The cast members for Tennessee Tech’s fall play have transformed the cozy lobby of the Backdoor Playhouse into a festive and fecund forest theme. It’s an enchanted vibe to greet patrons before settling them into a vast and expansive evening of musical theater. The choice for this semester’s feature is the 1980s James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim classic “Into the Woods,” and it will surely take audiences into the “wow” of a totally immersive and inspiring trip, through the intricate relationships of life’s limits, loves, and possibilities.
For those new to this epic, “Into The Woods” is a musical mashup of classic fairytales, all tangled together by catchy songs and converging subplots. For our journey, director and professor Wendy Mullen and an extensive team in casting, costumes, choreography, set-design, lighting, and more, have mounted a magically ambitious production within the intimate context of our Backdoor Playhouse, which is located at the rear of the Jere Whitson Building, just off the main quad.
Attending their final dress rehearsal, I watched the large and wildly talented cast rock that modest room with the confidence of a closing night. A production as easily adapted to much larger auditoriums, the Playhouse stage opened like a prodigious portal to manifest every song and every surprise in the script. The large cast never seemed crammed onto the Playhouse stage, and the dazzling choreography flowed with popping precision. The amazing songs in this show are memorable and snazzy but they don’t seem easy, and yet this cast nails them all while sounding incredible. The way this thing flows and flies, you might lose track of time and place (and this sustained energy is a gift, with an entire production that comes close to three hours when you include the intermission).
All the student performers convey a jaw-dropping combination of charisma and chemistry. A production like this doesn’t just come together; it comes together with all kinds of talent and tenacity and teamwork. Every actor among this large ensemble is astonishing and deserves a shout-out and all the flowers after every show.
But from them all, I was immediately impressed with Playhouse newcomers such as Jack and Jack’s mother, portrayed perfectly by Jameson Davis and Cadence Howell respectively. Also new to this venue, Talyn Mocco as Cinderella really emphasized with energy and empathy this character’s empowering evolution from the fairytale template. Another newcomer with show-stopping stage presence was Julian Cannon as the Wolf.
Returning to the Playhouse as the Witch, Lee McGouirk had already earned our appreciation last spring in “Somebody/Nobody,” and this Witch really showcases McGouirk’s memorable magnetism. The shift from Jesus to Baker for Riley Keegan or from Judas to Rapunzel’s Prince for Gabe Tardy make some kind of special thread connecting last winter’s Godspell to this show. I would speculate that the Playhouse’s recent pivot to produce iconic musicals is really building confidence for all of these young cast members who continue to shine with their versatile depth to act, sing, and dance.
The witchy woodland backdrop rendered by sumptuous set design is a reflection to ourselves, the combined comedy, tragedy, romance, infidelity, familial love, intense desires, and intimate disappointments of every all-too-human interaction. A more adept reviewer at psychological themes could dissect the family dynamics of this thing far into next year. But really, the classic fairy tales that form the underlying architecture of the show are just means to a magical end; the show’s mesmerizing nonstop ear-worms and eye-candy combined with its all too mortal and earthy acceptance of human limitations are all variations and riffs on the truism to be careful what you wish for. But as for me, I just wish for you to go check out this show. - Andrew William Smith
Andrew William Smith is a senior instructor of English at Tennessee Tech and has been reviewing theater in this community for the last two decades.
“Into The Woods” can be seen on November 6, 7,8, 13, 14, and 15 at 7:30pm and on November 8 at 2pm. Tickets are general admission and only available at the door for $15 dollars, with discounts for students ($5) and seniors ($12). Faculty and staff discount night is on November 13 ($5).
No comments:
Post a Comment