Dearest Gentle Reader,

Today I bring you something different: instead of my own show musings, I have a guest reviewer, my longtime friend and fellow theatre kid @caitlinguistic09!

As “Into the Woods” fans since we were teens (we watched the OBC recording together in 2015), here are our thoughts on getting our very own Manila version! #intothewoodssph 🌲

We watched “Into the Woods” on its closing weekend, so here are our thoughts and highlights. As this is a joint review, I shall frame it interview style:

1) What are your overall thoughts on the production?
Caitlin: To have been able to see this production was a gift—especially to see what each of the artists in this village had to offer! The use of the set! The stunning outfits! The singing (which was incredible all around). And how each person delivered their lines and embodied their roles!

Aaron: It was so good! The local touches on the staging (laughed every time Rapunzel pushed the capiz windows) helped give it a Filipino flavor – like you’re seeing these fairytales come to life in your lola’s house. The outfits were so magical: as a fantasy fashion and Ren Faire enthusiast, here were my favorites:

• (1) The Witch’s forest green cape with leafy hair accessories
• (2) Cinderella’s glittery feathered blue ballgown
• (3) The prince outfits with the Igorot sashes!
• (4) Rapunzel’s light green off-shoulder dress, which recalled Disney’s original Rapunzel concept art sketches
• (5) The creative Burlesque-meets-tribal-chic-inspired Wolf outfit

2) What did you think of the cast?

THE WITCH

• Caitlin: Especially floored by @msleasalonga (the queen herself!) I have never felt so much emotional damage from anyone singing “Lost the beans again!” And her delivery of “Children Will Listen” is her carrying us with her through a heartbreak she wanted to protect her child from. If one can count on Ms. Lea Salonga to do anything well, it’s to carry nuance into her roles with surgical precision.
• Aaron: Such a legend! I’m not sure if this is because of Lea Salonga’s brand as a Disney Princess, but I felt like with her Witch, her backstory and pain felt more vivid: It felt like she was once like Rapunzel and wanted to see the world, but was also controlled by her toxic mother who punished her for her dreams. That’s why her “lost the beans again!” moment hit so hard, it really tackled that “Into the Woods” moral where trauma is inherited, and cycles of violence will run rampant unless we consciously put a stop to them.

JACK

• Caitlin: @nichien.official !! His Jack is all wide-eyed, boyish in how he reacts to everything, and so loveable that we understand why the main characters want to protect him so badly. Especially when he sings “The roof, the house, and the world you never thought to explore”. I noticed there’s a purity to that discovery in his performance tonight – like he was learning it for the first time even if they’re approaching the end of their run already. Plus his reactions leaning into Gen Z and Alpha humor really came through. This little cow Jack is by far my favorite ever!
• Aaron: As a young man trying to find himself in the world, I found his “Giants in the Sky” especially moving. It became clear to me during that song, that the giants are the trials that life throws at us, and that “you wish that you could live in between” describes being caught between adolescence and adulthood. So many takeaways! I also found his Jack very unhinged, and his “bUt MaMa I’m A mAn NoW” crash out hilarious!

CINDERELLA’S PRINCE/WOLF

• Caitlin: Other surprise highlight performance to me was by @joshdelacuesta! As in, his dynamic facial expressions and gestures reflect Filipino humor and camp. It didn’t feel over-the-top or forced at all. In fact, he embodied an earnestness of Cinderella’s Prince that actually felt like that’s what he genuinely is like as a person, which is why out of 3 productions + 1 movie adaptation I’ve seen of this musical, he’s the one I don’t hate a single bit! Red flag? Sure. But also him who visibly realizes that his flightiness will hurt others? And also deals with his fiasco so humanly? Yes. My favorite portrayal of the role ever.
• Aaron: Agree with Caitlin! This is the only prince I didn’t hate because he let down his walls. I was preparing myself for another portrayal of a steely, conventional prince who goes “I was raised to be charming, not sincere” with a smirk and a hard eyebrow – but Josh’s version was sincerely befuddled and confused at why Cinderella was breaking up with him. Wasn’t he just doing what he was raised to do? This tied his character neatly to the main theme of “Into the Woods,” about parents and kids, in a way that other princes haven’t been able to do for me. Bravo!

