'Into the Woods' Captivates at the Hollywood Bowl

A stellar cast of Broadway veterans graced the Hollywood Bowl stage this past weekend performing Steven Sondheim's classic musical "Into the Woods" for a crowd of over 17,000.

Sondheim's spin on fairy tale legends is a frequently hilarious, oftentimes dark, and sometimes disturbing twist on the characters from the Brothers Grimm we know so well like Jack (from "Jack and the Beanstalk"), Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood. Sondheim's seemingly unstructured talk-song style isn't for everyone and this was sort of an unusual choice for a mass audience, but there are enough humor and whimsy that the Bowl crowd was certainly entertained.

Using minimal sets, but dressing the actors up as if they were really on Broadway and demanding performances that match, the real pleasure here is the cast.

The definitive standout was Tony Award winner Patina Miller ("Pippin") as The Witch. Her voice, characterization, and powerful ballads stole the show every time she graced the stage. Cheyenne Jackson did double duty as Cinderella's braggart Prince as well as the Wolf that terrorizes Red Riding Hood (an excellent Shanice Williams). He also stole the stage when he appeared especially during "Agony," his duet with Rapunzel's Prince (Chris Carmack).

Broadway wunderkind Sierra Boggess (next seen in L.A. in "The Light on the Piazza") was a good Cinderella, however the character doesn't have the weight of others such as the Baker ("Pitch Perfect's" Skylar Astin) and the Baker's Wife played expertly by Sutton Foster (Broadway's "Shrek"). She brings so much humor and fun to the role, you can't help but get giddy when she's on stage. And like Jack, "Stranger Things" Gaetan Matarazzo proves he's much more than that kid from that show.

The addition of Whoopi Goldberg as a projected Giant did seem a bit stunt-y and pointless, but the audience ate it up because she was one of the more recognizable voices if you aren't totally familiar with the stars of Broadway.

Truth be told, Sondheim isn't my thing and while I've seen this show a few times in different incarnations, I grew weary in the second act. But there are a lot of fans of this steadfast musical, so for them, this was a total treat that they were happily willing to go into the Hollywood Hills to see.

"Into the Woods Live at the Bowl" played July 26th-28th at the Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles. For information on upcoming events, please visitwww.hollywoodbowl.com.