Into the woods

Into The Woods is a Sondheim classic, I must commend Stevie for taking on such a big show for his first attempt at directing and overall, it was a good show, one that reminded me how clever Sondheim’s lyrics are. 

I understand that for Stevie and the cast this was musically a challenge for several reasons, they pulled together and produced what was musically a well-done show, diction was good, and the story told through the lyrics well.

Ellie Fromow as the Witch was wonderful, she really captured the qualities needed for this demanding role, and I understand she learnt the role in six weeks, impressive by anybody’s standards!  Vocally superb, with Sondheim, diction is important as the script can be wordy and every word matters, diction was flawless.

The Baker (Rob Paice) and The Baker’s wife (Louise Edwards) worked well together, vocally very good and the characterisation of both parts were good. Rob got the sense of The Baker’s pain across well in Act 2, not an easy thing to do.

Chris O’Kelly and Joe Emler played Cinderella’s and Rapunzel’s Princes, both could sing the songs well, but I felt they both lacked a heroic quality needed for the roles, and “Agony” needed a more competitive spirit. 

Jack played by Max Keir, was a lovely performance, Max gave Jack such a childlike excitement when he went up the Beanstalk and brought down all the wonderful things.  I really enjoyed Max’s performance.

Cinderella (Heather Lawther) and Little Red Riding Hood (Freya Burnett) both played their respective roles well, both having beautiful voices, and again diction was great, with Sondhiem this is so important!

Emma Walton was a good narrator, I particularly liked her costume with the running theme of the beanstalk and clock incorporated, this was a nice touch.  I am not a big advocate for black outs but, potentially a black out for the narrators and Rapunzel’s death might have served, better, as it was a shame the audience saw them leave two songs after their death at the hands of the giant, this is a small thing, but it did distract, from the drama that had been created well on stage.

Milky-White is a tricky part, but for me this was a real highlight, Lydia Smith was a super puppeteer, and Milky-White had been created in such a way that the puppet and the puppeteer worked together, it reminded me of how the cheetah’s work in The Lion King. 

Celeste Pallant, Jessica Gibson, Wendy Wartnaby, Katie Jenkins, Sophie Carroll, Sharon Stocken, Ross Edwards, Nikki Hamilton, Miroslava Budin, Charlotte Gee, Charlotte Bull, Lucy Paice, and Debbie Woolley made up the rest of the cast playing various roles including animals.

The set was very clever, and I really liked it, the painted backdrop was lovely, and the way the beanstalk and the roof collapsing were done shows that you do not need a large venue just a little imagination.  The bed was a clever piece of set, it was well thought out.  I liked the clock at the top of the stage, time is important in the show, and this highlighted it.  The use of the audience seat was brilliant, the idea of The Witch and Father watching the action was a well thought out idea.

Well done again to Stevie and thank to Lytton Players and Stevie’s hospitality, I look forward to coming back later in the year.

Scott Welch

District 9

NODA East

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