Agree with all the positive comments -and we were blessed on Saturday with an unexpectedly warm evening. My only gripe-at the risk of being churlish given the excellent staging and music-is that I thought the male parts (except for the princes) were weak and unlike the previous commentator, we found the young boy impossible to hear from the first row of the tiered section.
- dch
24 Aug 10
Theatre doesn't get much better than this.
A Sondheim classic, very brilliantly directed, in a perfect setting, with some breakout performances.
Fantastic. I'm so glad I caught this production. So glad. - donald
23 Aug 10
Genius to have the narrator played by a child. It worked brilliantly and who ever the lad was on Saturday last, 21st of August, he was terrific, full of confidence and with all that running up and down the scaffold to do as well, going here there and everywhere with props galore, it would daunt an old pro let alone a child! I found the sound level a little too low which made the dialogue non too easy to hear and took the edge off some of the numbers. But I have to disagree with David Baxter in this column - there are stunning numbers in Into the Woods - Children Will Listen, Agony, Stay With Me, Your Fault and the heart wrenching No One Is Alone - oh I should have just listed them all because there's still Your Fault, It Takes Two, No More etc, etc, etc. It looked wonderful, the cast had amazing work to do just moving around the set and some of them, the witch and the prince, had the dubious pleasure of being hauled up on wires too. It is a long sit, the first act is almost 1.30hrs but it's worth it. It is hard to connect with an audience performing in such a large space and having to be spread all over an immense scaffold that is the stage and to some extent it didn't happen. However, if you love the music and Sondheim's brilliant word play then you will forgive a lot. I loved it. - rds
23 Aug 10
It's difficult to imagine how Into the Woods could be staged better than amongst the trees in Regents Park. The stage has disappeared completely, replaced by a series of ladders and platforms. The technicalities of the sound design must have been immense as characters pop up all over the place, including 30 feet up a tree, but the voices always come from those specific spots. Although the show was very enjoyable, mostly thanks to James Lapine's ingenious book, it did confirm my ambivalence towards Sondheim. The score is very repetitive and often unmelodic with "clever clever" refrains and lyrics and you end up craving a real song with genuine emotion and heart. Also, as with Sunday in the Park With George, it could easily have ended at the interval as Act Two is an almost entirely different show. I am still not a Sondheim convert but Timothy Sheader has created an excellent production of a flawed show. - David Baxter
20 Aug 10
Despite the rain, this proved to be a magical production. Although the multi tiered set was impressive I didn't find it distracting and in some ways low key. Apart from a couple of sound issues and a flat transformation scene thought this one of the best ITW I've seen over the years. - James
20 Aug 10
Wonderfully designed with the best giant ever in an ideal setting. Most of the performances were stunning with Micdhael Xavier excelling both in vocal prowess and characterisation. Due to the rain on Tuesday I was fortunate enough to see the first half twice so could really appreciate the ensemble work and imaginative direction. Yes, it is too busy and sometimes it was hard to focus but the exuberance of the cast - especially Red Riding Hood - made it one of the finest musicals I have seen. I left yearning to have singing lessons. - Carrie Cohen
19 Aug 10
a devotee of this particular piece i was cock-a-hoop to get the chance to see it in this splendid, atmospheric setting and wasn't entirely dissappointed. it retains its magic and sheer joy but loses a little in this translation.
the set was, to me, overdone and made it difficult to pick out who was singing when, as often happens in this show, there are multiple characters holding forth. i also thought it a mistake to make cinderella look like an earth-child hippy with coloured dreadlocks (would such a character REALLY allow herself to be enslaved and then married to the local, dim witted Prince?). some of the singing left a little to be desired of a west end show and there were a great many punch lines lost in what seemed a confused and slightly uneasy first half.
but it was made up for by the second half and overall, i came out feeling invigorated, delighted and moved but with the feeling if they had concentrated as much on the heart and emotions of the piece as they appeared to do on the costumes and set, it might have appeared less style, more substance.
- weso
18 Aug 10
It's hard to imagine a piece of theatre which uses the unique magic of the Open Air theatre as well as this one does. Though a long piece, it's very pacy with the multi-layered set used imaginatively and, in some cases, bravely. A great ensemble cast which will only get better through the run. Don't miss! - dgr1
18 Aug 10
Saw the production last night. What a magical setting; my first visit to the Open Air and it was wonderful as the light faded and the story got darker. I did see the original Phoenix Theatre production all those years ago but have few memories of it so was coming to see this afresh and really enjoyed it.
Aside from the magical setting there are some fabulous performances - I loved Michael Xavier and Simon Thomas as the Prince's. Their Agony was excellent. Hannah Waddingham was in great form as The Witch, a hugely impressive performance. The lovely Jenna Russell was once again in her element doing Sondheim, this time as the Bakers Wife, a part which suits her perfectly.
As Sondheim season in London really gets into full swing, this is a great producion to whet the appetite - next stop Passion..... :-) - Paul Wallis
