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Into the Woods, by Stephen Sondheim Oxford Playhouse, 25th - 29th July 2000 Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods shows the creator of A Little Night Music and Sunday in the Park with George again establishing the possibilities of the musical with this clever and witty use of fairytales. In this piece Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood cross paths many times in their adventures into the woods, along with other fairytale charcters like Rapunzel and the wicked witch. Sondheim uses the woods as a place in which the rites of passage marking the move from childhood to adulthood take place. In order to get your wish you go "into the woods". Other elements in this musical show that Sonheim is giving an adult reading to these tales - for example the wolf's overt sexuality is made quite visible to the audience, and Red Riding Hood sings her fascination to him: I should have heeded her advice At the end of the first half the audience feels as though the show might actually be over without an interval, because the usual stages of a fairytale have all been passed through and everyone is set to live happily ever after. The second half of the musical is not quite as fairytale as the first because things start to go wrong, and it seems there is no happy ever after all. Sondheim seems to be saying that in order to grow up everyone must pass through rites of passage, as are traditionally shown in the fairytale, but that this does not clear the way for an easy ride through the rest of life. Characters have repeatedly to go back into the woods, have to pass through times of strife, through grief, and must be confronted by their very own demons, before they can move on a stage further in life and grow as people. Red Riding Hood reflects that although she was told not to stray from the path, she has learnt a good deal by doing so; she comes to understand that what is nice is not necessarily what is good. But all this makes it sound as though the innate charm of fairytale is being psychoanalysed away, which is not the case, for this musical is above all else great fun. Sondheim has not only created a brilliant musical, but also one of the funniest stage productions of recent times. All this would mean little if the company were not up to the high standards of the music and lyrics. What makes the production so special is that the various talents of the National Youth Music Theatre make it seem that Sondheim wrote the parts they play especially for each individual of this brilliant ensemble. For this reason it is almost impossible to single out any one performance in this production; every one seems born for the part he/she plays. This reviewer would be happy to name each performer as the star of the show, but if forced to it, one must single out Lucy Thatcher as "the Witch", Laura May Stewart as "Cinderella", Kristofer Smith as "the Wolf" and "Prince Charming", David Carboni as "the Baker", Gillene Herbert as "the Baker's wife" and Thomas Davies as "Jack". E.L. 26.7.00 |