Presented by Captivate Theatre

Review by Esme Hallworth

Into the Woods, a Sondheim fan-favourite which whacks every fairy-tale into a blender and hopes for the best, sees Captivate Theatre’s capable ensemble bring well-loved figures of our childhood together to delight and dazzle. The play centres around a dilemma: the baker and his wife wish to have children but the wicked witch won’t let them, at least not for free. For the witch to lift the curse of infertility, the couple must collect a lock of hair, a cow, corn and a cape – a typical modern-day pregnancy odyssey. Across an immense 2.5-hour performance, Jack (plus ruinous beanstalk causing revenge-seeking giant to later crush half the cast), Rapunzel, Cinderella and Red Riding Hood among other friends, crash into each other’s’ stories causing irreparable damage to most involved but a haunted hoot for those who watch the chaos unravel.

The baker and his wife, played by Andrew Gardiner and Sarah Louise Donnelly, provided sturdy anchors for the performance through adept vocals and considered character progression. Moreover, the play’s grudge-wielding antagonist, the wicked witch, embodied so convincingly by Megan Grace, offered vocals to stir more than a cauldron but a sold-out crowd at Academy Hall, bringing the house down with every ballad.

This story boasts not one but two princes, the brotherhood between the two self-absorbed heartthrobs provides the very picture of performative masculinity, a pair who breezed across stage, commanding the audience with swooning pantomime-like wonder – their ballad ‘Agony’ causing anything but and their fallibility offering moments of slapstick comedic relief amidst the overwhelm of disaster.

When the vast cast came together on stage for too fleeting a moment as an ensemble, a glance around the room reveals a delectable freezeframe. Swirling umbrellas and characters that ambushed the stage from every angle transformed the space into a midsummer night’s mare, making you wonder whether you had indeed stumbled into the Academy Hall or Into the Woods. Inventive stage craft was no exception to the production’s merit, with Jack’s beloved cow coming to life with skilful physicality and puppetry and the vindictive giant appearing as two blinking stage lights from above.

Though words were intermittently swallowed by a musical score demanding nothing if not crisp diction, and pivotal plot points resolved swiftly deus ex machina, each character instated individuality through tireless commitment to their role. With so many spinning plot plates, the production offers a well-managed wealth of characters, this eminently gifted cast putting the audience in safe hands to venture into the woods of musical fantasy.

---