author: Andrew Worthington
One midnight gone!
Just a short journey northwest of Charm City is an equally charming production of Into the Woods at Small Town Stars Theatre Company in the heart of Westminster, MD. Small Town Stars, founded in 2015, has been building its repertoire of major musicals, plays, and student productions. Now, as their program has grown, they are taking Carroll County audiences on another Sondheim journey with their current production of Into the Woods. You must get your tickets soon, however, as the toll of the third midnight on Sunday, June 15th, will mark the end of this short (but successful) run.
As audience members enter the performance space at the Carroll Arts Center, they are met with a beautiful set, produced by designers Paul Keays and Tim Beavers, that looks as if the woods were unfolding out of a pop-up storybook. The space on stage is used brilliantly as Keays and Beavers have created a multitude of ways cast members can enter and exit the stage (sometimes strategically hidden by trees and towers alike) to bring the audience into the setting of the winding woods. The way directors Joel Roberson and Miranda Secula-Rosell utilize spacing, entrances, and exits is equally as impressive as the large cast is able to share the small stage, and move, without any issue.
Costume design is a standout in this production, as costume designer Jennifer Secula and director Miranda Secula-Rosell have created costumes that are beautiful, distinct, and appropriate for each character while staying true to the floral and natural theme throughout. The rest of the production team, including sound designer Conor Harris and lighting designer Tim Beavers, works well to ensure the production looks and sounds as brilliantly as the performances on stage. While there were some minor sound issues on opening night with microphones, balance, and feedback, the sound and technical crew were quick to remedy any issues to ensure they did not hinder the performances on stage. With so many moving characters and quick entrances and exits, the sound crew should be proud of their ability to ensure the music, sound effects, and actors were almost always clearly heard and well-balanced.
The colorful and creative lighting is integral to successfully telling such a quick-moving and intertwining story like Into the Woods, and the use of color, blackouts, and transitions in this production ensures the action is highlighted and the mood is appropriately set. While more could be done to show mood and tone in dynamic songs like Hello Little Girl and transitions between settings in the openings of Act I and Act II, the lights overall are very successful and only added to the production. The company’s program and preshow announcement mention a dedication to a friend, colleague, and lighting designer for the company who passed unexpectedly in 2023, and it is evident that this lighting design for Into the Woods, a beloved show of the friend who passed, would have made them proud.
This production of Into the Woods features many strong performances throughout, and, under the music direction of George Smith, it is clear from the start that there are many strong singers and musicians sharing the stage. Overall, ensemble numbers are a highlight of the production, as the brief moments of harmony in this Sondheim show are clear and balanced, the vocal energy and dynamics are consistent, and the wordiest parts of Sondheim’s score are clear and articulate. While there were some missed cues, entrances, and lines on opening night, the cast showed off their musicianship in their ability to not stray from the path too much and get back on track quickly.
With the look of a Disney princess and the voice to back it up, Cecelia Boynton’s Cinderella is a standout in this production. Her voice soars through her parts in the opening of the show and her solo “On the Steps of the Palace,” and her vocal and acting range is on display in the deeply emotional “No One is Alone.” Boynton’s performance, as is the same for many of the performers in this production, does the character justice in their transformation from young and naïve in Act One to older and more parental in Act Two. With strong physical comedy and timing, Boynton brings a more animated and humorous Cinderella than audiences might be used to while still keeping the character grounded in the heart of the story.
Another standout in this cast is teenager Archer Ketter as Jack, who almost seamlessly holds his own on a stage with many seasoned performers. Although he started his opening night performance a little sheepish and quiet, Ketter was able to relax as the show went on, and he found a successful balance between Jack’s youthful energy and enthusiasm in Act One with believable grief and anger in Act Two. Ketter and music director George Smith should be proud of the vocal performance in Jack’s solo “Giants in the Sky,” where the sometimes limited and unpredictable vocal range of a young performer of this age are forgotten amongst the successful musical choices and soaring middle to high range of the song. Audiences will be excited to see what this young performer will continue to do in the future!
As the Baker and Baker’s Wife, Will Brown and Jessica Harris Keays have a strong chemistry on stage and give fantastic vocal performances. While both hold their own individually, it is their scenes together and their duet “It Takes Two” where both compliment each other well and strike a balance between the conflicting ‘right’ and ‘necessary’ ways to navigate and achieve their goals in the woods. Harris Keays’ performance of “Moments in the Woods” was a standout of the night, and her singing successfully handled both the fast-moving, wordy sections as well as the flowing, lyrical moments of the Sondheim score.
While Brown’s performance could strike a better balance and less reliance on comedy and adlibbing throughout Act One, his emotional journey and growth in his solo “No More” is intense, believable, and another highlight of the show. One hopes that Brown can trust the comedic moments in the Lapine and Sondheim script and score, as well as his own noticeable talents, to allow for a more genuine character with less-forced humor, but he certainly does the Baker justice with his performance.
The royal duo of Michael Bauerlein (Cinderella’s Prince) and Kyle Secula (Rapunzel’s Prince) is brilliant in both “Agony” and “Agony Reprise” as their voices, acting choices, and physical comedy work well together to give a thoroughly enjoyable performance in both songs. While both actors make strong choices to distinguish their own character from each other (and the multitude of princes in other productions of Into the Woods), the two work in tandem as a strong comedic and vocal duo. Bauerlein’s acting and comedic timing are further on display in his revealing scenes with the Baker’s Wife and Cinderella in Act Two.
