The Cast of “Into The Woods” Knows Things Now…

Last week the cast of Into the Woods  put on a showcase of this summer’s Hollywood Bowl musical (which opens on Friday night) as a work-in-progress. After the company performed excerpts from three songs, I got the chance to talk to several of the actors (for three minutes each) about the challenges of putting it together in three weeks.

Gaten Matarazzo, though best known now for Stranger Things, is actually a stage veteran having done Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Godspell and Les Misérables. He plays Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk).

How challenging is putting this show on in three weeks time?

It’s such a challenge. Especially doing it in less than 3 weeks. We don’t get a preview process, not a long tech process, but it couldn’t be more fun.

What excites you most about singing Sondheim?

How complex it is. How intense everything is. We’re doing a show that’s considered one of the most challenging to do for any performer. I’ve never done Sondheim before and I hope to do it again.

Whether in this show or not, did you grow up with a favorite fairy tale?

Honestly, I love playing Jack. There’s a big lesson to be learned there about greed and being careful what you wish for. What I love about Cinderella is it is always different. Anytime you see it, people can create an essence to her that’s different than any you’ve seen before. Here she goes to the Palace three times in a row. The lessons are terrific.

Shanice Williams played Dorothy in the The Wiz Live!  on NBC in 2015. She plays Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods.

You seem to like doing roles that have you walking in the woods or down yellow brick roads.

Walking and skipping yes. I noticed that the first day too, this is a recurring thing.

What’s the key to getting Sondheim’s complicated pairing of music and lyrics just right?

The most important thing is the diction. His music has certain phrases that are so important that the audience has to hear it and if your diction is not 100% on and they miss it, they miss a very valuable part of the story. That’s the hardest part of singing Sondheim.

What appeals to you most about this musical and this role?

These things he wrote years ago are coming to the surface. Like when Red says “nice is different than good,” people are taking advantage of people every day and you have to know the difference. I just feels like you’re teaching life lessons when you are singing Sondheim.

Cinderella and Rapunzel each have princes in Into the Woods. Cheyenne Jackson (Finian’s Rainbow and Xanadu on Broadway) plays Cinderella’s Prince. Chris Carmack plays Rapunzel’s Prince. I spoke with the two of them together.

Were you brought up to be charming or…

Jackson:  Or sincere?  That’s a good question. Sincere. The charming just comes natural for me.

They both laugh.

Carmack: I’d say sincere as well, But I have to work really hard at the charming.

Jackson: Not true. Not true.

This is a complicated score. How did you prepare for this show which is put together in just a few weeks?

Carmack: It’s like musical boot camp. We come to work. We drill it. I go home I drill it. I wake up. I drill it.

Jackson: It’s just a matter of repetition and you hope you can marry the movement to the lyric. Most of us did our due diligence and came very prepared. You can’t for a second lose your train of thought.

Chris you posted on social media about the agony of this. Of course, that is a song from the show. So Is it agony?

Carmack: It has been an absolutely pleasure from beginning to now. You couldn’t ask for more giving or more excited group of people.

How has the process been working with Robert Longbottom?

Jackson: I’ve never done a show with someone who has already blocked out the songs. Normally you block the scene together. Literally on this word he said, you do this, or do this. Which was a little weird. But in a process like this it’s great so you can take the thinking out of it.

Edward Hibbert, who has appeared in multiple shows on Broadway, plays The Narrator.

What’s the most important thing for you in doing Into the Woods?

A lot of deep breathing. A lot of prayers. It’s a remarkable show. Stephen Sondheim, genius that he is, writes highly complicated and challenging music. 

What’s been most gratifying for you in doing this production?

I’ve known [director] Robert Longbottom for years. We were in Me and My Girl on Broadway. It’s also a reunion with Sierra Boggess who I did It Shoulda Been You and the lovely Sutton Foster with whom I did The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway and before that at the Ahmanson.

What challenges you most about this show?

I don’t have much singing, but what I do has a Gilbert & Sullivan fast patter. Every day I run it and I walk the streets and people see me and think what a sad man he is.

Edelyn Okano, who plays Cinderella’s mother, was recently seen in the East West Players production of Mamma Mia!

What appealed to you most about doing this musical?

A couple reasons. I’ve loved Sondheim since I was a little girl. Two, I’m playing the stepmother and if you look at me I’m not traditional casting for this role. The producers wanted to go with a very multicultural cast and a very diverse cast – my daughters [in the show] are Asian and I’m Asian – so to be able to play a role in somewhat non-traditional casting is a dream and I’ll take every opportunity to do so.

Anthony Crivello won the Tony Award for his performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman. He plays the Mysterious Man in Into the Woods:

You’ve done Sondheim before. What advice can you give other cast members who haven’t had that experience?

It is complex. And so you want to give yourself as much time as possible. It is repetition. Fortunately we have a wonderful Music Director, Kevin Stites, who has guided us through all of this. That’s an imperative situation. The other thing, this group of professionals is top-notch and you have to surround yourselves with people of that ability to do a production in two weeks time to rehearse this.

What do you like most about Into the Woods:

What starts out as a light fairy tale in the first act evolves so that in the second act it becomes this mature storyline. It’s important for adults to experience as well as children. It’s life lessons we learn.

Skylar Astin appeared on Broadway in the original production of Spring Awakening. He plays The Baker in Into the Woods.

The Baker is the moral compass of the show. How would you describe his storyline?

He has quite the journey. He starts as a neurotic mess who just wants a child and he learns what having a child means. And he deals with loss and death and he deals with some hard truths. He’s the good person, not nice, as the witch sings. He learns what that means.

What excites you about performing Sondheim?

He’s the best. Because he’s not just different. He’s not dissonant and minor with his music, there’s a reason for every single note. His music always advances story which is lovely. There are so many similar notes when you repeat the “Into the Woods” notes, but some are different and there’s a reason why. It’s a deep well and I find a new thing every day. If I was a year into this run, I’d probably still find something new in every song.

Main image: Patina Miller, Skylar Astin & Sutton Foster in “Into the Woods”

All photos by Craig T. Mathew and Greg Grudt/Mathew Imaging

Courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

Update:  This post has been updated to include production photos from the first performance of “Into the Woods” at the Hollywood Bowl