Into the Woods review: Stephen Sondheim's fairytale remains as magical as ever

What a joy it is to spend some moments in the woods.

Now, Los Angeles audiences can do just that, through July 30, at Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre where the national tour of 2022's celebrated Broadway revival of Into the Woods is making its final bow.

Woods is perhaps maestro Stephen Sondheim's best known musical, performed by school groups and community theaters around the world each year. It follows a group of fairy-tale characters — a Witch, the Baker and his wife, Cinderella, Jack, Little Red Riding Hood, and more — as they venture into the woods to get their wish and learn the complications of what comes after happily-ever-after.

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus in 'Into the Woods'

Of late, Broadway has been bursting with fractured fairytales with new musicals like Bad Cinderella and Once Upon a One More Time. But there's still no show that takes the myths of our childhoods and interrogates them more completely than Woods. This revival, which comes with a good portion of its Broadway cast replacements intact, is a firm reminder of the musical's everlasting magic.

There's not much to say about Sondheim's enchanting score or James Lapine's moving, deftly hilarious book that has not already been said. Except to note what a delight it is to have a full, lush orchestra on stage at the heart of the action. Woods is not sung-through in the way that Hamilton or Les Miserables is, but it comes close — and making the music a centerpiece of the proceedings foregrounds the show's unforgettable score in unprecedented fashion. Sondheim wrote his musicals at a time when full orchestras were de rigueur, and it's never anything short of miraculous to seem them produced with the all-encompassing sound he intended.

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade Montego Glover in 'Into the Woods'

David Rockwell's set for this Woods is simple, a series of steps that make up a concert stage dotted with hanging trees. It's Tyler Micoleau's lighting design that truly lends the production a fairy-tale magic, the enormous full moon and back wall constantly shifting colors to reflect the passage of time as we move from the oranges of sunset to the inky purples of midnight.

But it's the text and the cast that are central to this revival's success anyway. Woods' heart has always been the Baker (Sebastian Arcelus) and the Baker's Wife (Stephanie J. Block), a married couple who yearn for a child, bicker, collaborate, and love each other deeply. In a world of witches and wolves, they are who audiences can most see ourselves in. Arcelus and Block are married in real life, and it lends a shorthand tenderness to their relationship that enriches the arc of their story. Beneath their spats and their struggles, there's a deep affection that amps up the characters' warmth.

Because of a PBS Great Performances recording and a remarkable original Broadway cast album, the line readings and intonations of this score are practically ingrained in the minds of musical theater lovers. But this cast, particularly Arcelus and Block, work hard to put their own spin on things without it feeling pointed or labored.

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade Gavin Creel in 'Into the Woods'

While Arcelus easily lends the Baker the vibe of a guy who excels at dad jokes, it's Block who gives the show its melancholy heart. She is earthy and maternal as the Baker's Wife, a woman in touch with her own desires. It makes for a hilarious interlude in Act 2 when she dallies with Cinderella's Prince (Gavin Creel). But her emotional interpretation of "Moments in the Woods," particularly its final lines, is so poignant and resonant that it makes her unique choices feel like they should've been the way the lyrics were delivered all along. She quite literally makes the "or" mean more than it did before.

Speaking of Cinderella's Prince, Creel makes the jump from the original Encores! production of Woods as said prince and the Wolf to prove yet again why he's one of the most versatile performers on Broadway. As the Wolf, he's lithe lechery, licking his chops before chewing the scenery. When he transforms into a bleach blonde narcissistic Prince, it's with such physical specificity that he somehow makes the man both intriguing and buffoonish. His every appearance is met with titters of laughter, all amply deserved.

Montego Glover as the Witch and Katy Geraghty as Little Red Riding also continue work they began as Broadway replacements. Glover is all fizz and sparkle as the Witch. She leans more deeply into the Witch's comedic side, with crooks of her head and kicks of her feet punctuating her punchlines. But it does somewhat undercut the emotional depths of the Witch's arc, particularly in numbers like "Stay With Me" and "Children Will Listen." Geraghty is riotously funny as Little Red, a spoiled, cheeky girl hiding her inner frightened child with her bravado.

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade Gavin Creel and Katy Geraghty in 'Into the Woods'

This isn't to say the cast is flawless — Diane Phelan is rather listless as Cinderella, sinking into the trap of the role's generic goodness. Cole Thompson's Jack leans too heavily into his immaturity, particularly in contrast to Geraghty's winking Little Red, making his childishness feel forced rather than innate.

But those quibbles don't detract from the production's overall magic. In some ways, Into the Woods is such airtight work that it's difficult to do poorly. A fact that makes productions that really nail it feel all the more revelatory — and this revival certainly falls into that category.

While the fairy-tale trappings often get all the attention, it's the show's second act and the uplifting, heartrending message of "No One Is Alone" that make it a singular entry in the musical theater canon. "Sometimes people leave you halfway through the woods," wrote Sondheim. Those lyrics hit all the harder in the wake of Sondheim's passing. But he followed them with "Do not let it grieve you, no one leaves for good." How lucky are we then, that with his body of work and revivals such as this, that he will never truly leave us? Grade: A-

Related content:

• Fetch Clay, Make Man review: Ray Fisher and Edwin Lee Gibson give knockout turns in uneven play

• Once Upon a One More Time review: Justin Guarini and Briga Heelan charm in Britney Spears musical

• Conrad Ricamora takes us through a first look at Here Lies Love and the first all-Filipino cast on Broadway