Press Release

Great Lakes Theater Festival Opens New Home At The Hanna Theatre With Macbeth and Into the Woods

August 27, 2008

GLTF affords patrons a progressive new array of unique social enhancement programming and extraordinary access to the artistic process in 2008-09.

CLEVELAND, OH – Great Lakes Theater Festival (GLTF) will commence its 2008-09 season in a revolutionary new home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare with a Fall Repertory that features William Shakespeare's towering tragedy, Macbeth, and Stephen Sondheim's enchanting musical journey, Into the Woods (Woods). The productions will be performed in rotating repertory September 24 – November 8, 2008. The Fall Repertory features a single company of actors performing two alternating plays on the same stage over seven weeks. GLTF's Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee will direct Macbeth and Victoria Bussert will direct Into the Woods.

Great Lakes Theater Festival's inaugural season at the Hanna Theatre is sponsored by National City. Production support for Macbeth was provided by Deloitte. Production support for Into the Woods was provided by the Great Lakes Theater Festival Business Alliance. The 2008-09 season is presented with additional generous support from The Cleveland Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the Ohio Arts Council and SCK. Media sponsors for the season are Cleveland Scene, Cleveland Magazine, The Plain Dealer, WCLV 104.9 FM, WCPN 90.3 FM ideastream and WKSU 89.7 FM.

“I think audiences will be thrilled and bowled over by the power of Shakespeare's Macbeth in our new home at the Hanna Theatre,” said Great Lakes Theater Festival's Producing Artistic Director, Charles Fee. “The thrust-stage will draw you directly into the action of the play; and the technology of our new home – from the lighting, to the sound, to the special effects – will allow us to create a theatricality to match the drama of Shakespeare! The acoustics of the new Hanna and the intimacy of its 550-seat theater give us a space perfect for musicals, unmatched by any in the region. Into the Woods will sound gorgeous in the new Hanna and every seat in the house will feel part of Sondheim's wicked, fairy-tale world.”

Great Lakes Theater Festival's new home at the Hanna Theatre features a visionary “Great Room” inspired design concept that integrates the artist and audience experience into a single unified environment. Hanna patrons select from a variety of seating opportunities including traditional theater seats, club chairs, lounge/bar seats, banquette couches and private box seating . Boasting a fully flexible hydraulic thrust stage, a complete array of state-of-the-art theatrical systems and an intimate 550-seat house arranged in a thrust configuration, the new Hanna is one of the most innovative theaters in the country.

Great Lakes Theater Festival's forty-seventh season opens with Macbeth. In a maelstrom of politics and magic, William Shakespeare's masterpiece melds unforgettable characters and incomparable language in a fascinating drama of corruption and heroism. An eerie evening of dazzling darkness, where specters and riddles foretell the futures of kings, Macbeth is a timeless tragedy.

Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods completes the Festival's Fall Repertory pairing. An enchanting musical journey that features a bewitching collection of classic fairy tale characters on a rollicking romp through a “once upon a time” kingdom, Into the Woods is Broadway's most magical musical. A toe-tapping tapestry of wonderfully woven fables that brims with award-winning music and lyrics, this fractured fairy tale will transport audiences to a land where there still are giants in the sky, big bad wolves in the woods, curses reversed and “happily ever afters.”

GLTF's 2008 Fall Repertory directing corps is comprised of a powerhouse pair of talented theater artists. Charles Fee, GLTF's Producing Artistic Director, will stage William Shakespeare's Macbeth . Fee's acclaimed productions of All's Well That Ends Well (2008), Hay Fever (2007) , The Importance of Being Earnest (2005) , The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (2004) , Hamlet (2003) , Arms and the Man (2002) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (2002) (which was nominated for a Northern Ohio Live Award of Achievement) have led to an artistic and financial renaissance for Great Lakes Theater Festival. Victoria Bussert will complete the Festival's Fall Repertory directing duo when she helms Sondheim's Into the Woods. A Festival veteran, Bussert will celebrate her 22nd year at Great Lakes Theater Festival this season. Her work was last seen by Festival audiences in 2006 when she directed A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Over the past two decades, she has staged a host of memorable productions including Private Lives, Anything Goes, Gypsy, A Little Night Music, She Loves Me, The Most Happy Fella, Rough Crossing, Blithe Spirit, La Ronde, The School For Wives, Noel and Gertie, The Threepenny Opera and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill.

New this season, Great Lakes Theater Festival will afford patrons extraordinary access to the artistic process. The new Hanna will open its doors ninety minutes before each performance allowing patrons to observe the complete pre-show preparation process of GLTF's actors and technical staff. Elements traditionally hidden from audiences such as stage combat rehearsals, dance calls, prop/scenic pre-sets, technical cue rehearsals and actor warm-ups will be conducted in full view of patrons, offering GLTF audiences an amazing glimpse into the theatrical process.

Another new facet of the Festival's 2008-09 season at the Hanna Theatre is a unique series of social enhancement programming. The programming, organized by day of week, is designed to augment the patron experience and highlight the Hanna's new amenities.

• “Salon Thursdays will feature an engaging pre-show discussion/presentation beginning one hour before curtain with a Festival artist or local scholar. (Offered: October 16, 23, 30 & November 6)
• “Happy Hour Fridays” afford patrons the ability to avoid the commute home from work and back to the theater in time for the show. On “Happy Hour Fridays” audience members are invited to meet at the Hanna's new Bar and Lounge immediately after work to enjoy a fine assortment of savory hors de oeuvres and a complete range of beverages for sale beginning ninety minutes before every performance. (Offered: October 3, 17, 24, 31 & November 7)
• “Night Cap Saturdays” are designed to encourage audience members to stay after the performance and mingle with friends, family and the GLTF acting company in the Hanna's new Bar and Lounge. The Hanna's Bar and Lounge is open until midnight on “Night Cap Saturdays,” eliminating the need for patrons to seek out a post performance gathering place, and its featured drink is the Hanna-tini. (Offered: October 4 18, 26 & November 1, 8)
• “Ice Cream Social Sundays” offer patrons the opportunity to enjoy a London theatre tradition brought state-side with family and friends. Audience members are invited to purchase a cool personal ice cream treat before the show or at intermission. Ice cream will be offered at every performance in GLTF's Fall Repertory, but on “Ice Cream Social Sundays,” the treat is half price. (Offered: October 5, 12, 19, 26 & November 2)

Opening Night performances of Macbeth (September 27^th) and Into the Woods (October 11^th) have been scheduled for Saturday evenings with preview performances of both productions scheduled for the preceding Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. The Friday previews of Macbeth (September 26^th) and Into the Woods (October 10^th) have been newly designated as “Press Previews” – public performances that will also accommodate theater critics and other media representatives. Curtain times for all evening performances will remain at 7:30 p.m., with a 1:30 p.m. curtain time for Saturday matinees and a 3:00 p.m. curtain time for Sunday matinees. Both productions in GLTF's Fall Repertory will continue to offer sign-interpreted and audio-described performances as well as the popular Director's Night and Playnotes pre-show discussion series. (Consult enclosed performance calendars for complete date and time information.)

Single performance tickets for Great Lakes Theater Festival productions range in price from $15-$89 (Student tickets are $13 – any performance / any seat) and are available by calling (216) 241-6000, by ordering online at www.greatlakestheater.org or by visiting the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office. Groups of ten or more receive discounts through the PlayhouseSquare Group Sales Department. (Additional handling fees may apply depending on point of purchase.)

Since 1962, Great Lakes Theater Festival has brought the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience in Northern Ohio. The first resident company of PlayhouseSquare, GLTF will celebrate its 26th year in downtown Cleveland this season. Festival programming reaches 85,000 adults and students annually.

At a Glance: Macbeth

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

At A Glance: Into the Woods

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Reviews: Macbeth

The Plain Dealer
September 27, 2008
Great Lakes Theater Festival's debuts at the Hanna Theatre with a lucky "Macbeth"
Tony Brown, Plain Dealer Theater Critic

Macbeth’s storied streak of bad luck has apparently just run out.

Long feared by thespians – in part because it’s among the most difficult of William Shakespeare’s plays to pull off – Macbeth was chosen by Great Lakes Theater Festival producing artistic director Charles Fee to open the classic company’s new, $14.7 million home.

