Cypress College presents: Into the Woods @ Cypress College – Review
photo credit: Ryella Zar Photography
Written by Diana M. Robles
Cypress College Theater Arts Department takes its audience into the Woods, tackling one of Steven Sondheim’s most celebrated musicals.
Story:
What the viewer finds in “Into the Woods” is a crossover of fairy tale stories and characters, which makes the story profoundly accessible to a wide variety of audiences. At the center of this fanciful mashup, there is a seemingly original tale of a cursed couple who desperately want to bear a child, and are burdened with the task of lifting their malediction. On their journey, they come across some familiar faces that audiences may recognize from childhood readings.
Act 1 is certainly a whimsical take on the classic tales, while Act 2 becomes a story of its own.
Cypress College has a talented young company here. There are a lot of moving parts to the show, but the actors kept up with its fast pacing and really were all able to find their own way to shine.
Acting:
The performances of Kayla Stefansson (The Baker’s Wife) and Salvador Garcia (Jack) were standouts. Stefansson gave her character such feminine determination, which paired well with her superb vocals. Garcia’s take on Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk” really expressed the youthful nature of the character. It was a sweet, simple performance, but one that felt important amid the fantastic chaos of “Into the Woods.”
When tackling a project with such notable characters, it can be tough to find a middle ground between staying true to their original forms and the creativity of a specific production. However, Cypress College Theater Arts did it. You have an idea of what each of these characters would look like in your head from having seen them all your life, but they just looked elevated.
In terms of makeup, Jordan Hicks (The Witch) underwent an impressive transformation for her character, only to transform again within the show.
This set was incredibly dynamic. As the title suggests, we go into the Woods in this show, so there’s a need for that outdoors-y feeling, which we got with the large hand-painted trees framing the stage that really dive into the fantasy aspect of the show. In terms of tech, the large stair setup creates the impression of wandering and is a great tool for emphasizing the show’s chaos.
Theater enthusiasts know props are important, but not one prop has ever been more important than “Into the Woods” Milky White cow. It’s lovely to know that something as simple as a cow statue on wheels could make so many laugh.
I want to say I am an objective observer my friend was in the orchestra so I have no bias to the performers however I’ve noticed for many complex plot lines this reviewers story rating has been low therefore lowering the overall score for some very deserving shows. I agree with this shows general rating of “8.3 Good Show” but should the scores on shows really be lowered from the quality of a script or the reviewers inability to understand the plot? Disney stories and contemporary pop musicals may be very clear cut but more artistic complex pieces that leave you thinking about the story should be rewarded not penalized. That’s the kind of theatre we need more of in the world and giving them lower score than a Disney show because they take more thought and energy doesn’t seem like the way to go about that. Just an observation having read quite a few of OCRs reviews over the years.
October 12, 2025, 8:37 pm
Story9
Acting8
Set & Design8.3
Costumes7.8
Entertainment8.1
0
2
Linda Bethel
Write better reviews
I have been in the performing arts for over thirty years now. I have seen Into the Woods at least ten times. Overall, this production did a pretty great job. It was obvious that some of the directorial choices might have completely missed their mark, but the actors did what they could. The set was beautiful and you could tell that the ensemble as a whole cared a lot. Several of the actors were quite impressive, namely Cinderella, The Baker’s Wife, The Witch, the Narrator/Mysterious Man, and Cinderella’s Prince. Giving the story of Into the Woods, objectively one of the greatest musicals ever written, a 7.5 is as hilarious as it is inane. Sondheim was a genius, a god among men some might say. Based on previous reviews, this particular reviewer has a history of disliking and/or not being able to comprehend shows with narrative complexity…perhaps the themes of what she reviews are all over her head. What are the qualifications? Who is this company to review artwork onstage? Unless the show is a pandering pop culture snooze-fest, maybe OCR should sit out and let the grown-ups take care of it. I won’t waste my time here again. Great job, Into the Woods cast.
