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| The Cast L - R: Brad Simanski, Lyndsay Palmer, Ben Hess, Fiona Okida, Ariella Salinas Fiore, Elliott Santos, Jayla Bryant, Frankie Nieman, Rachel Richins, Ramón Garcia, Clara Darlington, Aydin Washington, Vivian Oxley, Sophia Joy, and Laura Loo - Joel Castro - Photography |
By Joe Straw
The air in Santa Monica was stale, and a man walking to the Morgan-Wixson
Theatre took note of the non-existing ocean breeze around 2:00pm in the
afternoon and the matter of his discomfort was not open for discussion. Best to
leave him alone. He was just too hot, and it didn’t help his mood when he saw
his ex standing in front of the theatre as he was walking toward the door.
His look was not quite what he anticipated with ill-fitting green
glasses and a pocket square that never folded to his liking, stuffed into his
sports jacket like a tissue coming out of an ill nostril, but there was pleasure
in the air-condition lobby so relief would come in small increments.
When he entered the theatre, the ticket maestro directed him to “door
two” when door one would have easily been the better option. “Can people get better
acquainted with the seating chart?” he mused to himself.
He sat down and regrettably noticed an extremely large, oversized ghastly
mosquito landing on his shirtsleeve. After a brutal assault on said insect, the
force of his swat just wasn’t to the speed he once had in his younger days and
the large thing flew to another encampment, noting that he was probably off to
torment another unsuspecting theatergoer for a rich supply of warm blood, possibly
on the stage. One could only hope that said monster was not carrying the dengue fever that Southern California has been hearing
so much about.
After all that, he definitively was not in a good mood when the
show started. Why? Well, it was anyone’s
guess. He watched the production and shook his head when things were not going
great. Actors not wearing microphones
and not having the strong voices to carry the 200-seat theatre. Words of the
singers were lost (something that was desperately needed in a production such
as this) – and at times, the pre-recorded music overpowered the performers. Some
actors were caught singing in the dark - a lighting issue. Other actors were positioned far upstage stage
left to far down stage right while singing - a director’s choice that doesn’t work on a
good day.
And not to be undone “Johnny B Next To Him” was vigorously clapping
after each song, for three hours. Some people love everything and others
don’t. It’s all part of the drama before
the dramatic storm. - Narrator
Morgan-Wixson Theatre presents Into the Woods music and lyrics by
Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, directed by Elija Green and produced by
Julia Ribas running through October 18, 2026.
Morgan-Wixson
Theatre is a community theatre, using a compendium of actors, that fits
perfectly with this cast, exercising their resources and being the best version
of themselves.
And Santa
Monica showed up on this day to an almost standing room only crowd.
Into
The Woods, the musical, is based on various tales mostly from The Brothers
Grimm’s “Ashputtle” or so they say.
So,
the musical takes on Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack and
the Beanstalk and the hopes and dreams of what these characters want to
accomplish out of life.
The
Baker (Ramón Garcia) and the Baker’s Wife (Rachel Richins) desperately want a
child. They roll the dough kneading lives healthy and together.
A
none too bright and star gazing Jack (Aydin Washington) is satisfied with
living happily with his cow, Milky White, in the living room. It is
Jack’s Mother (Ariella Salinas Fiore) who wants more out of life and selling
the milkless cow is their only hope for making it through one more day.
A
mischievous Little Red (Fiona Okida) wishes to take care of her grandmother and
if stealing helps to keep her grandmother (Laura Loo) alive, she is willing to
do it. But, too late, grandma is sadly a figment in the imagination or already in
the belly of the beast.
Cinderella
(Jayla Bryant) is certainly not happy living with her Stepmother (Lyndsay
Palmer) and her two stepsisters Florinda (Sophia Joy) and Lucinda (Vivian Oxley),
and her exigency to reside elsewhere will only soothe her madness. But only expressing
it in a kind way.
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| L - R: Frankie Nieman and Brad Simanski |
Cinderella’s
Prince (Frankie Nieman) and Rapunzel’s Prince (Elliott Santos) each crave their
beautiful wife to love, hold, and squeeze if they could only get beyond their
agony and effete charm.
And
Rapunzel (Clara Darlington) requests out of her tower prison, and she wouldn’t
mind being in love and having a haircut either.
But
there’s always the Witch (Minque Taylor), The Wolf (Frankie Nieman and Elliott
Santos) and the Mysterious Man (Ben Hess) who always presents an obstacle to
the characters wanting something better in life.
And
when life awards them the desires of their lives and living “happily ever after”
is the mantra of the day the second act rolls around to change what everyone
thought would bring them love forever in a very unflattering manner and that is
topped with the colossal impertinence of the giant.
Elijah
Green, the director, has set this fairy tale in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles graffiti
art is on the theatrical poster and on the cast list but did not translate these
visuals to the stage, a good thought but limitations may have prevailed. The
characters may have had an opportunity to envelope the idea, and in retrospect
it would creatively add to the notion that could have been.
(As
an example, Graffiti art did wonders in Graffiti Pete’s opening dance number of
“In the Heights” setting the time, the mood, and the place.)
Naytheless,
the characters, an entangled mass of Angelenos, representing the urbanity of a
defined place, set a dramatic tone to this musical. Although, it’s tough to
find woods in central Los Angeles the director Green made the landscape a fairy
tale land. And on the second performance
of the run, the task of finding the through line to the production is still a
work in progress. The second act works
better than the first finding the relationship of the characters soaring with
meaning and a better understanding.
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| L - R: Jayla Bryant, Sophia Joy, and Vivian Oxley |
On
stage characters can take focused liberties with actions to implement a
creative truth and objective. Finding a little more creativity were Sophia Joy
as Florinda (in the hair scene), Fiona Okida as Little Red (in the bun stealing
scene), Frankie Neiman and Elliotts Santos in the Agony song is remarkable, and
Ramón Garcia has a strong grasp and understanding of his character and takes a
very nice turn as the Baker.
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| L - R: Rachel Richins, Ramón Garcia and Fiona Okida |
Timing
and movement are critical in this musical and actors are still growing in this
production to find what works and doesn’t and that is part of the journey of the
creative self.
But,
despite one’s musings, one can say the second act had a dramatic pulse, the
relationships were defined, and beautiful in ways that loving relationships are
constructed and deconstructed almost in a disorderly formality. Even though, on this day, early in the run , enough joy and happiness and
outright wackiness are presented here to fill the woods, the theatre, Santa
Monica, and Los Angeles with this delightful presentation.
The
Musical Director was Will Nazareno and the Choreographer was Danielle Jensen.
Ramón Garcia - Baker
Rachel Richins - Baker's Wife
Aydin Washington - Jack
Fiona Okida - Little Red
Jayla Bryant - Cinderella
Minque Taylor - Witch
Frankie Nieman - Cinderella's Prince/Wolf
Elliott Santos - Rapunzel's Prince/Wolf
Clara Darlington - Rapunzel
Lyndsay Palmer - Cinderella's Stepmother
Vivian Oxley - Lucinda
Sophia Joy - Florinda
Ariella Salinas Fiore - Jack's Mother
Laura Loo - Cinderella's Mother/Granny
Brad Simanski - Cinderella's
Father/Steward
Ben Hess
- Narrator/Mysterious Man
Morgan-Wixson.org, 310-828-7519, 2627 Pico Blvd, Santa
Monica, CA. 90405