But that’s just the beginning of the audacity displayed in the newly restored and reopened Hanna Theatre by Cleveland’s maverick impresario.

The production, which on Saturday opened Great Lakes’ residency in PlayhouseSquare’s 1921 Hanna, dares to mix a diverse batch of influences, ranging from the percussive thump of “Stomp” to the stylistic flourishes of Kabuki.

Fee and his ensemble of actors and designers ran the risk of foisting a barely stitched-together pastiche on their patrons’ first visit to the razzle-dazzle new digs on East 14th Street. But at Friday night’s press preview, these artists delivered an always cohesive, often mesmerizing and fast-flowing Macbeth that is timely in its military booming and its destructive political ambitions. Yet it also unveils the play’s humanity.

To the pounding of enormous drums and even larger cymbals on either side of the angular, geometrically chaotic set, the trio of famous Weird Sisters arise from Hell on the new, hydraulically driven thrust stage of the Hanna.

Soldiers and swords that could have come from Throne of Blood – director Akira Kurosawa’s 1957 medieval-Japan film adaptation of Macbeth – slash and thrust with clanging and sweating, their blood spilling out in long ribbons of red.

Out of the Scottish darkness storms Macbeth, and the three witches, using short crutches under black, hooded cloaks, transmute from bats wrapped in their wings to hobbling hags, from hags to preening ravens, from ravens to spidery lasses, and end up a primordial single creature.

That’s just the beginning. Each surprising scene flows into the next astonishing one.

The return of Macbeth (Dougfred Miller, learned and intense) to Dunsinane occasions a sexually charged interlude with Lady M (Laura Perrotta, unhinged). She straddles his supine form atop a red bed and declares she will attend to the murder of Duncan (imperious Aled Davies).

The witches (led by the sensual, sinuous Sara Bruner) cover the body of the freshly killed Banquo (boisterous Lynn Berg) with what turns out to be a tablecloth for the following banquet scene, and his bloody ghost arises from under it, much as Meat Loaf did in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The Porter (Dudley Swetland, unpredictable and impish), Shakespeare’s bearer of comic relief, turns out to be perfectly sober in this unusual interpretation, though he feigns drunkenness to fool his early-morning callers.

The whole thing clocks in at a brisk 2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission. And with very few exceptions – including two really awful wigs and a slightly anti-climatic finale – this first-rate production rarely fails its author’s intentions.

Or Charlie Fee’s ambitions.

With bad luck this good for Great Lakes and the Hanna Theatre, Macbeth could be the start of a beautiful, bloody friendship.

Cool Cleveland
October 1, 2008
Holy Hanna! The new home for GLTF Takes a Bow
Linda Eisenstein, Cool Cleveland Theater Critic

Warning: don't even think about unwrapping a crinkly candy during a performance at the newly redesigned Hanna Theater. How live are the acoustics? Just ask my mortified seatmate: after handing me a Tic-Tac, she snapped her purse closed and the clasp echoed through the space like a gunshot. It's not just the clear sound that's impressive at the new home of Great Lakes Theater Festival, where a stylish production of Macbeth opened this weekend. The sightlines are…well, close to divine. Every plush, comfortable seat feels close to the stage, which thrusts out into the audience. On the main floor, where I spent the first act, the action spills past you in the aisles.

I moved to the upper deck after intermission, just out of curiosity, and was mightily glad I did. The birdseye view is spectacular, and the sound even better – every whisper floats up to you unimpeded. The balcony is steeply raked, very much like the Globe Theatre of Shakespeare’s time, and each row is separated so that each feels like its own private loge. There’s even a handy flat railing, the better to put your drink on.

Oh, didn’t I mention the bar? Yes, there’s a bar inside the space itself that’s open pre-show, at intermission, and afterwards. There is even cabaret-style seating near it, with tables where you can put your personal bottle of wine. But make sure to get your order in, because they close it the minute Artistic Director Charlie Fee begins his welcome speech.

There’s also informal seating at the rear corners, in a plush curving banquette, perfect for a group meetup. I talked to some young folks perched there during the press preview, who gave it a big thumbsup. “There’s even good sound in the bathrooms,” one told me. “They pipe in the sound, you don't miss a thing.”

Fee’s production of Macbeth shows off some of the new features of the redesign. A huge section of the stage raises and lowers on silent hydraulics, revealing batwinged witches. The Taiko drums on each side of the stage boomed and clanged, as the huge shield-shaped cymbals shimmered under blood-red light. New effects will be revealed next week, when Victoria Bussert’s production of the musical Into the Woods opens the second show of GLTF’s Fall Repertory.

Many of us in attendance have fond memories of the Hanna’s past as a touring house. I heard stories about Master Harold and the Boys with James Earl Jones, repeated viewings of Menopause: The Musical, even the ghost of Ethel Merman. All the Hanna’s assembled ghosts must be applauding her latest incarnation: Cleveland’s Grand Dame of Theater looks and sounds utterly swell.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein linda@coolcleveland.com

Cool Cleveland
October 1, 2008
Laura Kennelly, Cool Cleveland Theater Critic

Macbeth @ Great Lakes Theater Festival 9/24 Just go. And prepare yourself for theatre shock because the renovated Hanna Theatre, new home for Great Lakes Theater, is absolutely gorgeous. Even on a preview night (fight scene stage blocking was going on until curtain time), it felt special to walk into the new digs, see the cool bar, the snazzy lounge chairs, and proud as punch red-coated ushers. But how was the play? The witches stole the still-jelling show with bizarre profiles and choreographed jumps. First Witch Sara M. Bruner gave fire and clarity to every wicked word; Witches Two and Three, Laura Welsh Berg and Cathy Prince, also sparked.

Dougfred Miller portrayed a staunch Macbeth and Laura Perrotta a frail Lady Macbeth, but preview night didn’t reveal the pathology that tragic couple deserves. Standouts were Dudley Swetland’s Porter, Aled Davies’ Duncan (how could they kill that nice old man?), Lynn Robert Berg as Banquo (ditto about killing), and Jodi Dominick’s Lady Macduff. Director Charlie Fee and his team (and the new stage, which seemed like a member of the company with its clever configurations) made for a fine evening at a fabulous (yes, I'm gushing) venue.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennelly@gmail.com

Rave and Pan
October 1, 2008
MACBETH at Great Lakes Theater Festival
Christine Howey, Independent Theater Critic

It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to open a new, completely redesigned theater with a play suspected of bringing bad luck to the people involved. This old wives’ tale started in 1606, during the play’s premiere, when the boy playing Lady Macbeth died off stage. And over the years, there have been documented cases of tragic event befalling other productions of the “M” play.

As a result, superstitious theater folk refer to Macbeth as “the Scottish Play,” to avoid saying the dread name of a script that intently explores the attraction of evil. However, in the absence of any supernatural curses, this maiden effort by the Great Lakes Theater Festival in their new Hanna Theatre is destined to be a triumph, as it is quite a stunning visual and aural experience. And although there are some wrinkles, both the new space and this interpretation of Macbeth come off as winners.

For years, Hanna has been the dowdy stepsister among the elegant theaters situated at Playhouse Square (or “PlayhouseSquare” as the entity now prefers to be known, for cunningly clever marketing reasons that are beyond our pay grade to explain). The renovation has made Hanna young again, or at least youngish, with a thrust stage equipped with a hydraulic lift and new seating options being the boldest changes. (For instance, you can now park your Shakespeare-hating hubby at a bar stool where he can gaze dolefully at the stage while soaking his pout in a double Beefeater.)

Wisely, the powers that be have kept and refurbished the original architectural elements and have installed comfortable, traditional theater seating with no one parked farther than 12 rows from the stage. This makes for a much more intimate experience, with improved acoustics, over the Ohio Theatre (which will still be home to the annual GLTF production of A Christmas Carol).

As for Macbeth, director Charles Fee and his production team have pulled out all the stops to make this Shakespearean drama a signature event, and they succeed in many ways. The set, designed by Gage Williams, is arrestingly dominated by a backdrop unit consisting of slashing black lines intersecting at all angles – a morbid web spun by an angry spider.

