'Into the Woods'

It is often said that the musicals of Stephen Sondheim are like Marmite - you either love them or hate them. I hate Marmite but I love Sondheim musicals!

In the Studio of the Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds G & S Society had transformed themselves and the small playing space into a typical fairy-tale setting, which this musical needs. The librettist and Sondheim's collaborator, James Lapine, had been instructed by Sondheim to create a cleverly entwined fairy story, with a dark edge. This musical is both dark, but humorous - the group had pitched their performances to play for reality and the story-telling comes from that.

Fifteen actors, all principals in their own right, were not fazed by Sondheim's love of a tricky score and the dialogue was clearly delivered. I don't want to pick-out any individual performers, as they were all strongly cast; the appreciative audience were treated to a very special evening and they clearly enjoyed the experience! This was definitely a team effort - the Director, Sarah Case, also playing a wide-eyed Cinderella, gave the cast plenty to work on, some witty and clever ideas. Richard Pascoe, as Musical Director, also played the Baker, and as you would expect, drew out of his cast some memorable singing. Costumes (modern dress) and make-up were spot-on. The set, cleverly constructed for the space, was designed by Phil Case. Lighting by Steve Limb, enhanced the production. Musical accompaniment came from Kate Dooley (piano) and George Strickland (percussion) aided by the 'page-turner' and rehearsal pianist Peter Hemming. There was one small twist to the production - the Narrator, usually played by an older actor, in this production the part was played very convincingly as a 12 year old boy, who was lost in the woods, a clever twist. It just goes to show that with careful thought and talented players, anything is possible.

Mr Sondheim would have been very impressed, as I was!.

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