(seen at the afternoon performance on 10th August 2024)
As somebody wryly remarked, this dark examination of adult angst caused by pre-adolescent experiences is now performed by elementary school children all over the USA.
For those who don’t know, this 1987 musical by Stephen Sondheim, with a book by James Lapine, takes a bunch of fairytales and turns them into something far grimmer (you’re fired – editor).
What happens if nobody lives happily ever after? The princes are womanisers, the wolf is testosterone charged - Red Riding Hood powerless against his charms. Jack really is simple, his mother exasperated. The Baker and his wife require IVF due to an older generation angering a witch by stealing vegetables. Oh, and the Giant stomps pretty much everything and everybody flat.
The songs are sensational, “The Last Midnight,” “I Know Things Now,” “Giants In The Sky” and “Children Will Listen” alone enough to sustain any celebration of Sondheim.
Last year, National Youth Music Theatre blasted “Merrily We Roll Along” clear out of the water, (with a cast the ages the original Broadway cast would have been), a rare and very precious revival.
With “Into The Woods” they repeat the triumph.
Jake Smith takes us to “Camp Spellwood” (geddit?!), where the scouts and guides are gathered around the campfire reading themselves a story before bedtime. A wolf howls, the troupe leaders make their final rounds... and the “Ladybird Book of Into the Woods” has them turning pages in delight.
Libby Todd provides a neat design of upright tree trunks, light-up ladders (Aaron Dootson’s best lighting contribution) and two high platforms with the “Harmony Hut” containing the band. The hands of the giant are two enormous, shaped duvets, choreographer Denni Sayers moving them on the backs of two cast members.
She also fills the space with the younger ensemble members shaping to represent woodlands, festival guests and more, as required. Intelligent, and beautifully executed by youngsters who will no doubt take lead roles in future NYMT seasons.
This year, two young people return from “Merrily.” Matilda Shapland makes fine work of the gorgeous Rapunzel theme, and demonstrates a flair for dramatic moments.
Sophie Lagden, meanwhile, duplicates her solo stage-holding feat as the Baker’s Wife. Stopping the show twice, Joanna Gleason would be so proud to watch her.
As the Baker, Olly Adams wrestles Lagden for control of their relationship and destiny, breaking under the strain but redeeming himself; a heavy emotional arc he carries with maturity. The pair learn much from "Different In The Woods," a charming duet moment.
Far less mature, brat dial right up to 11, Phoebe Connolly’s Little Red Riding Hood is a greedy, uninhibited delight. Wisdom dawning from experience and blunt questioning, her big number and key scenes draw laughs and gasps in exactly the right places.
Also among the youngsters, Ronav Jain as Jack distinguishes himself hanging off a ladder for “Giants In The Sky,” finding softness of heart to match his softness of wit.
It is no wonder Jack’s Mother, Rigby Edwards turns her biting Liverpudlian humour on him at every opportunity, amusing us all highly with an extra regional ad-lib or two.
Completing the trio, Sam B as cow Milky White’s puppeteer handles the ingenious shirt and pink top design so convincingly as to draw audience sighs at her death – a real achievement.
Milky White is of course resurrected by the Witch, Xanthe Gibson. Disgusting everybody with her eating habits, this Pru from “Charmed” lookalike is irascible, unpredictable and can deliver “The Last Midnight” with the skill of performers having twice her experience.
Another remarkable voice is produced by Freddie Tickle as Cinderella’s “Prom” Prince - in appropriate pale blue suit with sash and plastic crown (dropped in the excitement at one point, later retrieved with majestic grace when he thought nobody was looking).
Raised charming but not sincere, his vocal is beguiling and the fact he ends up with both Cinderella (Keziah Ibe – humble yet in control, and with creative golden slippers Nike don’t sell) and the Baker’s wife (naughty!) says it all.
Tickle’s duet with Rapunzel’s “letterman jacket” sporting Prince Marco Dennis is a bibulous moment of jockism, well executed by the pair. Dennis also handles very tidily a later moment of reconciliation with his love.
The most difficult aspects of the show are where Jake Smith distinguishes himself most. Given the ages of the cast, “Hello, Little Girl” might have been a Jimmy Savile moment. Instead, Maya Waghorn is simply murderously hungry (lovely timing too), Eve Knagg as Granny (neatly played) standing no chance.
Smith’s other important choice is to divide the role of narrator among the camp attendees. Each has their own personality, gregarious, homesick, shy, motherly.
As an ensemble they shine as birds – Sayers giving them books and maps to flap – and play a couple of wonderful comedy moments. Yes, the monkey did notice somebody at the back making “bunny ears” behind somebody else’s head when the photo was taken, and was highly amused when “the dwarf” rightly too umbrage at being singled out.
Joseph Firth’s Mysterious Man played off them brilliantly with his catchphrase, having already distinguished himself in impactful fleeting appearances. His looseness is in sharp contrast to Dan Bryant’s cowardly uptight Steward, following policy his only defence in a satisfyingly bossy performance. Does he have Red Riding Hood’s number? There’s a sequel there if so.
The gore is also kept minimal. Martina Galea Loffreda as Cinderella’s blinging (and minging) stepmother happily mutilates her other two daughters – revoltingly fun Lucinda (Martha Charles) and Florinda (Amie Shipley), the trio sharing a very late awakening redemption on the balcony minus, thankfully, actual blood which mars this final scene in other productions.
If the sound wasn’t always quite keeping up with the actors, the energy was always there. The glitterball shoe-fitting should be borrowed by every “Cinderella” next panto season, and the glowing magic beans by every “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
There is very good reason why the run sold out weeks in advance, mostly to Sondheim fans rather than simply friends and family of the cast. NYMT know how to stage his work, with a fresh creativity in approach and access to the cream of young musical theatre talent on and off-stage (musicians are youngsters, and young people contribute across all the technical departments).
Camp Spellbound’s woods are spellbinding. And to see the production again, with every young person involved going on to sterling professional careers if they choose to do so, would be the monkey’s wish...
5 stars.