And the spider in this case is none other than the title character, a courageous warrior who turns ever more ambitious and homicidal as he grasps for and then attempts to hold onto power. It is a rich role and Dougfred Miller has some resonant moments, particularly when he’s plotting with his wife, played with sly passion by Laura Perrotta, and during the bloody happenings in the second act. But for much of the first act, Miller merely rides the riptide current of his speeches instead of shaping, and thereby owning, them.

Other actors in the company also fall too easily into the oratorical Shakespeare trap, delivering their lines as if they were isolated thought bubbles instead of words intended to manipulate their immediate reality. Part of this may be an involuntary reaction to one of the most startling, and often most startlingly effective, staging decisions: the addition of live drummers.

On each side of the stage there are two guys pounding on large drums, interspersed with their banging on suspended sheets of metal that serve as the world’s largest cymbals. Inspired by Japanese drumming styles, the propulsive percussion evokes a feeling of war and conflict. It’s a visceral and often captivating effect.

But there is too much of this good thing, and at times it sounds like a drum-version of a laugh track on a cheesy sitcom—rim shots thrown in to heighten the dramatic effect. Also, there are times when the actors seem constrained in their timing, afraid they will be drowned out by the next volley of drum riffs.

But no matter how much you like extravagant drumming exhibitions (and who doesn’t?), there’s more to this “Stomp” Macbeth than that. The Japanese theme also spills over into Star Moxley’s costumes, flowing kimonos and flared shoulder pad armor that add grace and exuberant precision to the visual impact of the production. And the inventive lighting design by Rick Martin nicely delivers specific moods, such as within the “Is that a dagger I see before me?” scene, when spots turn the central red circular platform alive with shifting shafts of light like gleaming knife blades.

Turning in solid performances are Lynn Robert Berg as Banquo and David Anthony Smith as Macduff, whose speech of grief after his entire family is slain by mean Mac is an affecting moment in a blood-drenched evening.

But perhaps the most dazzling part of this production is the trio of alert, white-faced witches, outfitted with raven-black fabric “wings” that extend out a yard beyond their hands. Manipulating their flaps with sticks held in their hands, the three actors (Sara M. Bruner, Laura Welsh Berg and Cathy Price) create thrilling images whether they fold up like trees, hobble like some large insects, or sweep across the stage in almost-flight.

Director Fee is to be saluted for creating a magical telling of this play that lingers somewhere between reality and illusion. It is a fitting inaugural production for this old dowager of a theater that has suddenly woken up, frisky and ready to play.

West Side Leader
October 2, 2008
Hanna Theatre reopens with Macbeth
GLTF production ‘spellbinding’
David Ritchey, West Side Leader Theater Critic

CLEVELAND – Macbeth has long been surrounded by superstitions. Many theater people will not speak the name of the play in a theater for fear of bad luck. In the past that bad luck has included financial failure of the theater, death of a performer or accidents that closed the run of the show.

This superstition grows out of the legend that William Shakespeare used in the script real spells from witches of his time.

This superstition may make Macbeth an unusual choice to open the Hanna Theatre as the new home of the Great Lakes Theater Festival (GLTF).

The renovated Hanna Theatre is spectacular. The seats provide a perfect view of the playing area, and the acoustics seem alive and bright. The theater has a thrust stage that juts out into the audience. That stage is equipped with an elevator for raising and lowering platforms and players.

Director Charles Fee has created a spellbinding Macbeth. Fee bound Shakespeare’s script and elements of the Japanese Kabuki theater into an astonishing production.

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s shorter plays. This production runs 150 minutes, including intermission.

Costume designer Star Moxley created costumes that evoke the Kabuki theater. Moxley designed long cloaks and coats for the males. Most of these are decorated with medallions of metal or contrasting cloth. Lady Macbeth wore red gowns with white over-dresses. In the sleepwalking scene, she wore a white gown with a long train. These styles are more reminiscent of the Japanese theater than of the Elizabethan theater.

In addition, when a character was stabbed or murdered, the killer would pull a long red ribbon (representing blood) from the other player’s costume and toss it into the air. This method of handling a killing on stage is directly from the Japanese.

Fee keeps the three witches on stage for much of the production. The three women walk on their legs and on long walking sticks carried in their hands. They have white faces (also from Kabuki) with a few contrasting marks. Their black costumes, with black wings that are controlled by the walking sticks, give them the look of a raven or a black bird. Their sharp, bird-like head movements underscore that raven conceit.

On either side of the stage is a drummer (Seth Asa Sengel and Matthew Webb). They accompany the production on drums, recorder and stainless-steel gongs. Sengel and Webb set the tone for the production. They punctuate lines and accompany battles and murders.

Macbeth, written between 1603 and 1606, focuses on the destruction caused by the lust for power and the guilt that comes with breaking one’s moral code. Macbeth (Dougfred Miller) is a general in the King’s army. The three witches predict a rise in power for Macbeth, and his success will culminate in his being named King of Scotland. When Lady Macbeth (Laura Perrotta) hears of this prediction, she sets about to murder the king, place the blame on the king’s attendants and watch her husband become king.

In the GLTF’s production, Fee keeps the focus on the mental deterioration of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth, who clearly doesn’t have the stomach for plotting for power, for murder and for ghosts, slowly implodes to collapse. Lady Macbeth plans chaos for Duncan, the King of Scotland (Aled Davies). But once into the plot and having killed others, she deteriorates into bad dreams and sleepwalking. Finally, off stage, she takes her own life.

The cast is excellent. However, Miller and Perrotta are at the peak of their powers in this production. Miller makes Macbeth a physically active, lusty, power-hungry man. This Macbeth fights, makes love and wants the king’s crown.

Perrotta gives one of her best performances as the sexy, slender and sleek wife of the king-to-be. She quickly establishes herself as being more lustful for the throne than her husband. However, she balances her care for her husband with the need for the throne. Perrotta gives a free-flowing, uninhibited performance as Lady Macbeth.

Often, Macbeth is played with a reverence and delicacy that don’t marry with the script’s rough and tumble language. Fee and his cast have created a masculine, testosterone-filled production that fills the stage with fights, swordplay and murder.

Fight choreographer Ken Merckx has helped create breathtaking fights and duels. When the fight and flowing blood is on the screen or on the stage several feet from the audience, the audience can feel protected. But in the new Hanna Theater, the violence is close enough to touch and audience members gasp because no one has a place to hide.

This is a stunning production. Mere words cannot evoke the visual appeal and the emotional qualities of this glorious production.

You don’t have to be superstitious about this production of Macbeth. However, you might cross your fingers and hope to get tickets for one of the performances.

Macbeth continues in repertory with Into the Woods through Nov. 8.

News Herald
October 2, 2008
Clever disguise defines GLTF’s Macbeth
Bob Abelman, News Herald Theater Critic

Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy has one of the longest-running curses in theatre history.

Macbeth is about an army general’s bloody rise to power and the guilt-ridden pathology of evil deeds that follow. Macbeth’s ambition, and the horrific path he takes toward being crowned King of Scotland, are foreseen in the prophecies of three sisters who are witches. Macbeth assassinates the reigning king, murders his best friend, and kills the wife and children of his key rival. Lady Macbeth’s blind passion for power leads her into an unnatural alliance with witchcraft, which results in insomnia, madness, suicide, and some of the best soliloquies ever written for the stage.

During the original performance of Macbeth in 1606, the actor playing Lady Macbeth collapsed and died from a fever and Shakespeare himself had to step in and play the role. Since then, disaster after disaster has befallen productions of this play. Fires have destroyed theatres. Storms have delayed openings. Freakish accidents and sudden death have befallen lead players. The livelihoods of famous, classically trained actors such as Laurence Olivier, Peter O’Toole and Lionel Barrymore have been threatened by uncharacteristically lousy performances.

Leave it to the creative team at the Great Lakes Theatre Festival to sidestep the curse by cleverly disguising the play. In doing so, it has brought vitality and innovation to one of Shakespeare’s most dark and ominous dramas.

The GLTF brain-trust decided to infuse its production of Macbeth with classic Japanese styles and sensibilities. The set, the sound, the costuming and the fight choreography reflect Japanese influence and borrow Japanese theatre traditions. The Far East meets the Thane of Scotland. It works. All of it.

