Lucinda Everett is bowled over by Sondheim's dark fairytales and Regent's Park's magical outdoor theatre.
Regent Park’s Open Air Theatre, with its twinkling fairy lights, outdoor amphitheatre and tree-encircled sets, is the perfect place to experience Stephen Sondheim’s musical, forest-based fairytale Into the Woods.
But be warned, this is a fairytale with a difference. Yes, there are witches, magic beans and accommodating godmothers. But, as you might expect from a show based on the dark Brothers Grimm tales, there is also a healthy helping of realism.
Our familiar heroes and heroines (Red Riding Hood, Cinderella et al) prance off in search of their happy endings only to discover that, at least in these woods, the usual fairytale rules don’t apply. Princes are flawed, rash wishes come with consequences and it’s not just the bad guys that meet sticky ends.
Timed to coincide with the Sondheim’s 80th birthday year, director Timothy Sheader’s production is a worthy tribute to the legendary composer – lively, original, and creatively-staged.
Entering the amphitheatre I’m bowled over by the wooden set: a mass of platforms and ladders climbing into the treetops and weaving between the foliage. The effect is almost illusionary. When the first character to leave for the woods exits the stage, seemingly along a branch, I find myself utterly convinced that they are beginning their journey rather than resting backstage. Equally ingenious is the portrayal of the giant (voiced by Dame Judi Dench), which I just can’t bring myself to spoil for you.
A fantastic cast portray the bewildered bunch of storybook characters with humour and humanity. Particularly impressive are Mark Handfield and Jenna Russell as the Baker and his wife, whose morality is tested when they're forced to steal their friends’ treasured possessions to lift a curse that has left them childless. Meanwhile, the biggest laughs of the night go to the moronic Jack (of beanstalk fame), a horny, prepubescent Red Riding Hood and the foppish princes, whose melodramatic duet ‘Agony’, about the sweet anguish of wooing princesses, brings the house down.
While Sondheim’s music is not to everyone’s taste (his chromatic style can be jarring) I can’t help but be impressed by the score, which swoops masterfully between jolly and downright haunting. The cast tackle some tricky songs with impressive skill and, when a few duff notes creep in, their animated delivery of Sondheim’s witty lyrics carries them through.
After the interval, as the light fades and a spattering of rain begins to fall, the energy on stage dips somewhat, although, given the darker content, slower pace and dearth of rousing tunes in the second act, this feels almost inevitable.
That said, the remaining scenes are superbly acted and sung, and when the cast reassembles for their soaring finale, the verve of the first act is restored, leaving this outstanding show to close on a high, amongst the backlit treetops.
Into the Woods is at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre until 11th September 2010.
Click here for Theatre in London
Click here for Things to do in London
Add an event
Lucian Freud exhibition opens today at the National Portrait Gallery
Amongst other things – the Olympics, the Jubilee, Damien Hirst – 2012 is the year of Lucian...