Into the Woods

As always with Southampton Musical Society's shows, we were met with a great buzz of anticipation in the foyer and a warm welcome from the front of house team. We took our seats in the auditorium and looked forward to a good evening's entertainment. 

We were not to be disappointed

The set was a feast for the eyes, two tall forest flats to stage left and stage right with raised staging to the rear, suitably bedecked to give a true "into the woods" feel. This was very well enhanced and lit by Livewire Theatre Consultants, and the lighting was very well programmed too, adding a real feel to the show. That coupled with excellent sound from Pob Wyeth and his team boosted the show to a good level. The orchestra, brilliantly led by Gem Tunley and her twelve piece ensemble were set to work at a good pace and made a great noise that was at the perfect pitch. Loud enough to be heard well but not so much as to drown out the principals and chorus.

The costumes, and so many of them, were in keeping with the traditional fare that you would expect from fairy tales (Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel etc.) It allowed us to follow the characters very well. The choreography, challenging in places, was slick, well delivered and obviously well rehearsed. The excellent direction and thought from debutee Katy Chalkly (as Director) and her team was very evident. They all knew where they were supposed to be, when and most importantly why. Equally was the diction which was first rate. All the words, from both principles and chorus were understood and we were able to follow the story well. This was both sung and spoken. Sondheim can be notoriously challenging (musically) at times, and they rose to that challenge well. That, again, was testament to the direction team and the rehearsal process

The principal line up of Fiona Lynn as the Bakers Wife and Liam Baker, as the Baker, led well and were very ably backed up by Dotty Evans as Cinderella, Charlotte Hollin as Little Red Riding Hood, Dan Swaine as Jack. A mention here too for Daniel Ferrett as a wonderfully camp Wolf, and to Jim Smith and Sam Hussy as the two inept princes. The whole storybook feel to the entire performance was kept together by Rory Blincow, with side glances and knowing nods to the audience, kept us all treated to a great evening.

I have to say here that its great to see this fantastic group tackle a rarely performed piece, some may have looked at this as a gamble but there is only so many of the popular musicals that have been done to death over the recent years, that one can take. This was a risk well worth taking and in the very good hands of a cast that were here to enjoy themselves, directed by a great team, lit and sound very well, we were treated to a great evening. Well done Katy, Gem and all at SMS. Bravo.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.