The entire production is underscored with live percussion based on the bold rhythms of Taiko drummers of Japan. In fact, two traditionally adorned drummers are positioned on stage throughout the performance. Their drumming brings to life scenes of battle, references to thunder, persistent knocking at the gates, and the constant racing of Macbeth’s heavy heart. Their drumming accompanies the running entrances and exits of characters and their samurai-style sword-play, and gives this production a wonderfully progressive pace. Their drumming dramatically informs the actions of the three weird sisters, who represent the most interesting and effective use of Japanese influence.

The sisters, played brilliantly by Sara Bruner, Laura Welsh Berg and Cathy Prince, are given mask-like Geisha white face and adorned in flowing, black gowns by costume designer Star Moxley. Within these gowns is an apparatus that likens the sisters’ form and movement to a bat. They create an absolutely haunting image, which is used to its full advantage by director Charles Fee, who has these apparitions appearing and vanishing throughout the play.

Riveting performances are also turned in by Dougfred Miller as Macbeth, Lynn Robert Berg as best friend Banquo, and Laura Perrotta as Lady Macbeth. They completely buy into the unique staging of this classic play, as does the top-notch ensemble cast.

Although the Japanese influence is infused in every aspect of this production, this GLTF rendering does not lose sight of or undermine the Celtic core of the characters and the story. Shakespeare’s great Macbeth is cleverly disguised, but it is most certainly recognizable.

This production has brought glory to the just-renovated, state-of-the-art Hanna Theatre. The Hanna is the newest, most luxurious gem in the increasingly beautiful theatre district in downtown Cleveland. Unfortunately, this production was not able to avoid the curse. Andrew May was the actor cast in the title role of Macbeth, but injured his back while the play was in rehearsals.

Macbeth runs in repertory with Stephen Sondeim’s Into the Woods until November 7.

Lorain County Times
September 30, 2008
Macbeth highlights new GLTF home at the refurbished Hanna
Roy Berko, Lorain County Times Theater Critic

Macbeth – the first production in The Great Lakes Theater Festival’s new 14.7 million dollar new home, shows off all the elements of the refurbished Hanna Theatre. From the very first drum beat, director Charles Fee uses the intimate facility to its maximum effect. Electronic platforms make actors and set pieces rise and fall from the thrust stage area. Special light effects, possible with the enhanced illumination system, are ever present. The audience is brought into the action by actors passing within inches of them as the performers charge up and down the aisles.

For those concerned about what happened to the Hanna, worry not. In spite of the change in seating patterns, the balcony, a favorite viewing area for many, still exists, complete with its ornate plaster front decorations. In fact, all of the colorfully painted ornateness is still there. The wonderful auditorium ceiling, the proscenium arch and the decoration on the side boxes have all been retained. Only the paint color on the walls has been adjusted. A bland beige has been used to cover the original color.

One of the wonders of the theatre is the acoustics. No mikes are needed for the actors to be easily heard throughout the theatre. No mike squeals or uneven balance between actors’ spoken words. Hurrah! This is theatre as it should be.

Yes, the initial attention on opening night seemed to center on the trappings, the new bar area, the spacious and more comfortable seats, the wider aisles. But, the attention soon shifted to the stage, where Fee has created a wonder-filled production.

Macbeth, which is among the best-known of Shakespeare’s plays, is loosely drawn on the historical account of King Macbeth of Scotland. Originally conceived in four acts, it tells of the dangers of the lust for power and the betrayal of friends.

The main action centers on Macbeth, whose wife, Lady Macbeth, hatches a plan to murder the king and secure the throne. Although Macbeth raises concerns about the regicide, Lady Macbeth eventually persuades him, by challenging his manhood, to follow her plan. Unfortunately, the prophecies of three spirits that Macbeth encounters in the woods, who state that his heirs will not inherit the throne come true. They tell him to “beware Macduff”, but that “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” These actions carry forth the plot.

The play is filled with great scenes including the one in which Lady Macbeth, racked with guilt from the crimes she and her husband have committed, sleepwalks and tries to wash imaginary bloodstains from her hands, all the while speaking of the terrible things she knows.

There are many superstitions centered on the belief that the play is somehow “cursed’, and many actors will not mention the name of the play aloud, referring to it instead as “The Scottish Play.” Great Lakes was not immune from the curse. Associate Artistic Director Andrew May, who was to portray Macbeth, was injured prior to production and had to be replaced.

As for the GLTF staging, Fee has been nothing but creative. He utilized on-stage percussionists performing Japanese taiko drumming; reconceptualized the witches into spirits who transform themselves into blackbirds, trees and images; remolded the play into two acts, thus shortening it without losing any impact; used a Japanese flavor which influenced not only the startling set but the costumes and stage movements; underplayed rather than overacted Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s famous speeches; and, called on general American pronunciation which makes for ease in understanding.

The cast is uniformly excellent. Questions can be raised. Did Dougfred Miller (Macbeth) and Laura Perrotta (Lady Macbeth) give great performances? Bottom line, both are quite adequate and do not detract from the overall effect. Should the actor’s speeches be given to each other rather than directed to the audience? Probably yes. Do the drum sounds lose their effect after a while? I didn’t find that true though some members of the audience seemed to think so. Were Phil Carroll and Tim Try strong enough as Duncan’s sons? No.

Some factors are clear. The witches, Sara Bruner, Laura Welsh Berg and Cathy Prince are outstanding. Drummers Seth Asa Sengel and Matthew Webb grab and hold attention. David Anthony Smith (Macduff), Dudley Swetland (Porter), Aled Davies (Duncan, King of Scotland) and Lynn Robert Berg (Banquo) are excellent.

Kudos to Scenic Designer Gage Williams, Costume Designer Star Moxley, Lighting Designer Rick Martin and Fight Choreographer Ken Merckx, who incorporate Kabuki-like movements and gymnastics into the fighting, for creating the technical aspects which enhanced the production.

Cleveland Women
October 1, 2008
MACBETH highlights new GLTF home at the refurbished Hanna
Kelly Ferjutz, Independent Theater Critic

Wow! This isn't your Grandma’s Hanna Theatre any more, but she’d love it, just the same. As you will, too, whenever you choose to visit a production by the Great Lakes Theater Festival. You have such an opportunity right now as the company has just opened the new Hanna and their new season with Shakespeare's most dramatic play – Macbeth. It is, in a word-stupendous!

It’s also not your Grandpa’s version of the Scottish play, either. This one ventures into Asian as well as Medieval sensibilities, being also stylized and noisy! It is not, however, for even one nano-second, boring or too loud. No, it’s just noisy. You can’t have lots of warfare and fighting-with real steel swords-and a pair of well-muscled drummers (Seth Asa Sengel and Matthew Webb) right there on stage without noise.

It all makes the battle scenes the more realistic. As well as a large drum, each drummer also has a huge shield-like piece of metal beside him, to use as cymbal or other sound effect. Sengel also played flute at various times. It’s fascinating theater.

The new stage at the Hanna is also a marvel. It’s a thrust stage, thrusting itself right out into the audience, with an elevator in the center that raises or lowers the floor, sometimes in segments. The renovation to the theatre has provided much better seating, too, or at least more leg room! The seats are configured differently, but the two historic boxes remain, as does at least a part of the balcony, which has had a few boxes added to it. Along the rear sides of the main floor are other special seating innovations, for a total of seven types of seating/ticketing available for your enjoyment and convenience.

There is liquid refreshment available, both before the show and during intermission, and this oasis is also within the theater space itself!

Another innovation is the expanded ‘Enhance your Experience’ social options: Salon Thursdays, Happy Hour Fridays, Night Cap Saturdays and Ice Cream Social Sundays. Full details may be found at the web-site: www.greatlakestheater.org or by calling 216.241.6000. If you love theater, you owe it to yourself to explore the new Hanna!

Anyone who loves theater should also avail themselves of this Macbeth. Your interest will be caught and held from the opening moments right through the stormy ending. Director Charles Fee has pulled out all the stops to make this an unforgettable theatrical experience, and he succeeds big-time.

Cleveland audiences also reap the benefit of this play having been staged last month in Boise, Idaho, the theatrical sister of Great Lakes. Nearly all the same actors perform in each city, which adds a terrific sense of company.

