By Lynn Venhaus

In an extraordinary, reimagined interpretation of Stephen Sondheim’s classic “Into the Woods,” New Jewish Theatre immerses us into a vibrant in-the-round setting, where a vocal-rich ensemble of 11 takes on iconic fairy tale characters.

The harmonies stand out under the seamless music direction of Larry D. Pry, who also serves as the Narrator and expertly plays the piano while Christopher Bachmann is on cello and Helen Bednara is on bassoon. While only three, the virtuosos are a superb combination that elevates this show’s rich melodies.

To say they understand Sondheim is no small feat. The greatest theater artist of the past 75 years is demanding, but everyone connected with this production is up for that daunting challenge. To be able to master his complex harmonies is like winning a gold medal in the Olympic Decathlon.

This 1986 masterpiece was Sondheim’s second collaboration with book writer James Lapine after “Sunday in the Park with George” two years earlier. They both won 1988 Tony Awards for score and book, even though “The Phantom of the Opera” took home the Best Musical prize. (But it later won 2002 Tony for Best Revival, 2011 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival and last year’s cast won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.)

Photo by Jon Gitchoff

When done right, “Into the Woods” can be magical, transformative in many ways (as I experienced in the 2022 Broadway revival and a whimsical, inventive interpretation at Stray Dog Theatre last spring).

The fact that this musical continues to speak to new generations and evolves with new insights nearly three decades later is a testament to its relatable themes reflecting on humanity.

The concept is deceptively simple – a storybook world but with real-people problems, and how these characters’ lives are uprooted, teaching them valuable lessons about life, love, and listening. How they need to really be present when together – meaning it, not just saying so.

This poignant New Jewish Theatre effort focused on the emotional layers of each character, who are desperate for happily ever after but not making the effort to change their ways until confronted with reality.

Every time I see this show, I am struck by new observations and how the tale has deepened over time, but it is reinforced that I am not alone when people leave me halfway through the wood.

And this much is true — I always will be misty-eyed during a few numbers, “No One Is Alone” and “Children Will Listen” specifically, and in this show, “No More” especially resonated.

Here, the biggest takeaway is what comes after the “happily ever after” when you want so badly to have your wishes come true but realize you can’t do it alone.

Photo by Jon Gitchoff

The characters are based on Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault’s literary works, but they are molded by the performers to convey consequences from their less-than-ideal actions and impulsive decisions. No Disney aberrations here. Director Robert Quinlan focused on the storytelling, and he doesn’t waste a moment – no dilly-dallying whatsoever.

The format: the narrator exclaims “Once upon a time,” and we’re off on an adventure with four groups of characters – Cinderella wishes to go to the king’s festival, Jack wishes his cow Milky White would give milk, a baker and his wife wish to have a child, and Little Red Ridinghood wishes for bread to bring to her grandmother.

Be careful what you wish for – and soon we’ll know about curses. A witch convinces the childless couple that if they bring her four ingredients: “the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold” – in three days’ time, she will reverse the infertility curse.

Thus commences a long and winding path through the woods.

It’s the largest musical ever staged in the intimate Wool Studio Theatre, but only 11 actors are playing the 20-plus characters, with a few puppets too. And with scenes taking place in and around the audience, characters are right in the mix.

Photo by Jon Gitchoff

The cast truly gets a workout, setting the scenes and popping in and out, often relying on quick costume changes. They are marvels in motion.

Phil Leveling is outstanding, and one of the MVPs – he smoothly switches into the Wolf, Mysterious Man and Cinderella’s Stepmother without missing a beat. Cinderella’s Prince Matt Billings is also puppeteer for Milky White, another fluid transition. He works well with Kevin Corpuz as Rapunzel’s Prince, and their full-bodied “Agony” duet is a highlight. The nimble Corpuz doubles as Lucinda, one of the stepsisters too.

Molly Wennstrom soars as the Baker’s Wife, a role she’s well-suited for, and “Moments in the Woods” is terrific. She and her scene partner, Kevin O’Brien as the Baker, are splendid together, especially in “It Takes Two.” O’Brien is a versatile musical theater performer, and not only are they both strong in song, but also have the emotional heft to depict their rocky relationship.

O’Brien and Leveling are also dynamic in “No More,” bringing considerable depth to their version.

Kristen Joy Lintvedt makes an impressive debut as Cinderella, delivering lush vocals and putting some oomph and a little edge into the role.

Aliyah Jacobs opts for a trusting Little Red and sweet-voiced Sarah Wilkinson exemplifies a girl trapped in a gilded cage as Rapunzel, and also has fun as Florinda. Matthew Cox is both an innocent, naïve Jack, and the more obnoxious Steward.

