1st Night Photos: Seeing Red & Stars in Woods

If you were worried that all of theatre’s great and good had decamped to Edinburgh this month, the turnout last night (16 August 2010, previews from 5 August) for the opening of Into the Woods, the final production in this summer’s Open Air Theatre season in Regent’s Park, will allay your fears. The number of stars on stage – including Hannah Waddingham, Jenna Russell, Helen Dallimore, Mark Hadfield and Michael Xavier – were more than matched by those in the audience, including Adam Garcia, Alison Steadman, Samantha Spiro, Tracie Bennett, Julia McKenzie, Tim McInnerny, Broadway’s Shoshana Bean and former Open Air artistic director Ian Talbot.

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF INTO THE WOODS’ 1ST NIGHT PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE “NEXT >” LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

Well-known storybook characters Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel are joined by a new creation, the tale of The Baker and His Wife, in the 1989 Broadway musical, which brings a dark and contemporary adult view to the childhood idea of “happily ever after”. Sondheim and Into the Woods book writer James Lapine also collaborated on Sunday in the Park with George and Passion, which is revived at the Donmar Warehouse next month, continuing the year-long celebrations for Sondheim’s 80th birthday.

Into the Woods is directed by Open Air artistic director Timothy Sheader and designed by Soutra Gilmour, with co-direction and movement by Liam Steel and musical supervision and direction by Gareth Valentine. The cast also includes: Marc Antolin, Valda Aviks, Billy Boyle, Gaye Brown, Sophie Caton, Alice Fearn, Mark Goldthorp, Amy Griffiths, Amy Ellen Richardson, Ben Stott, Marilyn Cutts, Simon Thomas, Ben Stott, Beverley Rudd and Gemma Wardle. The production continues until 11 September 2010.