Displaying items by tag: James Lapine

It’s refreshing to know there are lesser-known Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine collaborations to continue exploring. While ‘Into the Woods’ and ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ may endure as musical theatre opuses, later works like ‘Passion’ showcase these two brilliant artists’ legacy together. The relatively young Blank Theatre Company revives the 1994 musical at Greenhouse Theatre Center under the direction of Danny Kapinos.

Sondheim was inspired to conceive ‘Passion’ after seeing the 1981 Italian film ‘Passione d'amore’ which is itself an adaptation of an 1869 novel ‘Fosca’. With all those Italian titles, it’s no surprise that Sondheim’s ‘Passion’ is a chamber opera with nearly all the dialogue sung-through. 

Themes of unrequited love, jealousy and despair along with a soaring score stir emotions in this one-act operetta. ‘Passion’ follows a young army general Giorgio (Evan Bradford) who is carrying on an affair with Clara (Rachel Guth) until he’s unexpectedly transferred where he meets the sickly Fosca (Brittney Brown). Fosca is the cousin of Giorgio’s commander, but it’s the doctor of the troop who suggests Fosca’s health would improve if Giorgio spent time with her. The only catch? She’s strikingly ugly. Fosca’s obsession with Giorgio deepens despite the fact that her fiery spirit is worsening her health.

Blank Theatre’s production strips this show down to minimal staging relying instead on the superbly talented cast. Right off the bat both Evan Bradford and Rachel Guth stun with their first duet. The intimacy of the space ups the emotional impact as the cast also performs seemingly without mics. Brittney Brown as Fosca is a revelation, though it would be untrue to describe her as unattractive. Her powerful voice is every bit as convincing as her heartbreaking performance in the role of the rejected lover.

As Giorgio gets closer to Fosca, he begins to resent her clinginess, but his sense of duty prevents him from entirely casting her off. Through letters and short visits, Giorgio’s passion for Clara fizzles. It’s in these scenes Rachel Guth’s beautiful voice and pathos-inducing performance really shine.

‘Passion’ has all the elements of great classic opera. The setting is somewhat historically ambiguous; the story is a little strange and the intense emotions all work together to make for an enthralling evening at the theatre. In fact, original Broadway audiences are said to have behaved in a way typically only seen in opera theaters. Evidently some 1994 theatregoers became so enraged by Donna Murphy’s Fosca antics they roared from the balcony, “Die already!” If a show can elicit that kind of response, it’s got to be doing something right.

If you’ve never seen ‘Passion’, Blank Theatre’s production is a great way to experience it for the time. Between the haunting set created by Hayley E Wallenfeldt and the cast of gorgeous voices, Sondheim and Lapine’s strange baby deserves its flowers.

Through August 10 at Greenhouse Theatrer Center 2257 N Lincoln Avenue. 773-404-7336

I’ll admit it: I knew little about “Into the Woods” before seeing the new production at Chicago’s Chopin Theatre. I’m not particularly fond of the composer, Stephen Sondheim. I’d bailed early watching the 2014 film with Meryl Streep. So I challenged myself to find out why it is so popular. And now I know: it’s really good.

At a venue like Chopin Theatre, in the intimate downstairs theater, you’ll have a chance to appreciate the dark humor of the book by James Lapine, and music and lyrics by Sondheim. No doubt you will come away as I did, experiencing the power mined from a most creative mash-up of four familiar fairy tales, and very much liking its dark, funny humor. 

Lapine and Sondheim tap four classic fairy tales—Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Cinderella—building a cast of characters that for the first time meet each other. And we discover on stage they have a lot in common. 

Among the cast are two princes, Shea Hopkins as Cinderella’s Prince and Jonathan Allsop as Rapunzel’s Prince, who bond in their shared quests. Princessy figures Cinderella (Madison Kauffman) and Rapunzel (Ismael Garcia) share the spotlight. And then there are the younger innocent players, Little Red (aka Riding Hood, Anna Selbert) and Jack (Kevin Parra) of Beanstalk fame. Both get into trouble for not following their mothers’ orders.

And of course we see those mean-spirited characters, The Witch (Stephanie Stockstill) who entrapped Rapunzel in that stairless tower and Cinderella’s Stepmother (Emily Goldberg)—though these two don’t really connect. 

Bits of the classic stories are recounted, but “Into the Woods” faces us squarely with the shadowy parts. Yes Rapunzel let down her long hair for that prince and they fell in love. But there is more in Grimm’s Fairy Tales (I reread them all after seeing the show): The Witch cuts off Rapunzel’s hair, banishes her to wander a wasteland, and tricks the Prince into climbing up. He falls into a thornbush and pierces his eyes. Another element I hadn’t recalled until my rereading of Rapunzel: a couple aiming to have a child are the origins of the long-haired beauty’s predicament. (This couple seems to be drawn from the original tale, in which the husband surrenders Rapunzel to compensate The Witch for his theft from her garden.) In the play, that husband becomes The Baker (Kevin Webb) who with The Baker's Wife (Sonia Goldberg) goes on a quest in order to have a child. 

Sondheim and Lapine take these stories into uncharted territory in Act 2 as the characters suffer retributions unleashed for their selfish acts. As originally told, after Jack sells a cow for those magic beans, he climbs into the Giant’s lair and robs him, then kills the Giant as he pursues him down the beanstalk. The play adds a riff to that tale: the Giant’s widow (Honey West) chases Jack and wreaks havoc in the kingdom in her pursuit of justice. 

The stories are woven together into a cohesive whole guided by Narrator, played so remarkably well by August Forman, who doubles as Mysterious Man. It is the strength of Forman’s performance that makes the many moving parts fit together; they are onstage continuously and tirelessly. It’s truly remarkable to behold. 

Kokandy Productions’ show, directed and tightly choreographed by Derek Van Barham, meets the demands of this funny and inventive book by Lapine, with music and lyrics by Sondheim. Entrances and action are timed with exacting precision. 

A pair of grand pianos are center stage, with keyboardists Ariana Miles and Evelyn Ryan replacing full orchestration, and fully integrated to the action around them. Kudos to these two for their exemplary artistry. 

What’s not to like in “Into the Woods”? Just one thing: that Wolf? His ears are way too round and small. 

At its 1986 Broadway debut, “Into the Woods” was seen by many as an allegory for the havoc wreaked by the early AIDS crisis. It’s easy to see why during Act 2. Sondheim has demurred from that interpretation, and now nearly 50 years later, there is nothing explicitly alluding to AIDS. Our contemporary climate crisis fits aptly into interpretations of the play now. And that is a tribute to the work’s timeless character, and longstanding appeal.

“Into the Woods” runs through December 22, 2024 at The Chopin Theatre in Chicago.