Matthew Cox as Jack. Photo by Jon Gitchoff

Sarah Gene Dowling plays the Witch robustly as cruel and condescending, unforgiving of anyone’s flaws – except her own. As bitter as she is, when she is rejected, and crestfallen, her “I was just trying to be a good mother” is said with transparent desperation.

Victoria Pines is cranky and intolerant as Jack’s Mother, not giving any hints of humor, which always helps the passive-aggressive dialogue be more palatable.

Nisi Sturgis lends her considerable talents as the booming voice of the Giant (well, Giantess).

The group vocals stand out. The grown-up tale needs performers to bring out the complexities confronting each character, for everyone changes. No one is left unscathed.

Quinlan has done a masterful job of keeping things briskly paced. He aims for the sweet spot in tone – hopeful in the first act and rueful in the second. Perhaps a bit more whimsy with the necessary dark undercurrent, but I think they were so focused on crisp movements and infusing sincere emotion into each song, that no one let up for a second. Choreographer Ellen Isom kept the moves playful.

NJT’s in-house costume designer, Michele Friedman Siler, adroitly outfitted every character to support both the storytelling and the fast changes that the in-the-round setting demanded.

C. Otis Sweeney’s scenic design is exceptional – and enhanced by Jayson Lawshee’s lighting design, and not just the trees were awe-inspiring, but that full moon too. Amanda Werre’s skilled sound design was effective in the atmospheric woodland sounds and also by indicating danger in giant footsteps — and punctuating dashed hopes and dreams, and broken hearts.

Since its Broadway opening in 1987, there have been productions in London’s West End, national tours, Hollywood Bowl, The Muny, three revivals and a 2014 film adaptation. This fresh New Jewish staging can stand as one of the most heartfelt in the region. The melodies linger, the performers enchant, and the themes are re-awakened, stored for safe-keeping in my memories.

New Jewish Theatre presents “Into the Woods” from Nov. 30 to Dec. 17 at the J’s Wool Studio Theatre, 2 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. (Closing show on Dec. 17 has sold out).

Individual tickets are $27- $58 with special rates available for groups. Tickets are available by phone at 314.442.3283 or online at newjewishtheatre.org

Sarah Gene Dowling as The Witch. Photo by Jon Gitchoff
Photo by Jon Gitchoff

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis (TWSTL) will increase its reach this summer with a new radio show. “Something Spoken: Tennessee Williams On the Air” is set to launch on July 11. The program will air every other Saturday at 5 p.m. on Classic 107.3 FM. The festival decided to embark on this new venture because “It is important now to unify, elevate and enrich humanity during this very challenging year,” explains Carrie Houk, Executive Artistic Director of TWSTL.

Each episode of “Something Spoken: Tennessee Williams On the Air” will consist of fully produced Williams’ one-act plays along with interviews with scholars, directors and actors. Specific details of each broadcast will be posted on the websites of both Classic 107.3 (classic1073.org) and TWSTL (twstl.org).

Ken Page

Broadway legend and St. Louisan Ken Page will narrate and noted Williams scholar Tom Mitchell will offer commentary on each episode. Performers will include: Nisi Sturgis; Rayme Cornell; J. Samuel Davis; Bob Harvey; Anita Jackson; Tony Merritt II; Elizabeth Teeter; Bradley Tejeda; Rachel Tibbits; Donathan Walters; Kelley Weber; Donna Weinsting and Maggie Wininger.  Brian Hohlfeld, David Kaplan and Tim Ocel will be directing.

“The peak of my virtuosity was in the one-act plays.

Some of which are like firecrackers on a rope.” – Tennessee Williams

“Williams felt that one-acts were his strongest format,” Houk points out. “He started out in St. Louis writing one-act plays, and one of his biggest breaks was winning a competition sponsored by the Group Theater in New York—the first time he signed his name as ‘Tennessee’ rather than ‘Tom.’  He wrote more than 70 throughout his career—sometimes edgy, often experimental, and always infused with his unsurpassed poetry.  Many of them have been presented at the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis.”

“Something Spoken: Tennessee Williams On the Air” will be sponsored by Mary Strauss, Jane and Bruce P. Robert Charitable Foundation, Ted Wight, John Russell and Terry Schnuck, with more patrons to be announced in the coming weeks.

TWSTL’s reboot of their Fifth Annual Festival this fall will focus on Williams’ youth and time spent with The Mummers, an offbeat St. Louis theatre company that tried out a number of his early plays and is immortalized in Williams essay “Something Wild.” As long as conditions remain safe to produce, “Tennessee Williams: Something Wild” will run October 22 through November 1 at The Link Auditorium (thelinkauditorium.org), formerly The Wednesday Club and the theatre where The Mummers performed. 

