The musical, ‘Into the Woods’, put on by the MusicTheatreBristol society is the hottest ticket around this week. And rightly so.
Directors Jack Reitman and Cindy McLean-Bibby were extremely succesful in balancing all the contrasting elements of James Lapine’s dark, twisted fairytales. The original script begs for humour, fear and happiness. These oscillations of emotions were wonderfully blended by the actors as each character’s complexity was achieved. The witch’s evilness, controllingness and selfishness was off-balanced with her sympathy for familial love. Red Riding Hood had both an innocence and a strength (if not slightly stubborn!). Acting highlights include the two Princes and The Wolf. The two Princes were a hilarious double act with constant motifs throughout the two halves which added to their hilarity. The Wolf epitomised carnal desire in his stalking scenes with Red Riding Hood. Perhaps one of the greatest bits of the play was the intertwining of the different fairytales into one; the Baker had to retrieve various items from the various fairytales to satisfy the witch in order to lift her curse on them. The intermingling of plots was represented in the choreography in which the cast came together and moved seamlessly amongst themselves in a twisting knot. Overall, the acting was near faultless. A special mention to the Narrator whose intonation and acting was believable, and encompassed the captivating nature of a story-teller.
The directors also innovatively used staging and props to transform the dark, witty nature of the original musical. The vastness of the giant’s beanstalk was represented by an expanse of open umbrellas; the witch’s maternal obsession with her daughter Rapunzel and her beauty was demonstrated through the use of a picture frame for the tower; and Jack’s cow was cleverly a puppet, which gave it mobility around the stage. The new, imaginative use of props intensified the magic absurdity of the fairytale genre which was already set with impressive staging. The narrator’s bureau was set aside to the setting of the wood. However, the lack of division of the two highlighted the relationship between writer and character, which was also materialised in the second half. The trees were sparse, but at the same time twisted, and knarred. The backstage was modern mixed with nature using wooden planks and ivy. The overall effect definitely visualised the tension between happy ever afters and happy never afters in the play. Mention must also go to Claudia Lee, in charge of hair and makeup. Rapunzel’s hair was an intricate plait of rope, hair and flowers which obviously required meticulacy and talent!
The orchestra and singing were fabulous. However, despite the impressivness of a 15 piece score, the music often overpowered the singers in volume which led to lyrics being missed. The play itself is very highpace for much of the play. This did have an effect on the singing also. Lyrics were sometimes rushed through. Although these were faults, it did not retract greatly overall. The harmonies were beautiful and the score was extremely enjoyable. It was both high and low in emotion: funny and dark and romantic all at the same time.
I think it is clear that my review is 5 stars. It has been a theatrical highlight of the year and one that should not be missed. It is an expert piece of musical theatre on our very own doorsteps.