The scenic design by Gage Williams is minimal, but very effective, being mostly white walls with black angular uprights here and there, somewhat reminiscent of tree branches. There is a long platform across the stage proper, and steps everywhere. Black is also the main color of the costumes, along with red highlights, and of course, the ever present red silk strips representing blood. Lots of blood! Star Moxley’s costumes for the warriors lean heavily on Medieval armor by way of ancient Japan, influenced a bit by Star Wars. They seemed extremely appropriate, however. Lady Macbeth (Laura Perrotta) is dashing in brilliant red or pure white swirling around her, as she floats or flies up the stairs rushing here or there.

Lighting designer Rick Martin must have had the time of his life with all the lights at his disposal. The ceiling is hardly visible for all of them, but he was judicious in their use, creating the darkness so necessary for Macbeth and his minions.

Sound design by Peter John Still added to the ambiance. Fight choreographer Ken Merckx created breath-taking and acrobatic sword-play that seemed almost as natural to the warriors as breathing.

Anyone who thinks acting isn’t work needs to see this production to have his thinking readjusted. Stage manager Andrea Sitler kept this shortest of Shakespeare’s tragedies moving briskly throughout.

Even though the play is mostly about Macbeth and Dougfred Miller brings him to vivid life as a complex man who both wants and fears power, it is the three weird sisters who may well remain more strongly in your memory as you leave the theater. Here is where the ‘stylized’ component comes in.

Hooded and garbed all in black, with great swirling capes and baggy pants, they have poles adding length to their arms, and creating fearsome wing-like appendages. Sara M. Bruner, Laura Welsh Berg and Cathy Prince are on stage more frequently in this production than the playwright imagined them, but it works well. They are ghoulish, menacing and protective, sometimes all at the same time.

Aled Davies is the dignified Duncan, King of Scotland, who is, unfortunately, not long for this world, once he ventures into Macbeth’s world.

Lynn Robert Berg is effective as Banquo, while David Anthony Smith is heart-rending as the bereaved Macduff. Young Dylan White is especially note-worthy as Macduff’s son. Dudley Swetland is the bumptious porter.

It’s a large cast, with many performers in dual roles, and all are superbly performed. You’ll be unhappy with yourself if you don’t go see this Macbeth. It runs in repertory with the Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine Into the Woods, directed by Victoria Bussert, through November 8, 2008. Opening night for this musical is October 8.

Reviews: Into the Woods

Cleveland Jewish News
October 16, 2008
Great Lakes’ Into the Woods is Heavenly!
Fran Heller

At last!

Great Lakes Theater Festival has a new home where size, sound and stagecraft make a perfect fit.

And what better way to show off its intimate new digs than the lush and hypnotic 1988 Tony award-winning musical Into the Woods?

Director Victoria Bussert’s enchanting production coupled with James Lapine’s brilliant book and Stephen Sondheim’s sensual score will leave you where it left me: in musical nirvana.

The journey begins with Jeff Herr-mann’s woodsy set, a bewitching trio of gigantic trees, whose gnarled trunks and interlocking branches emit an eerie human quality. Norman Coates’s magical lighting is a visual ballet unto itself.

A mostly knockout cast pays due homage to Sondheim’s exotic melodies, tongue-twisting lyrics, and Lapine’s convoluted story that joins Grimm’s fairy tales with the theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and particularly Bruno Bettelheim; Bettelheim’s psychoanalytical exploration of fairy tales in The Uses of Enchantment became the basis for Lapine’s book.

Into the Woods is a parable about growing up and learning to accept responsibility for one’s actions. If people don’t live happily ever, according to its creators, there is solace in the message that no one is alone, and in community and engagement, lie strength and survival.

The narrative links four familiar childhood tales n Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood n with the fictitious story of a childless Baker and his Wife, upon whom their next-door neighbor, a Witch, has cast a spell. If the hapless couple can fulfill four conditions, the Witch will remove the hex and grant them a child. In three days’ time, they must find a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold.

Each of the characters has a wish: Cinderella, to attend the ball; Jack for his cow to give milk; and the Baker and his Wife for a child. They all go into the woods, a metaphor for quest, where they lose their way and their innocence, and emerge, through trial and loss, sadder but wiser for the experience.

Be careful what you wish for, because it may come true. At the end of the first act, everybody’s wish is granted, and they live happily ever after. But not for long, as Act Two reminds us that all actions have moral consequences.

The star of the show is, of course, Sondheim’s seductive music and leapfrogging lyrics, a heady brew of melody and wit that induces an intoxicating high.

Plaudits must begin with Tom Ford as the forgetful Baker, and personality-plus Jodi Dominick as the opportunistic and resourceful Baker’s Wife. The stage grows even brighter whenever these two appear.

Vivacious Erin Childs as the plucky Little Red Ridinghood is another star in the firmament. After her encounter with the Wolf, when she is awakened to life’s dangers and its uncertainty and ambivalence, Little Red Ridinghood sings, “Isn’t it nice to know a lot. And a little bit not.”

Derrick Cobey and Phil Carroll are hilarious as a pair of vainglorious and fickle brothers whose respective objects of affection, Cinderella and Rapunzel, remain just out of reach in the laugh-out-loud number “Agony.” Once the coveted prize is won, they quickly prove inconstant in their love. “I was brought up to be charming, not sincere,” says Cinderella’s Prince. Cobey is a hoot as the lascivious, lip-smacking Wolf, contemplating Little Red Ridinghood as his next meal.

Emily Krieger is charming in her own right as the conflicted Cinderella, who can’t make up her mind about the Prince. Nanette Canfield sings like a nightingale as Cinderella’s sympathetic mother.

Crowned with a carrot top Mohawk, Tim Try’s droll characterization as the dimwitted Jack overrides his vocal limitations. The ever-reliable Maryann Nagel is a wellspring of delight as Jack’s much put-upon mother.

As the avenging Witch, Jessica L. Cope does ample justice to the plaintive song “Stay with Me,” a primer for any parent who learns that to keep a child you have to give her up. Alyssa Weldon’s Rapunzel echoes the yearning of every offspring to see the world.

Marc Moritz is the omniscient narrator, the only one who knows how the story will end. Moritz also doubles as the Mysterious Man.

Stan Kozak’s sound effects, from chirping birds and the thunderous clap of a giantess on the warpath, to Milky White’s audible bovine digestion, tantalize throughout. Charlotte Yetman’s storybook costumes are scrumptious.

Unlike fairy tales that present right and wrong in terms of black and white, good and evil, “Into the Woods” is “a cautionary tale in shades of gray, where witches tell the truth, nice people lie, and good people die.”

Though preachy, never has such sermonizing been such delicious fun!

Adding to the potent elixir is Bussert’s charmed direction, Martín Céspedes’s spotlessly choreographed movements, and musical director John Jay Espino and the orchestra’s spell-binding musicality.

Need an escape from the latest headlines? Into the Woods is just the “thicket!”

Spangle Magazine
October 15, 2008
Into the Woods: A Worthy Destination
Brian Patrick Thornton

The true measure of whether a production has me completely gripped in its spell is when I forget I’m reviewing and become just an audience member.

With Great Lakes Theater Festival’s Into the Woods, now playing in repertory with MacBeth, that moment came midway through the second act, when the notes on my pad just … stopped.

It’s a moment when the Baker’s Wife, played by Jodi Dominick with a genuine spirit and sincerity of emotion not expected in a musical, takes command of the Hanna Theatre’s grand thrust stage with a moving, revelatory song that uncovers the heart of this show. From there through the end, Stephen Sondheim’s play that twists common fairy tales into satire, mayhem and bloodshed becomes raw and ultimately moving.

The characters are familiar: Cinderella and her step-family, Little Red Ridinghood, Rapunzel, Jack and his beanstalk and two Princes Charming are integral to the plot. But when Sondheim mashes the stories of our childhoods with a new tale of a baker, his wife and a witch, the action spirals into new territory. Happily ever after may arrive at intermission; the interesting pieces of what comes later are revealed during Act Two.

Into the Woods is among Sondheim’s most beloved shows, and with good reason. It’s a charming love tale, which maintains a sardonic and realistic wit about relationships’ perils. The plot is madcap and rollicking; the songs alternate between stirring and driving. The Great Lakes production lives up to its pedigree.

