Review: Strong female voices lead LBCC’s ‘Into the Woods,’ but other elements are questionable 

Into The Woods, is a musical intertwining multiple Brothers’ Grimm fairytales, and the musical of Long Beach City College’s spring semester opened this Friday, a performance that emphasized the themes of growing up and the relationships between parents and children.

A full cast of characters, such as Little Red Riding Hood, played by Charlie Banister, Cinderella, played by Sydney Bautista and many more, were just some of the highlights.

The musical’s powerful opening number introduces each of the characters and their wishes, from attending a ball, having a child, and wishing for bread; the characters all find themselves heading into the woods, which in LBCC’s depiction are actually hanging vines and dancers, not exactly the woods.

^{Actress Sydney Bautista, who plays Cinderella, hides from her prince behind ropes, which represent trees, during a dress rehearsal for LBCC’s production of “Into the Woods” on March 9. (Sam Villa)}

Using vines instead of the traditional trees allowed for more interaction, which made characters feel as if they were in the woods. Baustista, playing an excellent runaway bride, was able to be hidden from onlookers but still be seen by the audience, which was a nice portrayal instead of just going off stage.

Many of the stories at their core remain the same, as many know, Cinderella running from a ball and her prince, Rapunzel singing from her tower, Little Red Riding Hood bringing sweets to her grandmother in bed, but all ties lead back to the same fairytale woods.

The depiction of the woods with performers, while not unwelcome, should have been just a bit more explicit; dancers dressed in tweed are not exactly doing the most to signify trees.

The production wove together the paths of musical theater students and students who identify as actors, and it made or broke the musical at times.

Actors who were more familiar with traditional acting tended to lack vocals, making them seem weaker as compared to their counterparts. 

Pairing an actor like David Chhom, who plays Cinderella’s Prince, with Stephanie Ramirez, who plays the Baker’s Wife, is an example of this.

Chhom excelled in his acting portions, creating laughter through the audience with his overly dramatic movements and passionate chemistry with both his partners, the Baker’s Wife and Cinderella. But pairing him with Ramirez, who showed great skill in both her acting and her musicality, created a riff between the two.

^{David Chhom, who plays Cinderella’s Prince, smiles upon finding Cinderella’s shoe in LBCC’s production of “Into the Woods” during a dress rehearsal on March 9. (Sam Villa)}

^{Stephanie Ramirez, left, who plays  the Baker’s Wife and David Chhom, right, who plays Cinderella’s Prince, kiss in their duet “Any Moment/Moments in the Woods,” during a dress rehearsal of LBCC’s production of “Into the Woods” on March 9. (Sam Villa)}

Pairing Chhom with Juztin Shan, who plays Rapunzel’s Prince, however, was the perfect move, as they both cultivated a hilarious bromance of brothers that lightened the mood of the musical.

^{David Chhom, left, who plays Cinderella’s Prince, looks at Juztin Shan, right, who plays Rapunzel’s Prince, as they both sing about their love interests during a dress rehearsal of LBCC’s production of “Into the Woods” on March 9. (Sam Villa)}

The actors who depicted female characters were the absolute powerhouses of this production, seen in various songs, but most of all by Ramirez, Bautista and the actress who plays the Witch, Phyre Romero.

Romero’s performance as the Witch stood apart from most of the songs; her usage of different techniques, such as growling and a healthy vocal mix, compared to the more delicate voices of others.

^{Phyre Romero, who plays the Witch, flips her hair after her wild transformation of beauty during a dress rehearsal of LBCC’s production of “Into the Woods” on March 9. (Sam Villa)}

Her passionate stage presence mixed with the resonance of her voice was one of the most impactful parts of the play.

Do not, however, underestimate the Baker, played by Nicolas Rout-Vazquez, as his performance became the most impactful by the end of the musical, his emotion and solo captivated the essence of fatherly love and devotion.

^{Nicolas Rout-Vazquez, who plays the Baker, sings to the audience while crying during a dress rehearsal of LBCC’s production of “Into the Woods” on March 9. (Sam Villa)}

^{Nicolas Rout-Vazquez, left, who plays the Baker and Stephanie Ramirez, right, who plays the Baker’s Wife, look upon their new baby in the second act of LBCC’s production of “Into the Woods” during a dress rehearsal on March 9. (Sam Villa)}

The creative liberties taken in the musical border the lines between outwardly cringey and genuinely funny, from bright, gaunt clothing that almost makes the characters unrecognizable to the TikTok ending sound effect being played once, and once was really more than enough.

Even with its moments of uncertainty, the musical is led by a cast that remained strong through the performance, no matter its mishaps such as mics cutting out and lights turning on late. They handled these issues with excellence and professionalism.

The show will continue this weekend, having a performance on both Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and a show on Sunday at 2 p.m. All performances are at LAC’s Bob and Barbara Ellis Auditorium, located in the J Building. 

After the performances this weekend, the show will close. Tickets for purchase are available at this link, or can be bought at the box office before each show, cash and card are accepted.

Students who present their ASB sticker in person can get in for free to as many shows as they want.

Students, even from other colleges who show their ID in person can get tickets for $10, while tickets for staff, seniors and veterans are $15 and general admission is $20.