“Get the things, make the potion, go to the festival!”
- Butter Sideup
- May 1
- 3 min read
Into the Woods is known for being an incredibly difficult musical to put on: The storyline can be tricky to follow, the visuals are well known and especially Sondheim's complex score. The musical is by no means an easy feat to pull off and yet SUPAS have absolutely excelled themselves with this production.
Review by Ewan Fellows
Jamie Stephens' direction is incredibly visual, with a strong understanding of how to make us feel like we're in different locations with minimal set changes. The tone in the show is known to fluctuate throughout and Stephens does a wonderful job of making everything connect. I do feel the duality of the characters could have been explored more, with some performers playing scenes naturalistically and others leaning more towards the melodrama. Nonetheless, the message of the show is made really clear through Stephens' stylistic choices.
As the curtain opened, Chi Nguyen's gorgeous two-story set transported you into the magical woodland world, blooming with trees, cascading vines, Rapunzel's stone tower and a full-sized grandmother's cottage (It's a shame this cottage is only used in one scene!). The costumes, designed by Grace Fryer, were simplistic and minimalist, but still easy to distinguish characters and full of fairy-tale charm.
Sophie Warren begins the story as The Narrator. Warren's delivery is matter of fact and enticing, almost like a news reporter, making sure we're keeping up with all the details in this interweaving narrative. The music bursts in, led by conductor Jack Wheatley, and the staccato score is played with such passion. The orchestra pulled off the complexity of Sondheim and Tunik's score with ease. It was a joy to listen to and was one of the highlights of the show.
Into the Woods is known for being a large-cast musical, so the addition of more fairy-tale characters (Three Little Pigs, The Princess and the Frog, Hansel and Gretel etc.) helped to pad out the magical world. The ensemble numbers, such as Ever After and the Finale, were where this show truly shone. The harmonies were rich, and they pulled off the complexity of the score beautifully, made even more impressive given that they had some intense and intricate movement during those songs. Stan Smith's choreography was captivating, with characters weaving between each other and forming the branches of the woods in creative and fun ways.
One element that really tied together the fantastical and the absurd was the puppetry. A trio of ballet dancing birds flew across the stage in beautiful synchronisation to the music. The highlight of the show was Jack's cow, Milky-White (Puppeteered by Abby Lever). With no lines, Lever's facial expressions and physicality brought the puppet to life, and in one key moment where Milky-White is brought back, the audience cheered with joy.
The cast were all incredibly strong, with each person creating clear characters to easily identify who they were in an ever-moving story. The over-the-top dynamic between Cinderella's stepfamily (Zara Walton as Stepmother, Alfie Cowgill as Cinderella's Father and Emily Mawson & Isabel Butterworth as Florinda & Lucinda) was delicious, with the bratty Sisters and commanding Stepmother all causing Cinderella's long-suffering father to turn to drink.
Vania Adazi's vocals as Rapunzel floated through the air with ease and The Princes (played by Evan Donniger and Jude Yelltop) were both charming and ridiculously arrogant.
Eve Catanach gave an incredibly strong performance as The Witch, with a clear contrast between her aggressive rap, her passionate Stay With Me and her powerful Last Midnight. Cinderella (Aine Cronnelly) was kind and sweet, with a beautiful soprano voice. James Laikin's portrayal of Jack was dimwitted but loveable, and Jess Hamilton's Little Red Ridinghood was brash and confident.
They all came together with The Baker (Harry Reeves) to perform two of the strongest numbers of the night: The fast-paced and wordy Your Fault, performed with perfect timing and skill, and the heartwarming, harmonious No One Is Alone.
Reeves' relationship with Katie Weller as The Baker's Wife was believable and sweet, and It Takes Two was performed with clear enjoyment. Weller was an absolute stand out as The Baker's Wife, understanding which moments to hit with a comedic punch and where to really stress the poignancy of a serious moment. The balance between the character's headstrong, determined side and her awkward, making-this-up-as-I-go-along-side was performed to brilliant effect and her solo, Moments in the Woods, was not only beautifully sung, but she really allowed the character and the story to take the forefront.
SUPAS's Into the Woods takes a notoriously challenging show and presents it with such magic and life, they truly should all be so proud of this achievement of a production. Into the Woods is being performed now at The University of Sheffield Drama Studio until May 3rd. Make sure you book your tickets as this is a show you'll wish to see.
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