Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre

"The musical conflates four stories by the Grimm brothers: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel with the addition of a new and original tale, the story of a childless Baker and his Wife. Sondheim and Lapine create a dizzying narrative and musical web as characters, stories and melodies intertwine and shoot off in unexpected directions."

"This approach is encapsulated in the opening eponymous number Into the Woods, a tour-de-force of multiple storytelling that rivals Mozart and da Ponte's ensemble pieces in its conception and execution. The music and the book are similarly complex with fiendishly amusing wordplay and Sondheim's trademark convoluted melodic contours and harmonic leaps of faith. It's no surprise that on Broadway the show won Tonys for both Best Original Score and Best Book."

Jordan Fein directs a new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre, marking the first major London revival since 2016. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1987 and blends four Grimm tales—Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel—with an original story about a childless Baker and his Wife. Sondheim and Lapine construct an intricate narrative and musical web with intertwining characters and melodies. The opening ensemble number exemplifies the work's complex counterpoint. The score and book feature witty wordplay, challenging melodic contours, and psychoanalytic symbolism from Freud, Jung and Bettelheim. Central themes include found family and the consequences of wishes.

Read at www.london-unattached.com