Into The Woods

Spotlight Theatre Company presents Sondheim’s Into The Woods.

A twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and other well-known fairytale characters are interwoven with the story of a baker and his wife – whose longing for a child is thwarted by the witch who lives next door.

The dark and twisted musical, with its wicked humour and heart ache shows that live has more than it’s woods.

When:
8th, 9th and 10th July 2022.
(7pm Fri & Sat 2pm Sat & Sun)

Where:
Nottingham Arts Theatre.
George St, Nottingham NG1 3BE

Reviews

“I could just sum the whole show up with one word; and that word is not “Agony”. No! not at all but “PERFECT”. This production could be transported to one of the London stages and would be a sell-out, it is that good, no not good, PERFECT!”

— Kev Castle

Kev Castle

Stephen Sondheim's classic musical created around some of the most well-known fairy tale characters created by the Brothers Grimm.

The musical is tied together by a story involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family (the original beginning of the Grimm Brothers' "Rapunzel"), their interaction with a witch who has placed a curse on them, and their interaction with other storybook characters during their journey.

I could just sum the whole show up with one word; and that word is not "Agony". No! not at all but "PERFECT". This production could be transported to one of the London stages and would be a sell-out, it is that good, no not good, PERFECT!

It's a long show at around about three hours with an interval but it's worth every penny of it for very minute this ridiculously talented group are on stage.

Sondheim's score is so difficult to get right; ask anyone who has performed it and they will tell you. The timing has to be split second with the rhythm and words, and with this group not one beat was missed, the timing was perfection, and every single person was pitch perfect.

The whole cast work so well as an ensemble that it's incredibly hard to pick out any favourites, but I will anyway. Here's the whole cast list, who I am sure all deserve a very large glass of liquid, of some description, after this musical masterpiece of mirth, menace and melody.

Katie Inglis (The Stepmother/Ensemble), Lizzie Fenner (Cinderella), Mike Pearson (Cinderella's Father/Mysterious Man), Ella Greenwood (Cinderella's Mother/Snow White/Giant), Poppy Cook (The Narrator), Stan Cook (Jack), Joe Butler (Jack's Mother/Ensemble), Daisy Donoghue (Milky White), Sam Barson (Baker) - who has the most incredible voice and stage presence, Samantha Hedley (Baker's Wife), Emily-Hope Wilkins (Rapunzel), Eva Sheppard (Little Red Riding Hood) - who really made me chuckle, Michael Radford (Wolf/Cinderella's Prince/Ensemble) - who as the wolf was the perfect creepy sleazeball, Oliver Halford (Rapunzel's Prince/Ensemble) - the two Princes were brilliantly tuned to each other and were a comedy pairing made in heaven, highlighted by their song "Agony", and I swear that the two young ladies who sat behind me were swooning every time either of them walked on stage. Lucy Gazzard (Granny/Ensemble), Ellie Monterosso (Florinda/Ensemble), Katie Faulkner (Sleeping Beauty/Ensemble), Megan Leahy (Lucinda/Ensemble), Lottie Allsopp (Steward/Ensemble) and, I am sorry to say that I had a favourite out of all of these talented young people, Danielle Easter (Witch).

I know that I am not alone in thinking this as some of the people I spoke to in the interval also felt the same way about Danielle. Her character voice was like Eartha Kitt with the growl and her singing voice was wonderful. I saw Danielle when she came out after the show, and I was so tempted to go up to her and say how wonderful I thought her performance was, and then bottled it; I think I'm a little bit starstruck with Danielle, and I don't get that too often!

Directed by Cassie Hall, who I got the chance to chat to after the show, to tell her what a brilliant production it was and what an incredible job she had done. She and her family and cast and crew must be so proud of this production. Everything about this production was, OK I have to use that word again.... Perfect.

Musical Director was Sam Griffiths, who also did the honours for "Little Shop Of Horrors" earlier on this week, as well as "Madagascar" in Long Eaton last week. With talent like his, no wonder he is in such demand. A faultless musical presentation by a talented bunch of musicians.

