Into the Woods

The story follows a Baker and his wife who wish to have a child, Cinderella who wishes to attend the King's Festival, and Jack who wishes his cow would
give milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse Everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results. This is one of Stephen Sondheim’s more popular musicals although it does not come without its challenges. Musically intricate & rhythmical, Into the Woods is a test for anyone, so when an amateur company take this on, I always admire their bravery. I must start with the music and being an MD myself I fully appreciate and applaud any MD who agrees to do this show! Dan Harris had clearly rehearsed them very well and although there were some timing issues (1 st night nerves I would imagine) overall it was very tight. Using tracks has it’s risks, one of which is not being able to pull things back or push things on with a band to catch up or help your cast out. Dan managed this well and was on hand to help the cast from the rear of the theatre.

Staging any production in the arts wing is tricky. The seating folds around the sides of the performance space so it is key that no action is missed by the
audience. Although we were sat front on, I don’t feel that there were any instances where audiences on the side would have missed anything important.

Onto the cast - One of the key things for this musical is getting a lot of strength in your leading 7 characters. The Baker (Chris Dix) and Baker’s Wife
(Jamie Fraser-Ivett) were excellent! Musically solid, great characterisation and led the cast very well overall. Jack, played by Charlotte Morgan was one of the best performances of this character I have seen and although it is written for a male voice, Charlotte handled this very well giving great comedic timing which Jack needs! The Narrator / Mysterious Man (Ieuan Evans) was exactly what the Narrator should be - clear & confident with acting quality to match. His story telling was excellent and I really enjoyed his duet (as Mysterious Man) of “No More” with The Baker. Little Red Riding Hood (Alana Rees) was great as well! Quirky & sweet with a touch of vicious is exactly what’s needed. Alana’s stage presence was always very strong and she gave a good vocal performance.

Cinderella (Esther Bullock) was one of the standout performances for me. Every time she was on stage I was drawn to her and she just had a stage presence that I really enjoyed. Vocally very solid, great characterisation and a very good rapport with the leading cast.

The Witch (Dionne James)! Well what can I say….brilliant. It is one of the hardest female leads in theatre, in my opinion. The variety of singing & acting styles that the actress needs surpass most other roles and I genuinely felt Dionne delivered. There is so much for The Witch in this musical and you cannot have anyone other than talented in this part. Well done, Dionne!

Now Into the Woods has loads of characters and I will run out of my allowed website space if I talk about everyone. It is very much a company show, with supporting principals such as Jacks Mother (Shauni Bates), Cinderella’s Prince (Ethan Preece) and Rapunzel’s Prince (Gypsy Woodwards). Great comedy roles played well and I enjoyed their performances plus a huge congratulations to everyone else involved on stage and off stage.

Thank you for inviting NODA to Into The Woods and we look forward to your next production.

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