Into The Woods
Into the Woods is a tapestry of classic fairy tales written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. This magical production at The Bridge Theatre was captivating even from a high balcony seat, with all the performers bringing the complex melodies to life with ease and excitement, and an eye-catching overall design.
The story primarily follows a Baker, his wife, Little Red Riding Hood, a boy named James (of beanstalk-fame), Cinderella, and a witch. Each character has a wish at the beginning of the show that is granted by the end of act 1, only to unravel in act 2 with unexpected consequences. Themes of the show circle around the responsibilities and consequences of life choices.
What I Liked
There were countless things I liked about this production of Into the Woods. I think, firstly, it did a wonderful job honouring the complex text and musicality of the Sondheim and Lapine piece. The music was constantly beautiful and the vocal performances from the cast were consistently incredible.
In general the performances from the cast were fantastic. I could list every one of the main cast and why they were incredible, but I’ll limit myself to 3. Chumisa Dornford-May has found very solid footing in Sondheim music, playing Cinderella here and recently playing Fritz in Here We Are (which I loved and you can read about here). Another performer I had already seen was Jo Foster, who played Jack here and who I saw as a lead in ‘Why Am I So Single?’, and they absolutely smashed this role. Gracie McGonigal was also a standout as Little Red Ridinghood, bringing a real solid and punchy take on the character. Her facial expressions were so impactful, and her voice was so clean, overall she was very memorable. And like the bakers, I also want that red cape.
The set design was gorgeous, I loved the initial barren stage with the rising table from the floor, and then to reveal a beautiful luscious forest. AND I loved the now-trampled forest in Act 2. The use of shadows was also very smart, and I found it to be very effective even from my seat in the upper side balcony. Similarly, the costume design was incredible. Each piece felt beautiful and purposeful, and small touches throughout kept me excited for every entrance. I loved how Cinderella's dress continued to grow in size, I loved the red cape (as I mentioned), however personally, the cod pieces on the princes were a bit of a jumpscare initially, but I grew to appreciate them too by the end.
What wasn’t my favourite
There is very little for me to criticize in this show. Maybe some performers moved their hands a bit much while singing, or maybe the costume for the witch’s transformation looked a little too much like the girl from the ring, or maybe some of the staging meant I was leaning forward a lot to still only see half of a performer’s face - but that comes with the choice of cheaper seats. Really, I just thoroughly enjoyed it.
Overall
This was a beautiful show, in its design, music, and performance. I’m so happy I got to see Into The Woods in such a well-crafted show because I think it really did the text justice, while still keeping the light and comedy throughout. It has a well deserved long run at the Bridge Theatre so I would happily return before it closes, especially if it means a closer view to appreciate the performance more.
