This musical feast by Stephen Sondheim draws together a whole host of traditional fairytale characters and allows their paths to cross as they venture into the woods, first seeking their fortunes and later, avenging their woes. Whilst the first half stays dependably within tradition, allowing Cinders and the Prince to be united and Jack to capture the goose that lays golden eggs, Sondheim uses the second half to explore the sinister repercussions of these happy endings, looking beyond 'ever after.' Thus we see the wife of the giant that Jack slew seeking revenge, revealing an underlying dissatisfaction with the morality and supposed perfection of these ancient stories. What right did Jack have to steal from the giant? Should the wolf have been killed? Can Cinderella and Prince Charming sustain their marriage?
Fortunately, Sondheim's attempts to explore past happy endings never stray too far from the light-hearted; the wonderful humour arising from an interwoven catalogue of familiar scenarios and characters always shines through, resisting despair. The poignancy of so many deaths at the feet of the giantess is cleverly undermined by the joy of rebellion against narrative constraints. Once the narrator has been dragged on stage, abused for being a callous commentator and promptly killed by the giantess, the authority of convention is exploded and the characters are freed from their fictional destinies to shape their own futures. Whilst this undoubtedly produces a more cynical result (as the Prince so subtly tells Cinderella, he is 'charming, not sincere,') the comedy inherent in such situations never fails to raise spirits.
Both mocking and respectful of fairytale traditions, Into the Woods delves into the grotesque and morally ambiguous aspects of our bedtime favourites whilst remaining entertaining and ultimately optimistic. The cast sing superbly and the band are also first class, but what really steals the show is the fantastic choreography, as demonstrated by the tap dancing pantomime cow and the hilarious princely double act. This is slick, professional student theatre at its very best.
Fortunately, Sondheim's attempts to explore past happy endings never stray too far from the light-hearted; the wonderful humour arising from an interwoven catalogue of familiar scenarios and characters always shines through, resisting despair. The poignancy of so many deaths at the feet of the giantess is cleverly undermined by the joy of rebellion against narrative constraints. Once the narrator has been dragged on stage, abused for being a callous commentator and promptly killed by the giantess, the authority of convention is exploded and the characters are freed from their fictional destinies to shape their own futures. Whilst this undoubtedly produces a more cynical result (as the Prince so subtly tells Cinderella, he is 'charming, not sincere,') the comedy inherent in such situations never fails to raise spirits.
Both mocking and respectful of fairytale traditions, Into the Woods delves into the grotesque and morally ambiguous aspects of our bedtime favourites whilst remaining entertaining and ultimately optimistic. The cast sing superbly and the band are also first class, but what really steals the show is the fantastic choreography, as demonstrated by the tap dancing pantomime cow and the hilarious princely double act. This is slick, professional student theatre at its very best.