Director Victoria Bussert keeps the action swift while letting the quiet moments breathe long enough for tender connections to develop. The best moments include the winking scenes between the two princes (Derrick Cobey and Phil Carroll, playing with just a tad too much subtlety), Cinderella’s burgeoning maternal feelings to Red Ridinghood, and any of the Baker’s Wife’s interactions (with the Baker, Cinderella, one of the princes).

A Best in Show notice goes to Emily Krieger, who plays Cinderella without ditziness and instead finds depth. But the show hinges on the relationship between the Baker (Tom Ford) and his wife (the aforementioned Dominick). You believe in this couple, who demonstrate love that’s grounded in reality – they tease, they bicker, but it’s not hateful or stereotypical. It’s how love is.

The intimate staging of the Hanna Theatre provides a new perspective on musical theater. Our seats during this preview performance were just feet from much of the action. Because of this, over-the-top staging simply wouldn’t work. Instead, we are blessed with the subtle emotions that march across the faces of Krieger, Ford and Dominick. The broader performances, such as Red Ridinghood and Jack’s Mother (Erin Childs and Maryann Nagel) actually are hindered by the setup.

Not all is perfect: There are occasions in group numbers when you wish for a stronger song. The “action” scenes following the giant’s attack feel somehow awkward and amateurish. And the flashiest role – the witch – falls a bit flat in the second act.

Still, this is one enjoyable romp that proves Great Lakes remains Cleveland’s most polished professional company.

Rave and Pan
October 14, 2008
Into the Woods at Great Lakes Theater Festival
Christine Howey, Independent Theater Critic

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
– Albert Einstein

It wouldn’t seem to make sense, on the face of it, that reading and knowing stories of pure fantasy, populated with one-dimensional characters, could lead to increased brain power. But these tales have resonated over centuries, indicating that something is going on that we really don’t fully understand or appreciate.

This is the world that is expanded and explored in the endlessly fascinating musical Into the Woods, now being given an often magical production by the Great Lakes Theater Festival. In this play, Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and James Lapine (book) mash up different fairy tales—Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk—adding a couple new characters to boot.

But their real mission is to turn fairy tales inside out, challenging the audience to see those well-worn stories from a fresh perspective. For instance, the giant’s wife comes down to Earth, mourning her dead hubby who crashed after Jack chopped down the beanstalk, but she’s understandably pissed and looking for revenge. And the handsome prince skips out on his, um, fairy tale marriage with Cinderella and has a fling with a baker’s wife (as he helpfully explains, “I was raised to be charming, not sincere.”)

There’s also a witch who is transformed into a beauty (but she loses her magical powers in the process) and a Little Red (Erin Childs) who is as bloodthirsty for wolf carcasses as Sarah Palin, but not nearly as dim. Replete with the requisite number of devourings, spells, tragic accidents and magic beans, the intersecting stories are tied together by a narrator (a smoothly avuncular Marc Moritz) and a volley of songs that benefit from the witty Sondheim touch. When the wolf is chatting up Lil’ Red, he croons deliciously to himself, “There’s no way to describe how you feel/When you’re talking to your meal.”

The intimate new GLTF digs help make Into the Woods a special experience, as the audience is cozied up to the thrust stage like kids listening to an enthralling storyteller. The set designed by Jeff Herrmann is appropriately make-believe, with gnarly trees that rotate to reveal secondary playing areas. And the cast under the finely-tuned direction of Victoria Bussert largely succeeds in finding fresh ways to make these characters burst vividly to life.

As the wicked witch, Jessica L. Cope has a powerful voice that is put to superb use in the “Witch’s Lament” in which she reflects on her (stolen) daughter Rapunzel’s wayward ways: “Children can only grow/From something you love/To something you lose.” Tom Ford is an endearing presence as the baker, who is on a scavenger hunt in the woods so that the childless spell he and his wife are under can be lifted.

Derek Cobey is excellent both as Cinderella’s vain Prince and as the wolf—in the latter role his hairstyle and demeanor recall a young Rod Stewart on the prowl. And he has a delectable, preening duet with Phil Carroll, as Rapunzel’s Prince, when they sing of their “Agony” in connecting with the objects of their affection. Plus, Emily Krieger sings like a lark as Cinderella and manages some dandy pratfalls.

Although she works hard, Maryann Nagel never quite discovers a comedic hook as Jack’s mother, her rants about his stupidity (“You sold a cow for some beans?!”) never coalescing into a clear portrait. And as the baker’s wife, Jodi Dominick seems a bit under-whelmed when she is swept off her feet by Cindy’s Prince.

Sure, this script is a bit overwritten, and there are too many instances of overt didacticism “(Now I’ve learned something I’ve never known before!”). But it’s all worth it for the many moments when the music and the inspired idea of Into the Woods merge, reviving the awe and wonder we first felt when we heard these weird and wonderful stories. And adding a whole new set of moral issues to ponder.

West Side Leader
Ocotber 16, 2008
Musical describes life after ‘happily ever after’
David Ritchey

CLEVELAND – Once upon a time, two men wrote a musical. Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and James Lapine (book) wrote a musical play titled Into the Woods, which is being presented by the Great Lakes Theater Festival in the Hanna Theatre.

This was a musical play about Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack and the Bean Stalk, a wicked witch and a baker and his wife. Late in the play, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty join the action. Most of the elements of those familiar stories are linked together with narrative, dialogue and music in the first act. By the end of the first act, everyone is living happily ever after.

However, in the second act, the writers meditate on what happens after “happily ever after.” When things couldn’t get better, they start getting worse. Characters go into the woods to find the solutions to their problems, or the trip into the woods is a symbolic journey to find truth within themselves.

Quickly, the characters learn that each is the source of his or her problems and each must find his or her own solutions.

Some discover they may have been damaged by their parents, but they must go forward, through the woods, to find peace. The witch tells the characters not to look to royalty (government) for the solution to the problems.

Yes, in true fairy-tale style, they are threatened by a force outside of their control. After Jack arranges the death of the giant, the giant’s wife, who is also a giant, arrives, demanding revenge. This great force, almost a war or an economic upheaval, destroys some lives and changes all other lives. The female giant’s destruction is willy-nilly, without motivation and plan. Those who get in her way find themselves under the heel of her boot.

By the end of the second act, most of the characters have made peace with the woods and have found contentment.

Sondheim wrote an amazing score, which has won a Tony Award and other recognitions. Two of the songs have a life outside of the production – “No More” and “No One Is Alone.”

The cast is uniformly excellent. Tom Ford (baker) and Jodi Dominick (baker’s wife) have the ability to act, sing and dance. Dominick can make a plaintiff plea for a child and bring tears to the eyes. Ford explores parenthood with the bewilderment of most first-time parents.

Jessica Cope (witch) wears the witch’s many different costumes with the style of a dancer on the runway. Cope sings well and casts a spell over most of the audience.

Laura Perrotta (Cinderella’s Stepmother) makes her character reminiscent of Susan Lucci of soap opera fame. Perrotta makes the Stepmother always on the verge of catastrophe.

This is another excellent performance from Perrotta, who blows the top off with her performance of Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, which is playing in repertory with Into the Woods.

Director Victoria Bussert makes the most of this uniquely talented cast. Bussert must realize the script is several pages too long and keeps the action moving at a brisk pace.

Bussert is one of the gems of Northeast Ohio. Those who have not seen a show she has directed should not miss Into the Woods.

The Akron Beacon Journal
October 11, 2008
Classics for kids in clever update Into the Woods puts a saucy, adult twist on childhood favorites
Elaine Guregian, Beacon Journal arts and culture writer

Watch out for Great Lakes Theater Festival’s new production of Into the Woods. It’s diverting and saucy, and it might just surprise you by capturing your heart.

The plot is a zippy cocktail of children’s classics served with a twist by creators Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and James Lapine (book). How did it occur to them to take the stories of Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Cinderella and a baker and his wife, then combine them for nonstop action?

Victoria Bussert directs a big, likable cast in a visually appealing production with scenic design by Jeff Herrmann and lighting by Norman Coates. The looming, dark woods is nicely scaled to fit the stage of the company’s new home, the renovated Hanna Theatre.

The music and lyrics for this 1987 show won Sondheim a Tony award, and this appealing cast puts the material across with style, helped along by clever, grown-up costumes by Charlotte Yetman. How about those leather boots and dog-collar necklace for the Wolf, who slobbers in hunger that borders uncomfortably on lust when he eyes Little Red Ridinghood? Derrick Cobey is as upright and Disney-noble as a Prince as he is creepy as the Wolf.

