INTO THE WOODS • LONDON
★★★★★★
Photo: Johan Persson
REVIEW INTO THE WOODS: BRITISH MUSICAL THEATER AT ITS VERY BEST
The Tony-nominated revival of Steven Sondheim’s Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre is British musical theater at its very best. A production delivered with such pace, timing, and precision that, combined with stunning costumes and magnificent set design, elevates this both whimsical and deeply adult-entertaining fairy tale into a spectacular theatrical experience on London’s South Bank.
Photo: Johan Persson
Into the Woods is one of Sondheim’s most beloved musicals. Here, a series of familiar Grimm characters are woven together into a single narrative about desires, consequences, and the bittersweet price that comes with everything one dreams of.
The classic Grimm characters are portrayed with modern, offbeat details. Cinderella comes across as down-to-earth and worn down by a life of labor; Little Red Riding Hood is, to put it mildly, slightly irritating in her insistent innocence; while the two princes are self-satisfied, flashy, and theatrically self-absorbed. It’s delightful!
Photo: Johan Persson
Jordan Fein’s staging unfolds as a dark, visually dizzying journey into a forest that is not merely a fairy-tale landscape, but also a kind of psychological space that frames the characters’ inner conflicts and hidden desires.
Set designer Tom Scutt transports the audience into a swarm of twisted trees that rise like nocturnal shadows with a nightmarish depth, where both humor and danger lurk within a stunningly beautiful lighting design. Scene changes flow into one another like fluid transitions, where the characters move not only through the forest but through each other’s stories.
Photo: Johan Persson
The ensemble delivers an exceptionally high-caliber performance led by Kate Fleetwood’s sharply drawn witch, who is at once comical, tragic, and deeply human.
Photo: Johan Persson
At the center of the plot stands a childless baker couple who dream of lifting the curse cast upon their family. To have their wish granted, they must venture into the forest, where they meet Cinderella on her way to the king’s feast, Jack with his cow, and a spirited Little Red Riding Hood on her way to her grandmother.
The first act ends in pure fairy-tale harmony: Everyone gets what they wish for. The second act rips away the curtain. Jack’s beanstalk brings a vengeful giant down from the sky, relationships shatter, and the characters must realize that the fulfillment of wishes always has a downside. The giant’s arrival is a display of theatrical magic with light and sound effects that make the audience glance toward the emergency exits. Wow, it’s just so well put together.
Photo: Johan Persson
The musical premiered on Broadway in 1987 and won three Tony Awards. The 2014 film adaptation, starring Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt, among others, became a global success and grossed more than $200 million.
Stephen Sondheim is considered the great innovator of musical theater—a composer and lyricist who elevated the genre from glitz and feel-good to psychological depth, complexity, and artistic courage. His music is characterized by refined harmonies, unexpected melodic twists, and an absence of true radiohits.
Photo: Johan Persson
His musicals are demanding, yet beloved by both critics and artists for their intellectual sharpness and psychological depth. He passed away in 2021, but his influence lives on. Whenever musical theater dares to be wiser, darker, more human, Sondheim’s spirit is in the wings.
Bridge Theatre’s Into the Woods is a rare, seamless theatrical experience. Visually breathtaking, musically sharp, with comedy and bittersweet reflection in perfect balance. GOT TO SEE THIS gives it 6 out of 6 stars. Check out the trailer here.
