REVIEW: INTO THE WOODS (Bridge Theatre) ★★★

The highly anticipated 2025 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods (the first major London staging since 2010) promises a magical West End experience. But does this fairy-tale journey still casts its spell?

First staged in 1986, Into the Woods masterfully intertwines four Brothers Grimm fairy tales, following a Baker and his wife, a Witch, Jack and his beloved cow Milky White, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Rapunzel as they venture beyond “happily ever after” to discover what truly matters.

When a show as beloved and enduring as this disappoints, the issue often lies with its direction and sadly that is the case here. Director Jordan Fein plays things far too safely (much like his 2022 production of Oklahoma) where bolder more imaginative choices could have elevated the material.

The set design is attractive if somewhat simplistic. The opening reveal of the woods is undeniably magical but that sense of wonder soon fades. The environment feels cold dark and ultimately lacking in excitement.

The Cast

Jack is presented as more gender-fluid than in previous productions and is played with gentle innocence by Jo Foster. Milky White initially steals the show but as the production progresses the character feels increasingly sidelined, reduced to being dragged around the stage like a forgotten teddy bear.

Gracie McGonigal delivers a standout performance as Little Red Riding Hood, leaning fully into spoilt-brat Veruca Salt-esque energy and injecting much-needed colour into the production. Unfortunately the scene with the Wolf at Granny’s house is a letdown, staged entirely offstage and leaving the audience to rely solely on imagination and prior knowledge of the story.

Equally disappointing was The Giant in the second half of the show – because there wasn’t one. Instead just thunder and lightning effects were used to show the evil creature was high up in the sky. If there were ‘great big terrible giants in the sky’ they were nowhere to be seen.

The Wolf played by Oliver Savile, who also doubles as Cinderella’s Prince, is well performed but portrayed far too safely. The character leans into comedy rather than menace losing the unsettling edge that often makes the role so effective, particularly in recent productions such as the Broadway revival starring Gavin Creel.

Katy Brayben and Jamie Parker make a strong pairing as the Baker and the Baker’s Wife and form the emotional heart of the show. Cursed by the Witch after stealing from her vegetable garden the couple must collect a series of items from the woods in order to lift the spell and have a child. Given the show’s heavy focus on parenthood it feels like a missed opportunity not to at least acknowledge adoption as a possibility within the story.

When Rapunzel, played by Bella Brown, lets down her famous golden hair a comic rope ladder drops down, a clever gag that allows characters to climb up. However when her hair is cut this device mysteriously disappears without explanation.

The scene in which Cinderella’s sisters attempt to squeeze into the Prince’s shoe is neatly staged and played effectively for laughs.

Kate Fleetwood delivers a solid performance as the Witch but once again the portrayal feels overly restrained. There is little of the cunning danger or wickedness that could have added real dramatic bite.

Into the Woods remains a masterpiece of musical theatre yet it has always struggled with pacing. Despite a fairly standard running time of around two hours and forty minutes this production feels significantly longer.

While there are moments of enjoyment scattered throughout the woods, this revival is safer than a vault at Gringotts and ultimately represents a giant missed opportunity to create something truly magical.

★★★

West End Wilma

Photos by Johan Persson

Additional Information

The Cast

  • Valda Aviks (The Addams Family Musical – UK tour) as Grandmother/Giant
  • Geoffrey Aymer (The Wizard of Oz – London Palladium) as Cinderella’s Father
  • Katie Brayben (Tammy Faye – Broadway & Almeida; Olivier Award winner) as the Baker’s Wife
  • Bella Brown (Evita – London Palladium) as Rapunzel
  • Chumisa Dornford-May (Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 – Donmar Warehouse; Olivier nomination) as Cinderella
  • Kate Fleetwood (London Road – National Theatre; Olivier nomination) as the Witch
  • Jo Foster (Why Am I So Single? – Garrick Theatre) as Jack
  • Michael Gould (Oedipus – Wyndham’s Theatre) as Narrator/Mysterious Man
  • Jennifer Hepburn (Mamma Mia! – Novello Theatre) as Cinderella’s Stepmother
  • Jamie Parker (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Palace Theatre; Olivier winner) as the Baker
  • Oliver Savile (Wicked – Apollo Victoria) as Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf
  • Rhys Whitfield (The Phantom of the Opera – His Majesty’s Theatre) as Rapunzel’s Prince

 

Ensuring the magic continues for every performance are standbys

  • Taite-Elliot Drew
  • Jacob Fowler
  • Sophie Linder-Lee
  • Chloe Saracco,

 

The Creative Team

  • Jordan Fein – Director
  • Tom Scutt – Set & Costume Sesign
  • Mark Aspinall – Musical Supervisor & Director
  • Adam Fisher – Sound Designer
  • Aideen Malone – Lighting Designer
  • Roland Horvath – Video Designer
  • Jenny Ogilvie – Movement Director
  • Sam Cox – Wigs, Hair & Make-Up
  • Max Humphries & Tom Scutt – Puppetry Design


more news