Theatre review: Into the Woods
Unfortunately my usual Sondheim companion wasn't available for this show; doubly unfortunate as Into the Woods is vanessaw's favourite. As we'd seen a much smaller-scale production less than a year ago I wasn't particularly intending to see the Open Air Theatre's version, but since Andy and Ian were planning to go it seemed like a good trip for a Friday night. The weather just about held out (it drizzled a bit towards the end but not even enough to get my glasses wet) and the location is undoubtedly well-suited to the show. Not only because of the surrounding trees but also because as the story gets darker, so does the sky.
Timothy Sheader's production has managed to attract a lot of big names, especially considering what an ensemble show this is - including Helen Dallimore as Cinderella, Jenna Russell as the Baker's Wife and Hannah Waddingham as the Witch - so it's a bit ironic that in all the publicity they've been overshadowed by a cast member who isn't actually there: The recorded voice of Dame Judi Dench as the Giant. In performance though the actors present manage to shine. There's some interesting touches in the production, like having a child (Ethan Beer) as the narrator - which does make things even darker since he gets killed off halfway through. Dallimore's a punky Cinderella with a nose-ring, while both the Princes, especially Michael Xavier as Cinderella's Prince, are presented as Russell Brand clones. Former Trekkie Monster Mark Goldthorp has a relatively small part here as the Steward, while Beverly Rudd's gluttonous Red Riding Hood is a scene-stealer, speaking most of her early lines through mouthfuls of cake. There's only a few wobbles - Ben Stott as Jack misses a few notes, and Mark Hadfield hasn't got the best singing voice but as the Baker isn't really required to sing that much. Billy Boyle as the Mysterious Man bizarrely goes into an American accent when singing, but overall there's nothing to derail things.
Soutra Gilmour's set is a multi-level maze of steps, platforms and treehouses which looks fantastic but does leave a lot of blind spots from the cheap seats (which aren't actually that cheap, and in our case weren't even seats as we'd opted for the grassy bank by the side of the stage.) And I have to say that aside from the greater scale here, the quality of the work was as good last year at the Landor as it is here. As for the show itself, I do think that, while the whole point is to have the happy ending inverted after the interval, it almost doesn't need this: The first act's juggling act of threading together four different fairytales (plus a number of cameos) is clever enough, but rather rushed, and overall the show is a bit too long. A good production, though, of perhaps the most accessible Sondheim musical.
Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine is booking until the 11th of September at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.
Timothy Sheader's production has managed to attract a lot of big names, especially considering what an ensemble show this is - including Helen Dallimore as Cinderella, Jenna Russell as the Baker's Wife and Hannah Waddingham as the Witch - so it's a bit ironic that in all the publicity they've been overshadowed by a cast member who isn't actually there: The recorded voice of Dame Judi Dench as the Giant. In performance though the actors present manage to shine. There's some interesting touches in the production, like having a child (Ethan Beer) as the narrator - which does make things even darker since he gets killed off halfway through. Dallimore's a punky Cinderella with a nose-ring, while both the Princes, especially Michael Xavier as Cinderella's Prince, are presented as Russell Brand clones. Former Trekkie Monster Mark Goldthorp has a relatively small part here as the Steward, while Beverly Rudd's gluttonous Red Riding Hood is a scene-stealer, speaking most of her early lines through mouthfuls of cake. There's only a few wobbles - Ben Stott as Jack misses a few notes, and Mark Hadfield hasn't got the best singing voice but as the Baker isn't really required to sing that much. Billy Boyle as the Mysterious Man bizarrely goes into an American accent when singing, but overall there's nothing to derail things.
Soutra Gilmour's set is a multi-level maze of steps, platforms and treehouses which looks fantastic but does leave a lot of blind spots from the cheap seats (which aren't actually that cheap, and in our case weren't even seats as we'd opted for the grassy bank by the side of the stage.) And I have to say that aside from the greater scale here, the quality of the work was as good last year at the Landor as it is here. As for the show itself, I do think that, while the whole point is to have the happy ending inverted after the interval, it almost doesn't need this: The first act's juggling act of threading together four different fairytales (plus a number of cameos) is clever enough, but rather rushed, and overall the show is a bit too long. A good production, though, of perhaps the most accessible Sondheim musical.
Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine is booking until the 11th of September at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.