Review: Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️

With panto season raging through the country, many theatres are bursting with stories of Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella and countless other fairytales. If only there was some way to see multiple fairytales crammed together in one classic show. Well, your wish has been granted, and you don't even need to trade any magic beans for a ticket as Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into The Woods is back in London for a hotly anticipated new production at Bridge Theatre. Could this new take create theatre magic, or would it prove to be a giant misstep?

It’s been quite a lengthy journey for any production of Into The Woods to make its way to a London theatre, with the most recent major revival in Bath in 2022 somehow getting lost halfway in the woods and never going on for future life, so hopes have understandably been high for this production. With a story that has been loved by generations since its Broadway premiere in 1987, a whole new audience were introduced to the story when Disney made Into The Woods into a movie in 2014. As well as a recent acclaimed production on Broadway, the show has never been out of mind, though for anyone looking to see it in London, it’s certainly been out of sight.

Into The Woods crams multiple fairytales into one story to ask what really happens beyond happy ever after? The story may finish with the words “the end”, and the credits may roll in any screen version, but here, the cameras keep rolling (metaphorically, that is. This isn’t a Jamie Lloyd production) to show what happens when they all supposedly lived “happy ever after”... except they really didn’t. When The Baker and his wife are told to retrieve four items by the Witch in order to reverse a curse that has stopped them having a child, they meet Jack (of and the Beanstalk fame), Little Red Ridinghood, Cinderella, Rapunzel and various family members, love interests and conquests along the way as they all venture into the woods (shockingly enough) to find their own version of happy ever after. That would all be well and good if there weren’t giants in the sky.

There is a real timelessness to Stephen Sondheim’s work, made all the more poignant since his death several years back. With James Lapine, they created a masterpiece with Into The Woods , with a sensational book cleverly flipping things on their head and bringing a glorious darkness to these well-loved and seemingly inoffensive characters. With Sondheim’s distinct style, infectious tunes are matched with imaginative and near-impossible lyrics in some of his best work presented here. If I were judging Into The Woods based on its original form, it would very easily get a five-star review - but I’m here to judge this production specifically. While it does well to collect some of the ingredients needed, it falls short of collecting them all, meaning it doesn’t quite manage to find the recipe for success.

Jordan Fein’s direction is certainly interesting, with some bold choices made in this production. Some of them work remarkably well, but there is a real inconsistency, which means others fall as flat as if they had just been stepped on by a Giant. Elsewhere, the production feels depressingly safe, especially disappointing given it is being staged in Bridge Theatre, a space known for its exciting and innovative productions in the past, especially the last musical they staged there, Guys & Dolls. There seems to be an over-reliance in audiences needing to use their imagination to make up for absent aspects of the story, and while this is all well and good and, indeed, the beauty of theatre, it has been used far too much, to the extent that it seems to be making up for a lack of imagination in the creation of the production.

While I didn’t expect them to find an actual Giant for this production, one of the more exciting elements of any production of Into The Woods is how they are going to create that magical character. The answer in this one is pretty much not at all. Not a foot, not even a toe - no use of video to create the illusion. We do get a projection in a shadow form on the stage itself, though this is only visible if you are sitting in the gallery. In the stalls, it would seem as if the giant isn’t actually there, aside from the booming voice, losing some of the impact. Other perplexing choices are the lack of any steps for musical number ‘On The Steps Of The Palace’ - surely a crucial element. 

There is a real inconsistency to this production, highlighted at its best with the two inclusions of ‘Agony’. A standout in any production, the first appearance in Act One feels oddly muted and lacking in any sort of drama. This production seems to have taken the choice to minimise all of the comedic elements in the hopes of a darker Into The Woods, but this just makes it tonally off, and the whole thing comes across rather cold and impossible to connect with. What makes this even more perplexing is the rousing and pretty faultless reprise of the same number in Act Two, which somehow rights all the wrongs from the first appearance. The success of this version left me with more questions than I had before, though I won’t be too quick to point the blame at anyone in this production.

Tom Scutt’s set design is pretty gorgeous and well executed, with the initial reveal of the woods awe-inspiring and gasp-inducing. There are some clever tricks in the design, namely the way characters appear and disappear, but it does prove a bit too static and lacks some of the oomph that bigger set pieces would allow. If you are looking for a beanstalk, you will have to make do with what looks like a solitary branch from a Christmas tree after the moment has passed, and no sign of any Giant anywhere. Roland Horvath’s video design is used sparingly but effectively, bringing to life the birds and shadow of the Giant, while Aideen Malone’s lighting may be the greatest element of them all, providing some gorgeous moments and literally bringing some light to the darkness when it was most needed.

Though there may be some inconsistencies in the direction, there is none to be found in the stellar cast that has been assembled for this production. Jamie Parker once again showcases his natural charisma and ability to bring emotion and authenticity to any character in his turn as the Baker, culminating in a poignant performance of ‘No More’. Double Olivier Award-winner Katie Brayben shines as always in her turn as The Baker’s Wife, creating a beautiful double act with Parker and bringing the house down with the vocal performance of the night with ‘Moments In The Woods’.

Gracie McGonigal is a fabulous standout as Little Red Ridinghood, with a cockiness and cutting nature that provide some of the more humorous moments that remain in the production, and refreshingly so. Jo Foster thrills both as Jack and when controlling the scene-stealing Milky White, a character who proves scene-stealing themselves. Chumisa Dornford-May and Bella Brown both wow in their turns as Cinderella and Rapunzel, respectively, with the latter providing a welcome addition with her vocals in numbers where the character has not historically been present. Oliver Savile proves another standout with two roles, first as the Wolf, and then as Cinderella’s Prince, forming a fantastic double act with Rhys Whitfield as Rapunzel’s Prince. Though lacking a bit of grit at times, Kate Fleetwood delivers a star turn as the Witch, especially with a particularly spellbinding rendition of ‘Last Midnight’.

It is always welcome to see any Stephen Sondheim show return to London, especially one as loved as Into The Woods. It holds a special place for me personally, as it was the show that made me fall in love with Sondheim’s work. To say I was excited for this production would be a serious understatement, only amplified when that sensational and stacked cast was announced. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this production a disappointment, but it did prove underwhelming at times and certainly struggles to deliver consistently. Very uneven in its approach, when it is good, it is extremely good, but other moments fail to match the standard and promise seen elsewhere. It feels as though something got lost halfway through the wood to create a production that doesn’t quite manage a happily ever after, but is anything but wooden itself.

Into The Woods plays at Bridge Theatre until 30th May. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/musical/into-the-woods-tickets

Photos by Johan Persson