One especially fun pairing is Cobey as Cinderella’s Prince, matched with Phil Carroll as Rapunzel’s Prince. These guys are two of a kind in their preening, proud manhood, thrusting out their chests in the song Agony.

Into the Woods isn’t so much retelling of whole stories as creative reuse of their characters and – where it’s convenient – their morals. Marc Moritz, dressed as a mild-mannered cardigan-wearing Narrator or shrouded as the Mysterious Man, helps hold the pieces together.

Erin Childs’ petite height suits her in the role of Little Red Ridinghood, but more than that, her firm ‘‘don't condescend to me; I'm all grown up’’ makes her a Red to contend with.

Emily Krieger has a sweet look and voice to match as Cinderella. Hint: If things in her world seem like they’re too tame, just wait until her stepsisters try on her slippers.

Tim Try is a flamboyant Jack with his red mohawk. As the Witch, Jessica L. Cope stands out for her big voice and unyielding manner.

The space offers more variety in seating than we have in other Northeast Ohio theaters. I’ve been trying out different seats at the Hanna. Thursday night, the view was excellent from the side of House Left. (From there, I could also turn toward the audience and see the video screens that are mounted high on the balconies. The monitors let the actors watch the conductor, John Jay Espino, who was leading the excellent orchestra backstage, deep in the woods.)

Amplification is taken for granted just about everywhere now, but in this intimate, 550-seat space, it’s surprising that it’s necessary and for the volume of the show to be so loud. Maybe that was just a function of where I was sitting. When a gaggle of origami birds chirped from the fantastical woods, they created a din.

Bussert often had the cast come forward on the thrust stage, close to the audience, although their default position was more toward the front (as in a traditional proscenium theater) than to the sides. Martin Cespedes’ choreography fills the stage with bright movement, and the performers are snappy.

‘‘You are not alone,’’ goes a song from the show. By the time you leave this production, you may feel reassured that it’s true.

Elaine Guregian can be reached at 330-996-3574 or eguregian@thebeaconjournal.com.

News Herald
October 13, 2008
Great Lakes Offers Accessible Into the Woods
Bob Abelman, News Herald Theater Critic

Theater-goers have a love or hate relationship with composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. Since the 1970s, Mr. Sondheim singlehandedly transformed all that is simple and predictable and harmonious in American musical theater into something … different.

Many of his productions, such as Sweeney Todd blur the line between lyric and dialogue, filling the air with a dense stream of words and images. Mr. Sondheim tends to place a disorienting discord beneath his melodies and offers a paper-thin distinction between his songs and his musical underscoring, as is the case with Sunday in the Park with George. His stories are complex, as are the people who inhabit them.

A Sondheim show is an acquired taste to say the least. Many theatre-goers find his creativity to be outside their own comfort zone and beyond their long-established expectations for musicals. Some find his work simply inaccessible.

This is not the case with Into the Woods. Although it bears all the theatrical trademarks of a Sondheim musical, this show intertwines the familiar plots of several well-known Brothers Grimm fairy tales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella. They are tied together via a seemingly simple story involving a Baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family. The characters’ storybook stories play out in Act I and the relatively superficial and recognizable morality attached to each is presented.

This musical may be more accessible than most of Mr. Sondheim’s creations, but nothing is ever simple with Sondheim, even when he collaborates with Tony Award-winning librettist James Lapine and populates his play with fairy tale creations. Act II reveals the consequences of each character’s earlier actions. We discover that evil witches can be right, giants are people too, getting your Prince does not mean happily ever after, and having your wish granted can have a serious downside. No wonder the high school version of this musical ends with Act I. We adults are exposed to the dark underbelly of once upon a time.

The Great Lakes Theater Festival production of Into the Woods, which opened last weekend, makes this most accessible of modern-day Sondheim musicals even more so. The creative vision of director Victoria Bussert, clever choreography of Martin Cespedes, magnificent costumes by Charlotte Yetman, and the hauntingly fanciful set designed by Jeff Herrmann capture the imagination, command attention, and thoroughly entertain. This is a gorgeous, saturated, fluid production.

Of course, much of this production’s success can be attributed to its exceptional cast. Unlike the original New York and London versions of this show, where extraordinary individual performances served to define those productions, performances by the GLTF players are beautifully balanced. Everyone has mastered the demanding musical score, presented under the fine direction of John Jay Espino. Everyone has developed a distinctive and likable character. No one steals anyone else’s thunder.

Particularly distinctive are Tom Ford and Jodi Dominick’s endearing Baker and his wife, Erin Childs’ delightfully assertive Little Red Riding Hood, Tim Try’s dimwitted Jack, and Derrick Cobey and Phil Carroll’s dead-one depictions of perfect Princes. Quality voices are a common commodity, but Emily Krieger as Cinderella, Alyssa Weldon as Rapunzel and Jessica Cope as the Witch are remarkable. Marc Moritz provides the narrative glue that holds this production together, and he is immensely charming.

In Into the Woods, fairy tale characters travel into a dark, enchanted forest to discover who they are and to learn important life lessons. Audience members willing to take the same trek will discover what makes Stephen Sondheim a unique American treasure. Into the Woods runs in repertory with the GLTF’s production of Macbeth until November 8 in the majestically refurbished Hanna Theatre in still-being-renovated downtown Cleveland.

Lorain County Times
October 13, 2008
INTO THE WOODS Delights at Great Lakes
Roy Berko, Lorain County Times Theater Critic

Have you ever asked yourself what happens following the “and they lived happily ever after” at the conclusion of most fairy tales? Do you think everything is rosy for the prince and his beloved, or for Jack and his mother after they get the hen that lays the golden eggs? Well, after watching INTO THE WOODS at Great Lakes Theatre Festival, you might change your mind.

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical, which was inspired by Bruno Bettelheim’s THE USES OF ENCHANTMENT, intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales in the first act and then explores the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests in the second act. The main characters are taken from Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, tied together by a story involving a Baker and his wife and their quest for a family.

INTO THE WOODS premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters’ portrayed the Witch, and Joanna Gleason was the Baker's Wife. It won Tony Awards for Best Score, and Best Book in a year dominated by THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

This is one of Sondheim’s most beautiful and accessible scores. It includes the poignant “No More,” “No One is Alone,” and “Children Will Listen.” The music lingers in your mind long after the production.

As proven by Great Lakes Theatre Festival’s MACBETH, which opened last week and now INTO THE WOODS, GLTF is on a roll. It might be their new refurbished home in the beautiful Hanna Theatre, or it may be a change in attitude; but, whatever it is … audiences are in for a treat.

Director Victoria Bussert and choreographer Martin Cespedes create ever-involving stage pictures, which are framed by Scenic Designer Jeff Herman’s creative set. (Be sure to look for the faces and figures cleverly interwoven into the trees, which overlook the happenings.) Charlotte Yetman’s costumes, Norman Coates lighting and Stan Kozak’s sound design help complete the illusion.

Musical Director John Jay Espino and his well-tuned orchestra generally do a good job of backing up rather than drowning out the singers.

The cast is uniformly excellent. Jodi Dominick sings well and creates the right empathy as the Baker’s wife. Tom Ford, he of sad and mobile face, is excellent as the Baker. Jessica L. Cope has a compelling singing voice and creates a Witch who is delightfully witchy. Derrick Cobey makes for a great wolf, but overacts and postures too much as Cinderella’s Prince. Maryann Nagel is a fine fuss-budget as Jack’s mother. Tim Try is perfectly nerdy as Jack. Mark Moritz does a nice job of transitioning between being the Narrator and the Mysterious Man. Emily Krieger creates the right image as Cinderella, but is often difficult to hear during her songs.

Cleveland Women
October 13, 2008
Into the Woods
Kelly Ferjutz, Independent Theater Critic

Once upon a time … used to end with ‘and they lived happily ever after’. Didn’t it? Maybe once upon a time, they did. These days, there’s no guarantees. Well, maybe one. If you go see Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre between now and November 8, you’ll be happy you did.