Choreography was by Emma Gregory, so again, if you've got one of the best in your fold, you get the best results. Nuff said!

Sound Design was by Rob Kettridge and Lighting Design by Oliver Read, they put not a foot, or a finger wrong in both departments.

You can see the size of the cast so stage management is going to be an equally big job, and I can imagine quite stressful, so I must mention Bronwen Webster and Nigel Newton and give credit for the incredible job they did.

Needless to say that the costume department would have worked overtime with all of these marvellous costumes for this show.

Not only was this a wonderful night show wise, but it was also lovely to catch up with several people I've not seen for years, and some I've only ever seen on the stage. Rubbing shoulders with so many talented and lovely people, I live in hope of some of their talent rubbing off on me.

I came to the theatre expecting a wonderful nights' entertainment, but this show has actually exceeded all my expectations on every level.

You really must go and see this show because excitement and talent like this on a local level needs to be supported and maintained, and that can only happen from supporting local drama groups. It's a perfect way to spend an evening out, in the woods.

— Kev Castle

NODA

Into the Woods in probably one of Stephen Sondheim’s most approachable musicals for an audience combining as it does, characters from some of the Western World’s most familiar fables from Rapunzel, Little Red Riding-hood, Snow White and Cinderella to name just a few. The first half of the show tells those family fairy-tails with the second half asking the more challenging and interesting question, what happens after happy-ever-after… ?

First things first, the Spotlight production was extremely impressive. The staging was very refreshing being very minimal with a central “tower” of everyday Wooden articles, with the tables and chairs being rotated at various parts of the production to create Rapunzel’s tower, a giant beanstalk and baker’s house. Excellent design work by Cassie and the production team. Sam Griffith was also on great form as he and the cast made the complexities of the score and its 72 numbers often with 4 characters or more with potentially clashing counter melodies, seem as ‘easy and natural’ on the ear. The Choreography was perfectly in keeping with the overall feel of the show being supportive to the story telling throughout.

Every cast member be they principal or in a supporting role gave superb vocal and acting performances. There was never a moment when they were not using their-entire being to make their character three dimensional without overacting or upstaging (ok within the bounds of what the Wolf and Princes should do…).

This was very much an ensemble cast performance made all the more so by the impact of Covid on cast including the performance I saw where Sian Hooton and Lucy Gazzard seamlessly stepped into additional roles which, if there hadn’t been an announcement, you would never have known such was their quality.

Turning to the key Principals, they all delivered incredibly strong and rounded performances: Sam Barson the vulnerable Baker finally coming to terms with how his life has been turned upside-down, Samantha Hedley the ‘desperate for a child’ Bakers Wife not unwilling to have a trist in the woods, Eva Sheppard a very street wise ‘Red’, Stan Cook the naïve Jack who’s courage developed throughout the night, Lizzie Fenner shone as Cinderella who moved from poverty to princess and then discovered that happiness is not about the material things in life. Danielle Easter used her whole self to portray the old bitter witch with hunched body and cackling vocal delivery, which transformed into the physically beautiful but flawed younger self and Poppy Cook delivered a great Narrator who linked and pushed the stories forward until her untimely run in with the Giant in Act 2.

Kate Ingles, Ellie Monterosso and Megan Leahy revelled as the “beautiful on the outside/ugly on the inside”, step-family, Michael Radford excelled as both the Wolf and Cinderella’s Prince who together with Oliver Halford as Rapunzel’s Prince delivered suitably over the top performances, Emily Hope-Wilkins, the increasingly distracted Rapunzel managed to pull her vocal motif from a standing start at every opportunity, without snapping her vocal chords and Daisy Donoghue was a perfectly sympathetic and feisty Milky White. All the other supporting characters personified their roles so congratulations to Joe Butler, Mike Pearson, Lottie Allsopp, and Katie Faulkner.

Lighting and sound supported the production with a great balance between pit and stage and lighting used to support the minimal set and the production was significantly enhanced by; the superb orchestra ably guided by Sam.

Congratulations one and all.

— Martin Holtom

Production Team