THE BAKER AND HIS WIFE

• Caitlin: There’s something magical also about watching a real-life couple play a couple onstage. Mr. @nyoyvolante and Ms. @mikievalonte as the Baker and the Baker’s Wife have such palpable chemistry together (their Act 1 shenanigans gave such partners-in-crime energy even if they were bickering about that 😅). And apart, they hold their own in a cast filled with already beloved fairytale characters, in roles that within the thematic canon are so very beloved and built up to high standards. They made it up there for me, y’all! 😭 Their comedic timing, their voices, the way they interact with others in scenes and truly sink into their characters. Nyoy’s rendition of “No More” is so far the only one that got me to feel anything in that number. And Mikkie’s reactions (also vocals and humor) were so on point! “Moments in the Woods” has always been a fave of mine, and she really got to the marrow of it with her spin on it!
• Aaron: I LOVED THEIR CHEMISTRY SO MUCH! As the heart of the show, they made a great love team to root for and get really invested in – especially the Baker’s wife’s arc from “stay at home darling” to “we’re in this together” to “oops, there are moments in the woods,” and then her devastating death😭 Her “just calm the child” moment made me sob out loud. You also get the sense that she’s been waiting for her fairytale moment the moment she stumbled into Cinderella, so when she goes “I’m in the wrong story~” it’s doubly funny! Her character encapsulates the metaphor that the “woods” are life, especially when she sings: “Sometimes people leave you… halfway through the wood.”
• I also felt moved by the father-son “pep talk” moment near the end when you realize the Baker was a man who grew up with no father, thus he had no example of healthy masculinity… so you kinda see where he’s coming from when he ditches the group immediately. Even at his most vulnerable, the Mysterious Man’s hand hovers over his son’s shoulder, then he runs off. Heartbreaking theatre.

LITTLE RED

• Caitlin: It’s true when they say that Ms. @teetin walks the line between sweet and stabby girl energy so well!! I loved her take on Little Red’s strong personality – someone who is brave and will firmly make sure she toughs it out through each situation – and also the moments when she has to face all the hard truths that make her scared. Strong girls should be allowed to have moments to be scared and to feel sad and grieve too!!
• Aaron: She was so funny in this role and made the most of the material! Loved her silly character acting, especially in the opening number. Once she trades her red cape for a fur cloak, you really see this strength added to her character.

CINDERELLA

• Caitlin: Ms. @arieljacobs has always been princess in my brain first since her videos singing at 54 Below cabarets. Her portrayal of Cinderella (the character I relate to the most in ITW) made me realize how half-mannequin’d this character actually is? Like, she just wanted to experience a fancy ball more than she wanted to score a hot guy😅 But also she leans into Cinderella’s naiveté out of her secluded upbringing, and how even in sadder bitter moments, she still chooses kindness. Which seems simple enough, but I realized for the first time with Ms. Jacob’s performance that Cinderella does indeed grow! At first, she is so passive that she has other people decide things for her, but by the end, we see her start actively making difficult choices.
• Aaron: It was so fascinating to see her Cinderella grow from “maiden in need of rescue” to “definitely the Druid of the D&D party”! Every time I hear her voice, I LOCK IN because it’s such a treat to the ears to hear her sing~ I loved her ambivalence in “On the Steps of the Palace,” and her delivery of “I know what my decision is: which is not to decide,” which rightfully earned a big laugh from the audience! I also want to say that her breakup scene with the prince was so quiet that you could hear Cinderella’s heart break. It was the quietest the audience had ever been that night, and it was definitely due to Arielle Jacobs’ stellar acting. Props to her for not laughing every time the prop birds came out (I think one of them hit her in the face at one point…) and for absolutely nailing the Disney princess portrayal! Her past experience as Princess Jasmine really showed, and I can’t wait to catch more of her shows 🙂

3) What else amazed you about the show?

• Caitlin: The special effects!!
• Aaron: YES. There’s this cool part where the Giantess makes an earthquake, then a tree snaps in half, and part of it falls onto the stage! The effects, the lighting changes, the sound effects- all of these made the show a treat to watch.

Caitlin: Bravo to the entire company of #intothewoodssph!
This show is run by a village of such talented people from the principal cast to each supporting cast member (didn’t mention everyone, but they all did the show and their parts justice, I think!). To the orchestra and the creative team, to everyone behind the curtains and in the tech booth: Thank you for doing your thing to bring this timeless story and its rich store of lessons to learn on life and living with those around us to audiences here!

Aaron: It made the time fly! I was so surprised when they announced intermission because “huh? an hour already?” Amazing from start-to-finish.

Caitlin: Worth it ang pagtayo ko ng 8hrs para bumili ng tickets hahaha

Aaron: Thank you :”)