Wisteria Theater crafts a Wildly Colorful, Mesmerizing & Reimagined "Into The Woods"
- Dan Ruth
- Sep 5
- 4 min read
Friday, September 5th, Los Angeles, Ca
written by Entertainment Editor, Dan Ruth
In Los Angeles, theater is everywhere, especially in North Hollywood/Burbank, where you can often find a theater faster than you can find a donut shop. Now on my radar, there is even a theater right next to the Hollywood/Burbank (Bob, Hope) Airport, and when I say right next to, I mean right off the tarmac! In a converted bunker space/office complex, lives Wisteria Theater at 7061 Vineland Ave. Founded and run by Renee Wylder and Lexi Collins, Wisteria Theater's total history is contemporary to the pandemic, but lavish, fun and pure of heart. Touted as an all-female owned theater company, Wisteria was recently named "Best Intimate Theater in Los Angeles," and when you come to see a show here, the reason for the title will be clear. A most important note for Angelino's, there's plenty of free parking. If that doesn't get you to the theater, then perhaps a reimagined production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods will.
Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods is a charming musical mashup of Grimm fairy tales, which include Jack (of the beanstalk's fame), his mother, Little Red Riding Hood & The Wolf, Rapunzel, the Baker and the Baker's wife, along with Cinderella, her evil step sisters (oh, just you wait) a Prince, along with more than a few handsome suiters, and of course like most fairy tales, there's a witch on a mission who has cursed them all. In fact, in this story, everyone has a mission; whether it's the Baker and his wife longing for a child, Jack and his mother wanting Milky White the cow to give milk, or Cinderella's need to get to the Prince's ball, it's all here plus so much more. Add some blasted "magic beans" and a vindictive giant, and well, let's just say that it all goes dreadfully and wonderfully wrong. The multi–Tony Award-winning musical opened on Broadway in 1987, and ran for 765 performances, followed by countless tours, a Broadway revival, and a film starring Meryl Streep.
But what of this “intimate” production in Burbank? I was able to catch their opening night last week and in short, it's wonderful and borderline epic. Upon entering the space, I was greeted with a very friendly staff and a choice of programs that doubled as children's toy "collect them all" cards. The lobby was completely decked out in children's toys, festively appropriate fairytale fantasy decor, and plenty of concessions and popcorn. Upon entering the theatre space, the reason for the lobby decor becomes very apparent. The preset stage, equipped with a small bed, toys and a small chest, comes complete with a rear projection screen of a little girl's bedroom. The stage right and left proscenium walls are scribbled with colorful chalk drawings of clouds and shooting stars. All of this is the brainchild of team Wisteria, under the direction of Brayden Hade, and crafted by Los Angeles designer Tanya Cyr, who have cleared the way for a production of Into the Woods from the perspective of a child's imagination, and what ensues is truly magical.
This clever and reimagined Into the Woods, like all other productions, has a narrator, and in this case, the exuberant and charming Hannah Rubinstein, a fifth grader from Manhattan Beach, fills the bill perfectly. The word of the play is seen through her eyes as she plays in her room and “puppeteers” the entire production. Sparing spoilers, the rest of the cast is equally to task, with standout comedic performances by Abby Espiritu as Little Red and Kierra Morris, Annie Claire Hudson and a fierce Christopher Thume, as the wildly animated Mean Girls-like stepsisters, with Thume’s stepmother resembling the young narrator’s vintage pencil-topper troll. Then there is the larger-than-life performance of Cameron Parker, whose comic timing and strong singing voice as The Prince is only upstaged by his terrifying Wolf, with an emphasis on "terrifying" (note for parents bringing kids). There is the startlingly moving Cinderella, played by Alexa Rosengaus, who possesses a mesmerizing and beautiful voice, as does the magical Hadiyyah Noelle who gives an electrifying performance as the Witch. The glue and soul of this piece however, are Carter Haugen as The Baker and Renee Wylder as The Baker’s Wife, whose captivating, moving and lavish voices pull at our heartstrings, and keep us fully rapt in this wildly, technically-multifaceted production. Rounding out this fantastic cast of actors is Danny Holmberg as the wonderfully innocent, yet determined Jack, his doting mother Dynell Leigh, Kiera Morris who doubles as a fine comical Rapunzel and the powerfully voiced and very funny Trae Adair as Rapunzel’s Prince and others.
If you're not familiar with any of the music, prepare for stand-out numbers like "I Know Things Now," "A Very Nice Prince," "Giants in the Sky," "Agony," "Last Midnight," "Into the Woods" and many others. I could give away more of this production, but it needs to be seen. Mr. Hade and his production team, take the initial idea and stop at nothing to craft a production that is fun, colorful and often riveting. Throughout the evening, which ran long opening night, there were a few technical sound and lighting missteps, but they will have certainly been fixed for the remainder of their run. In the end, the talk of this production may well be the theatre's use of AI generated Disney-like animation which frames the entire show. I for one, felt that it added to the charm in act one, but began to grow muddy by the show’s end. Still, I’m sure this won’t be the last time that AI will be knocking on live theatre’s door, and so I conclude that to this theater-goer, the talk and focus of this production belongs to the imagination of Wisteria Theater, their bold and powerful choice of show (Sondheim isn’t easy, folks) and their fearless and mesmerizingly talented cast of actor/singers who know exactly when and how to push the buttons that ignite their audience’s hearts and fire their imagination.
Into the Woods plays through September 28th, Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm at Wisteria Theater, 7061 Vineland Ave., Los Angeles, Ca. Click here for Tickets.
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