Two more actors that give noticeably strong vocal performances are Julia Cowles as Jack’s Mother and Abigail Weinel as Rapunzel. Both handle their vocal lines with ease and grace in the opening for Jack’s Mother and throughout Act One as Rapunzel’s voice is heard echoing throughout the woods. While both could use a bit more intensity in their scenes, especially when encountering a Giant in the woods, Cowles and Weinel give strong acting performances that capture the humor in Into the Woods while handling conflict in their own complicated and strained mother-child relationships.
Speaking of challenging familial dynamics, the ‘royal family,’ comprised of John Spence as Cinderella’s Father, Olivia Winter and Madison DiNello as stepsisters Florinda and Lucinda, and Katie Ketter as Cinderella’s Stepmother, add a burst of physical comedy and vocal energy whenever they are on stage. Winter and DiNello’s creative and comedic choices are engaging and hilarious even when they are not speaking. Ketter’s performance as Cinderella’s Stepmother is over the top and engaging, and, although the humor and minor adlibbing could be dialed back in darker moments in Act Two, her character is equal parts loveable, detestable, funny, and intimidating at the same time, which is a testament to her acting prowess.
The rest of the Into the Woods cast makes the most of their stage time as minor moments are made magical throughout the show. Jordan Wheeler as Cinderella’s Mother gives a gorgeous vocal performance in the beginning of the show as Cinderella visits her grave and at the end of Act One as her daughter’s dreams are coming true. Dawn Bott is equally scary and hilarious as Little Red’s Granny, and her surprise entrance in Act One had the audience in stiches as she threatens and attacks the Wolf. Speaking of the Wolf, Michael Safko’s rendition of Hello Little Girl is vocally and comedically successful as his character works to charm Little Red while lusting over his potential ‘meal.’ While Safko’s wolf, like a few other characters in this production, could showcase more vocal and physical intensity to induce believable fear in the other characters and higher stakes overall, his performance in Act One was a joy.
Darryl Warren, who plays the story’s narrator, is a natural storyteller with a great sense of audience engagement and breaking the fourth wall. Again, while the stakes could be increased in Warren’s pivotal scene in Act Two, he is successful in telling such a complex and quick-moving story in a way that is seamless, charming, and engaging. Connor McIntyre’s performance as the Steward to Cinderella’s Prince and the royal family is charming and funny. McIntyre does a wonderful job of supporting the louder and more prominent characters while also holding his own in the woods when it is the Steward’s moment to shine. Megan Safko, as the vengeful Giant in Act Two, does a wonderful job off-stage in intimidating the rest of the cast while showing the pain of a mourning wife. While more could be done to support her with louder sound effects or more vocal modulation in her microphone to add to the scariness of the Giant, Safko does a strong job in her scenes.
Seen accompanying Jack (and the Baker… and the Baker’s Wife… and the Mysterious Man) throughout the woods is Olivia Ward’s Milky White. While many recent productions of Into the Woods have featured a live puppeteer for this cow as white as milk, Ward puts their stamp on the role with a subtle, nuanced take on the humor, facial expressions, physical comedy, and interactions with other performers. The performance on opening night drew many laughs from the crowd while endearing us to Milky White’s journey and experience in the woods. The aforementioned Mysterious Man of the woods, played by Erik Secula on opening night, was a bright moment of the show as Secula struck the perfect balance of humor and sentiment. His sudden appearances throughout the woods in Act One were a welcomed and humorous interruption to the story, and his emotional performance of “No More” in Act Two was moving.
Another highlight of the production is Little Red Riding Hood, portrayed by Savin Criddle. Criddle’s comedic timing and physicality is on display from the start, and her youthful energy and aggressiveness in Act One are beautifully balanced with her growth and maturation throughout the remainder of the show. A shining moment for Criddle, as well as the production as a whole, was “I Know Things Now,” where you can literally see Little Red’s transformation from a younger, naïve girl to an adult with more life experience through a clever removal of accessories and in Criddle’s body language. Criddle’s vocals were on full display in the opening of the show as well as “I Know Things Now,” and Little Red’s transformation to a more serious protector of her chosen family in Act Two was a joy to see.
As the Witch, Amanda Polanowski gives a strong and engaging performance every time she enters the stage. This massive role, including the various vocal styles and techniques that it demands, can be intimidating for some, but Polanowski gives a strong, genuine, confident, and emotional performance from start to finish. Her musicality is on full display in the opening of Act One as she moves effortlessly through the quick-moving and dense rap sections, and her voice floats effortlessly through the emotional and cutting moments in “Stay With Me” and “Witch’s Lament.” While her character, like others, could use a bit more physical and vocal intensity to add to her scariness in Act One and “Last Midnight,” Polanowski’s presentation of this iconic character is unique, deeply grounded, and endearing.
As many local theatre companies have taken on the challenge of Into the Woods to varying degrees of success, Small Town Stars Theatre Company presents their genuine, charming, and vocally sound take to the Carroll Arts Center in the heart of Westminster, MD this weekend. The cast and crew are successful in bringing this Sondheim classic to life, and there are only three more opportunities to take in this heartwarming production. After a successful opening night to an almost full house, we hope the cast and production team can trust their talents, skills, source material, and each other to increase the intensity of their performances while remaining true to the heart of the story as they continue to charm audiences in Carroll County this weekend. Into the Woods at Small Town Stars is a production that you do not want to miss!
Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission
Into the Woods plays through June 15th 2025 with shows at 2pm and 7pm on June 14th and a show at 2pm on June 15th. Performances are held at Small Town Stars (located at the Carroll Arts Center— 91 W Main St. in Westminster, MD. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance online.