Stephen Sondheim’s 1980s musical mashup of various, mostly Grimm fairytales – Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel - is triumphantly revived here by director Jordan Fein. And it’s an inspired choice to open it at Christmas. Not strictly a seasonal show – it’s booking till May – Into the Woods will nevertheless chime with older kids and cynical adults who want an edgier Yuletide alternative to panto.
Fein assembles a terrific cast of new and established singing talents who give soaring voice to the witty lyrics and a score that hopscotches elegantly through recurring themes and motifs. The titular opening number sets the tone, a stirring, zesty full-cast number of overlapping narratives where characters voice their wants (“I wish…”), that makes the audience feel they are setting enthusiastic foot on a quest.