October 12, 2025, 8:31 pm
Story9
Acting7.8
Set & Design8.9
Costumes8.8
Entertainment9.4
0
2
Natasha Schulthies
Good College Production with some amazing standouts.
It’s Into the Woods, one of Sondheims most famous pieces, so any musical theatre actor or enthusiast should understand the story pretty well. Even the casual theatre goer will be able to enjoy the merging of classic fairytales with a twist. The direction could’ve been clearer with the themes and sometimes important plot points could’ve definitely been emphasized better but that’s a directorial choice.
Overall the acting was fairly good definitely college level but effective at communicating the story. I do think the physical comedy was a bit overdone at times but a few performers were very grounded within their roles and made the show great. The standouts for me (and everyone I spoke to) were definitely Hayley Johnson (as Cinderella) with her amazing classical soprano vocals and beautifully connected acting and Jordan Hicks (as the Witch) who was the fan favorite with some great comedic moment and killer vocals both of whom made me forget this was a community college production and shined both in their vocals and acting. Brian Pinat (Narrator/Mysterious Man) was also very talented sounding incredibly similar to the OBC recording.
The set and design was amazing as is always the case with Cypress College, specifically the moments with the giant and the shaking of the entire set.
Overall very entertaining although not an original take on the classic musical. Act two is actually much more grounded and clearly set than Act one and the trio of standouts was definitely the crowds favorites so I am not sure we saw the same show haha!
October 12, 2025, 8:10 pm
Story8.5
Acting9
Set & Design8
Costumes8
Entertainment8
0
1
Natasha Schulthies
Good College Production with some amazing standouts.
It’s Into the Woods, one of Sondheims most famous pieces, so any musical theatre actor or enthusiast should understand the story pretty well. Even the casual theatre goer will be able to enjoy the merging of classic fairytales with a twist. The direction could’ve been clearer with the themes and sometimes important plot points could’ve definitely been emphasized better but that’s a directorial choice.
Overall the acting was fairly good definitely college level but effective at communicating the story. I do think the physical comedy was a bit overdone at times but a few performers were very grounded within their roles and made the show great. The standouts for me (and everyone I spoke to) were definitely Hayley Johnson (as Cinderella) with her amazing classical soprano vocals and beautifully connected acting and Jordan Hicks (as the Witch) who was the fan favorite with some great comedic moment and killer vocals both of whom made me forget this was a community college production and shined both in their vocals and acting. Brian Pinat (Narrator/Mysterious Man) was also very talented sounding incredibly similar to the OBC recording.
The set and design was amazing as is always the case with Cypress College, specifically the moments with the giant and the shaking of the entire set.
Overall very entertaining although not an original take on the classic musical. Act two is actually much more grounded and clearly set than Act one and the trio of standouts was definitely the crowds favorites so I am not sure we saw the same show haha!
October 12, 2025, 8:10 pm
Story8.5
Acting9
Set & Design8
Costumes8
Entertainment8
0
1
Nick
Missing accolades for Woods
I’m surprised, after reading this article there were no accolades for Hayley Johnson (Cinderella) and her beautiful operatic style vocals or Jordan Hicks (The Witch) and her menacing performance. The narrator/mysterious man, Brian Pirnat was also outstanding in this dual role. My friends and I were blown away by those performances. Sad that the author couldn’t praise these performances as well. Did she cut out after the first act?
You are selling tickets to event. Yet, where is link?
Dear Alina, I read your review of The Wiz and appreciated your thoughtful praise of Cameron, Ja’lil, Derrick Johnson, and…
Not open to the public to perform. The contestants have already been voted in. https://www.purplepass.com/events/318439-ocr-sing-off-2025-sondheim-jun-8th
Will the ORC Sondheim sing off be open to the public to perform? Or will it be chosen by auditions?…
Jay Alvarez
Interesting Review Pattern
October 12, 2025, 8:37 pm
Jay Alvarez
Linda Bethel
Natasha Schulthies
Nick
https://www.purplepass.com/events/335860-2025-ocr--la-award-ceremony-oct-1st