| "Into the Woods" last night. | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 08:27 am EDT 08/17/22 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 08:18 am EDT 08/17/22 | |
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| Full company in; tickets purchased when this was to be the last week. Nothing to add to the love shown this revival, except to further praise Bareilles, who I've never seen perform in a show before, other that the Superstar Live. To me, the most successful Baker's Wife since Gleason's, so masterfully mining every moment of reality-based comedy though never broadly. It's a winning performance, all the more so for effortlessly folding into the ensemble. She and D'Arcy James have a believable domestic grounding, and he matches her comedy with touches of his own. The production values haven't been discussed much, minimal as they are, but the presentational style is theatrically sharp, boldly rendered (praise to Tyler Micoleau's subtly shifting lighting, sometimes midsong) and I think underappreciated. Simple, stylized props are used to illustrate the magic and fairy tale-dictated FX, which I won't spoil, in every instance cleverly accomplished. Unburdened by attempts to literalize the make believe, the show invites our imagination to play a role. Yet it's never cloying, and this production makes the Mysterious Man material, the 4th wall breaking conceit, funny and as effective as ever. David Patrick Kelly, wry, crotchety, is as memorable as any of the stars who've played the role in NYC (and deserves better billing!). Much has been made of the audience response, and I found it moving and part of the experience. The top of the show brings on the kind of reception you might expect at a closing. Rather than jarring or intrusive, it's the most welcoming of introductions to a wildly entertaining evening. The audience cheers at lights up, and suddenly we're part of the world built before our eyes. I haven't been in a house so rapturous since the Midler Dolly, though this production has nothing in common with that one other than hot ticket excitement. Everyone wants to be there, you feel ripples of pleasure after every number. I felt misty once again, remember that only a year ago the streets were dark and silent. This is my own final show of this challenging season, and a perfect finale. |
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