniors 60+, active military, and students; $18 for children under 12), buy them at the door or purchase them online, call 410-757-5700, or email [email protected].
The digital program is available here.
Into the Woods
Book by James Lapine
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Alex Campbell
Produced by Katie Riegel
Music Directed by Sarah Mitchell
Assistant Directed/Choreographed by Summer Moore
Stage Managed by Laura Fisher