Once upon a time, Stephen Sondheim wrote lyrics for the music composed by others-West Side Story and Gypsy being the most notable examples. But then, he started composing his own songs, and used words written by others, although there are some brilliant shows for which he wrote both words and music!

Among these musical theatre classics are A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd. In collaboration with James Lapine are Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Assassins.

Into the Woods starts with four of the most popular fairy tales and mixes them all up in a stew, slightly fracturing them along the way. Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel, are woven around a previously unknown tale – that of a baker and his wife, who long to have a family of their own.

During the first act, we meet all these characters, plus their companions. Cinderella (Emily Krieger), of course has a wicked step-mother (Laura Perotta in a wig, the color of which never existed in nature) and two step-sisters, Cathy Prince and Paige Neal. Jack (Tim Try) has a mother-and what a mother she is, too! Maryann Nagel comes close to stealing the show, as she pushes Jack out to explore the world, then reels him back in again, along with his cow!

Erin Childs as Little Red Riding Hood is terrific, both vocally and visually, while Granny (Nanette Canfield) is convincing in her minor role. The wolf? Now, he's a different type of wolf than we’re accustomed to seeing, but fun with it all. Derrick Cobey does double duty as wolf and Cinderella’s prince. (More about that later.)

Rapunzel, for some reason, isn’t a major factor, although Alyssa Weldon is more than capable. At least her story provides great scenery-chewing options for the witch, and Jessica Cope takes advantage of every bite! Rapunzel’s Prince is Phil Carroll. The Steward is M. A. Taylor, while the Narrator and Mysterious Man are neatly delineated by the one Marc Moritz. There are brief appearances at the very end by Laura Welsh Berg as Snow White (minus dwarves) and Sara Bruner as Sleeping Beauty.

The glue that holds all these stories together (should we say flour and water?) is provided by the baker of Tom Ford and his wife – Jodi Dominick. They’re a very normal, almost ordinary couple who just happen to live in the woods. The only blight on their horizon is the lack of children, and once the witch hears that-look out!

She devises a plan whereby the baker must finagle something of value from each of the characters: Cinderella, Jack, Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel. If they are successful, and bring her their treasures, she will provide a baby.

The first act is the telling of this larger story, wound around and through the familiar fairy tales. It’s bright and colorful, with great songs and singing and a good bit of dance. Director Victoria Bussert keeps a brisk pace throughout, while still allowing breathing space between the vignettes, so one is never confused by what is happening.

The second act demonstrates how easily everything can fall apart once you have what you thought you wanted. Jack has slain the giant, and now his widow demands Jack's life in exchange. Some of the forest’s inhabitants are in favor of turning him over, others resist, with varying degrees of success. All of them lose something of personal value along the way.

Nothing is as it seems, and when the two princes (Cinderella's and Rapunzel's) do their reprise of the first act's ‘Agony’ it's all too believable. They’re adept at dancing and posturing, but the latter is somewhat distracting from the otherwise believable characterizations.

All of the actors sing really well, and while I usually rail against amplification, I must admit this theatre did it right! It's not overloud, and doesn't create shrieks when the singer hits his or her power range. The music director, John Jan Espino put together a small scale orchestra that sounded terrific!

Even though the musicians were hidden behind the forest (and these were some HUGE trees!) their sound was exactly right, never over-powering the voices. Choreography was by Martin Céspedes. The set is awesome. Four huge multi-storied trees are spaced evenly across the stage, providing the housing for the four vignettes. Jeff Herrmann cleverly created faces amidst the branches and leaves, and it's fun to try to pick them out. Little Red Riding Hood’s tree is especially witty.

The costumes of Charlotte Yetman are mostly bright colored and beautiful – especially Cinderella’s ball gown, which gets very hard usage! Lighting is by Norman Coates and sound by Stan Kozak. Stage Manager Corrie E. Purdom kept everything moving smoothly.

Photos: Macbeth

Something wicked this way comes. A trio of witches casts their spell and commences Great Lakes Theater Festival’s production of Macbeth to open the classic theater company's 47th season in its new home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Pictured above from left to right are actors Laura Welsh Berg, Sara M. Bruner and Cathy Prince. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical journey Into the Woods through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
Something wicked this way comes. A trio of witches casts their spell and commences Great Lakes Theater Festival’s production of Macbeth to open the classic theater company’s 47th season in its new home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Pictured above from top to bottom are actors Cathy Prince, Laura Welsh Berg and Sara M. Bruner. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical journey Into the Woods through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
Resident acting company members Dougfred Miller (as Macbeth, left) and Lynn Robert Berg (as Banquo, right) take center stage in Great Lakes Theater Festival’s production of Shakespeare’s maelstrom of politics and magic, Macbeth. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim's enchanting musical journey Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
Present and future kings collide as resident acting company members Dougfred Miller (Macbeth, left), Aled Davies (King Duncan, right) and Phil Carroll (Malcolm, back right) take center stage in Great Lakes Theater Festival’s production of Shakespeare’s towering tragedy, Macbeth. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical journey Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
Festival favorite Dougfred Miller stars as the title character in the Great Lakes Theater Festival production of William Shakespeare’s towering tragedy Macbeth, to commence the classic theater company’s 47th season in its new home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical journey Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni		Festival favorite Dougfred Miller stars as the title character in the Great Lakes Theater Festival production of William Shakespeare’s towering tragedy Macbeth, to commence the classic theater company's 47th season in its new home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical journey Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
“Til death do us part.” proves a murderous marriage vow in a towering Shakespearean tragedy. Festival favorites Laura Perrotta and Dougfred Miller star as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth respectively in Great Lakes Theater Festival’s production of Macbeth to open the classic theater company’s 47th season in its new home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical journey Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
Festival favorite Laura Perrotta stars as Lady Macbeth in the Great Lakes Theater Festival production of William Shakespeare’s towering tragedy Macbeth, to commence the classic theater company’s 47th season in its new home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical journey Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni		“Boil, boil, toil and trouble,” chants Festival actor Laura Welsh Berg as one of the famous witches to open the second act of Shakespeare’s towering tragedy, Macbeth – Great Lakes Theater Festival’s season opening production in its new home at the Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical journey Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
Beware Macduff (actor, David Anthony Smith. left). Actor Phil Carroll, the unsuspecting future king Malcolm, advises Macbeth’s slayer in the Great Lakes Theater Festival production of William Shakespeare’s towering tragedy Macbeth, to commence classic theater company’s 47th season in its new home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical journey Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
GLTF’s resident acting company takes center stage in William Shakespeare’s towering tragedy, Macbeth – commencing the classic theater company’s 47th season in its new home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Macbeth runs in rotating repertory with Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical journey Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni

Great Lakes Theater Festival’s resident acting company conjures a classic collection of fairy tale characters in the enchanting Stephen Sondheim musical, Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Into the Woods runs in rotating repertory with Shakespeare’s towering tragedy Macbeth through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
Great Lakes Theater Festival’s resident acting company conjures a classic collection of fairy tale characters in the enchanting Stephen Sondheim musical, Into the Woods at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Into the Woods runs in rotating repertory with Shakespeare’s towering tragedy Macbeth through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
Three fairy tales end happily ever after, briefly, in Great Lakes Theater Festival’s production of the enchanting musical Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim. From left to right are actors Emily Kreiger (Cinderella), Tim Try (Jack), Marann Nagel (Jack’s Mother), Jodi Dominick (The Baker’s Wife) and Tom Ford (The Baker). Into the Woods runs in rotating repertory with Shakespeare’s towering tragedy Macbeth through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
“Hello Little Girl” sings the Wolf (played by Derrick Cobey) to a frightened Little Red Ridinghood (portrayed by Erin Childs) in the Great Lakes Theater Festival production of Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical Into the Woods. Into the Woods runs in rotating repertory with Shakespeare’s towering tragedy Macbeth at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni		Jack’s Mother (Maryann Nagel) keeps a watchful, protective eye over her son Jack (Tim Try) in the Great Lakes Theater Festival production of Stephen Sondheim’s enchanting musical Into the Woods. Into the Woods runs in rotating repertory with Shakespeare’s towering tragedy Macbeth at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare through November 8. Photography by Roger Mastroianni
Cinderella (Emily Kreiger, left) and The Baker’s Wife (Jodi Dominick, right) share a private moment to talk about ‘A Very Nice Pr