About the Festival

Star on Walk of Fame in the Delmar Loop

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis was established in 2016 by Carrie Houk, the award-winning producer, casting director, actor, and educator.   The Festival, which aims to enrich the cultural life of St. Louis by producing an annual theater festival and other artistic events that celebrate the artistry and life of Tennessee Williams, was named the 2019 Arts Startup of the Year by the Arts & Entertainment Council.

In 2014, Houk produced Williams’ Stairs to the Roof with such success that the on- going annual Festival was established. The inaugural Festival was themed “Tennessee Williams: The St. Louis Years,” followed by “The Magic of the Other” in 2017 and “The French Quarter Years” in 2018. The 2019 festival featured Night of the Iguana and A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur. As the years have passed, the awards have mounted. Last year’s St. Louis Theater Circle gave them eleven nominations and seven awards, and this year’s seven nominations garnered four more awards. The Festival has attracted thousands to its readings, panel discussions, concerts, exhibitions, and productions.

Lead sponsorship of the festival is provided by Emerson.  The Festival is also funded in part by Mary Strauss, Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, The Whitaker Foundation, Regional Arts Commission, the Missouri Arts Council, Missouri Humanities Council, Trio Foundation of St Louis and the Arts and Education Council.

About Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams drawing by Al Hirschfeld

Born Thomas Lanier Williams III in 1911 in Mississippi, Williams moved to St. Louis at age seven, when his father was made an executive with the International Shoe Company (where the City Museum and the Last Hotel are now located). He lived here for more than two decades, attending Washington University, working at the International Shoe Company, and producing his first plays at local theaters. He credited his sometimes difficult experiences in St. Louis for the deeply felt poetic essence that permeates his artistry. When asked later in life when he left St. Louis, he replied, “I never really left.” Most people are familiar with the famous works that have garnered multiple Pulitzer Prizes, Tony Awards and Academy Awards, such as The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Suddenly Last Summer. He also wrote hundreds of additional plays, stories, essays, and poems, many of which are only now seeing the light of day as his estate permits greater access. He is today considered by many leading authorities to be America’s greatest playwright.

About Classic 107.3

Classic 107.3, “The Voice for the Arts in St. Louis”, broadcasts at 107.3 FM and on KNOU 96.3 HD2 with a mission to support the cultural landscape in the St. Louis region through programming and outreach efforts. Classic 107.3 plays a variety of music from classical to jazz, opera to blues, Broadway and more, and features local programming including the “Slatkin Shuffle”, hosted by conductor Leonard Slatkin, and Musical Ancestries™, designed to educate school-aged children about world music. In addition, the station airs interviews with artists, musicians, creators and performers, bringing their stories and events to the attention of the St. Louis community. Classic 107.3 is a non-profit station, receiving support from listeners as well as organizations like PNC, the William T. Kemper Foundation and others. More information, as well as live streaming, archived interviews, and podcasts can be found at www.classic1073.org.

By Lynn Venhaus
Managing Editor
Desperation hangs thick in the air in Tennessee Williams’ richly detailed “The
Night of the Iguana,” the remarkable centerpiece to this year’s fourth annual
Tennessee Williams Festival.

At a rundown resort in Mexico, people are there to escape –
or to hide. Everyone has secrets. They can get away, but they can’t run, just
like the big fat iguana that’s tied up offstage.

The setting is not inconsequential. You can tell Cosa Verde
has seen better days, and so have most of these characters. But each has a
story to tell – and those looking for mercy, a glimmer of hope.

In his grand, striking poetic exposition, Williams tackles
a lot here – a former minister who is a tormented soul, three primary women of
different types and temperatures, and an assortment of workers and tourists. He
seizes on how people fare in volatile times.

A group of crass Nazi-sympathizing Germans on holiday stand
out for their gaudiness, and those roles might be tiny, but Williams is crafty
in his characterizations. After all, the play takes place in the early 1940s,
before World War II commandeers everything.

The metaphors are also rampant in this multi-layered
masterpiece. Scenic designer Dunsi Dai has created such a distinct corner of
the universe that you can practically feel the oppressive heat. Each cabin is
like an isolation pod, mosquito net hanging, a place of solitude and reflection
for some, but for others who feel trapped by their circumstances, a cage.

Dunsi Dai’s scenic design, photo by ProPhotoSTLThe brilliant Jon Ontiveros’ lighting design is a marvel of
moods and atmosphere, emphasizing Williams’ intentions through Dai’s
interpretation.

Ellie Schwetye, whose sound design is always memorable,
layers the outdoor cacophony with lapping ocean waves, which changes to different
noticeable nocturnal noises.

