(Pic by Val Adamson)
Sondheim’s musical in good hands with this KickstArt
production. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Little
Red Riding Hood meets Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk connects with Rapunzel
and the Brothers Grimm fairy tales add their
stories. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty also get a look-in, in the fascinating
mix that makes up Steven Sondheim’s Into
the Woods presented by multi-award winning KickstArt which opened last
night at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.
This is a production that director Steven Stead has dreamed
of doing since he first heard the original Broadway cast recording when he was
18. As he says in his programme notes: “I was entranced by the dextrous weaving
of complex language, melody and ideas, and the exuberant theatricality of the
piece.”
He has summed up Into
the Woods perfectly. This is not your average musical with hum-along tunes
and brightly coloured sets. It’s a brilliant blending of characters and stories
to make a highly thought-provoking whole. This is what Sondheim intended – a
look at the relationship between parents and children and what influences each
new generation, as well as the importance of communities working together for
the betterment of all.
All the
characters end up in the woods and Greg King’s highly effective design sets the
spooky mood with its revolve of gnarled branches and stumps as well as books
with roots growing out of them. The opening of the show features the clever use
of a bookcase of fairy stories which splits into three, and turns to display
different settings – Cinderella, The Baker’s Son and Jack and the Beanstalk
Musical
direction by American musical theatre expert, Drew Rienstra, is masterful. This
is not easy music to sing as Sondheim uses much dissonance as well as a
multitude of words. Memorable numbers were First
Midnight into the Woods, Witch’s Rap
and Witch’s Lament, Last Midnight and Moments in the Woods. Highlight for the audience last night – and
deservedly so –was the hilarious Agony
sung by the two princes.
Stead has chosen a stellar cast and under his
astute direction each performer rises to the challenges of the production. The
pace is frenetic at times with characters running in and out of the woods, up
and down - and through - the revolve so intense focus is needed. It could all
very easily become chaotic but Stead has it firmly under control!
While all deserve mention, standout performances come
from Bryan Hiles and Lyle Buxton. Hyles’ character as the Baker’s Son requires
him to move from initial cheerfulness to frustrated helpless anger, giving us a chance to see this
actor’s full range for the first time. Buxton is a delight as Cinderella’s lustful
Prince and The Wolf.
Jessica Sole impressed as the Baker’s Son’s Wife
and so did Lisa Bobbert who was totally unrecognisable in her powerhouse
performance as The Witch. Frances Williams was a charming Cinderella, Katy
Moore a feisty Little Red Riding Hood and Nathan Kruger a suitably lovelorn
Rapunzel’s Prince. Peter Court doubled as The Narrator and The Mysterious Man.
Tina le Roux’s lighting captures the
moodiness of the production while Neil Stuart Harris’s costumes clearly identify the characters’ styles.
Sondheim’s Into
the Woods is in good hands with this KickstArt
production. My
husband, who is a Sondheim aficionado, says it all. When I asked him what he
thought of the production, he replied: “It’s not just good. It’s very, very
good.” From someone who hardly ever uses superlatives, that’s a 100%-plus
endorsement!
Into the Woods runs until May 1, with
performances from Tuesday to Saturday at 19h30 and on
Sundays at 18h00. There are matinee performances on Saturdays at 14h30.
Tickets
R120 booked through Computicket: www.computicket.co.za For block bookings contact Ailsa
Windsor of Going Places: editor.goingplacessa@gmail.com or 083 250 2690. – Caroline Smart
Please note that
despite its fairytale characters, this musical is aimed at adult audiences, and
is not suitable for young children. PG eight years old.
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