Meticulous director Tom Ocel has contained the sprawling
story to emphasize temptation, loneliness, loss and the despair that comes from
being lost.

This landmine of human emotions, ready to explode at any
moment, is based on Williams’ 1948 short story, which was then developed into
three acts for a Broadway production in 1961. A Tony nominee for Best Play
(defeated by “A Man for All Seasons”) in 1962, actress Margaret Leighton won Best
Leading Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Hannah Jelkes. Two years later,
it was adapted into a steamy movie, directed by John Huston, that starred
Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr and Sue Lyon.

The tormented Rev. Shannon (James Andrew Butz, in an
extraordinary performance), who fell from grace in spectacular fashion – or, as
he says: “heresy and fornication – in the same week,” is a self-destructive
shell of a human being. He’s now driving a tour bus. Oh, the irony of escorting
a group of women from a Baptist college for their pleasure.

But at a cheap coastal hotel, they’ve turned against him,
the staff is on edge, and the proprietor is just trying to get through another
day without incidents. LaVonne Byers is Maxine Faulk, the recently widowed
owner who was something in her prime. However, she is now weary of other people’s
drama – but has a soft spot for Shannon, whom she has known a long time. He can
push her buttons, nevertheless. Byers plays this vigorous woman with her
customary precision, turning Maxine into a strong, no-nonsense type whose past
is filled with hard-fought lessons. She tosses off some terrific comical lines,
too.

The brewing tempest grows out of its teacup into a full-blown
squall.

Summer Baer and Jim Butz, photo by ProPhotoSTLThe pretty young Charlotte Goodall, 16, has fancied this
mysterious Shannon, and vice-versa, thus resulting in all hell breaking loose
and a serious charge of statutory rape. This is the starting part. Summer Baer
is impressive as the innocent, naïve lass.

As Miss Judith Fellowes, entrusted with Charlotte’s care, Elizabeth
Ann Townsend is all blustery and self-righteous in her contempt for Shannon.
She wants justice, and she is going to get it.

Nisi Sturgis and Harry Weber. Photo by ProPhotoSTLAlong comes the refined Hannah Jelkes (Nisi Sturgis), whose
manners belie a living-on-the-edge situation. An artistic woman whose only
source of income is freelance painting and sketch work, she has accompanied her
beloved grandfather, “Nonno” — Jonathan Coffin, a poet. They survive together,
although he is ailing. They are just trying to get by, using whatever means
they can. Harry Weber imbues Nonna with dignity.

For the prickly, mercurial Shannon, Hannah becomes
something of a lifeline. She tries to save his humanity, and her spirit is revived
through their encounters. Williams makes you believe in the power of their
connection — “The magic of the other.” So do the actors — Butz and Sturgis
are stunning in their scenes together.

Butz pretty much raises the bar for every actor in town.
How he spirals out of control and goes through every emotion, depicting Shannon
on the brink of a breakdown, is astonishing. He’s always a robust life-force on
stage, but this portrayal is some of the finest acting we’ve been privileged to
see in St. Louis.

Sturgis, whose measured demeanor is exactly how you imagine
Deborah Kerr in the movie, delivers one of the finest female performances of
the year. She conveys the restraint, compassion and grace of her character
beautifully.

Nisi Sturgis and Jim Butz, Photo by ProPhotoSTLOcel moves the large cast around to the beats of the
fun-and-sun coastal setting, with a sense of foreboding and something’s
off-kilter. Again, the irony of the hellish happenings occurring at such a
slice-of-heaven paradise.

Costume Designer Garth Dunbar has a keen eye to distinguish
the personalities through their outfits.

Steve Isom, Teresa Doggett, Chaunery Kingsford Tanguay and
Hannah Lee Eisenbath provide lively portraits of the garish, loud Germans oblivious
to anything but their own needs.

In minor roles, Greg Johnston is Jake Latta, Shannon’s
supervisor, and Spencer Sickmann is employee Hank, Victor Mendez is worker
Pedro and Luis Aguilar is worker Pancho.

The crisp stage direction and the ensemble’s commitment to
immerse themselves to tell this story, with all its messy interactions, make
this production stand out.

If last year’s award-winning TWF mainstage show, “A
Streetcar Named Desire,” was a leap of faith, this year’s centerpiece is a masterful
coming-of-age, a major step forward, strengthening Williams’ legacy and continuing
a vibrant tradition.

Tennessee
Williams Festival presents “A Night of the Iguana” May 9 through May 19 at The
Grandel Theatre in the Grand Arts Center. Evening performances Thursday through
Saturday are at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday is at 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.twstl.org