Moments In The Woods

The last (and first) time I went to Manchester's Royal Exchange, it was to see their incredible production of Little Shop of Horrors, which ended up being probably the best thing I saw last year. What a way to start! So the pressure was therefore on for their Christmas production this year - which is Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's fairytale-masterpiece Into The Woods. What makes this production more interesting is the fact that this is the first time I have seen this classic on stage.

Originally done on Broadway in 1987, it has become one of Sondheim's best-known works and has been revived many times, and even lead to a film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, James Cordon and Emily Blunt (I reviewed the film earlier this year and you can click here to find out more about that).

I would first like to mention how the creative team at the Royal Exchange managed to give the feel of a vast wood - which for the space they have is incredible, as the Royal Exchange is TINY - they used the entire stage and really gave the audience the impression of the characters getting lost in the woods.

Anyone who has seen the 2014 film knows that the story features much darker versions of the classic fairy-tales, much more Grimm than Disney - well the original piece contains more of that, including Rapunzel going slowly more insane after the Witch banishes her, more characters, and many more songs; including the hilarious reprise of one of my favourite songs in the show, Agony, sung by Marc Elliot and Michael Peavoy as the two Princes, and also giving Sleeping Beauty and Snow White honourable mentions as well as loads of laughs from the audience.

"Ah well, back to my wife!" 

Speaking of the two Princes, they have given me the closest thing I have seen to a bromance so far in theatre, and it was absolutely hilarious to watch. And Peavoy's other persona aka The Wolf was also hilarious to watch, particularly in the scene in Red's Grandma's cottage. His costume is a sight to see too, mainly based off that fact that there is not a lot there to go on..... It lifted Hello Little Girl to a whole new level of innuendo.

Moving on to other performances, I have to admit that I wasn't a fan of Gillian Bevan's Witch in the first half of the show. There was something about her timing for me which seemed off, particularly during her entrance telling the Baker and his Wife about the curse. However, in the second half, I felt she did improve, particularly in her softer moments such as Witch's Lament, and it gives her greater reason for why she just wants the giant to leave everyone alone, which the film doesn't go into. Also, while I am here, I know she owns a vegetable patch and all, but I did not like the fact they incorporated a cauliflower into her hair... It just did not look right.

As for the Baker and his Wife, Alex Gaumond and Amy Ellen Richardson (who I saw in Singin' In The Rain a few years ago) were fantastic! Though I thought they could have had a touch more chemistry, they were both determined, funny and incredible hard-warming. Gaumond's performance of No More was heart-breaking, and Richardson's performance of Moments In The Woods was hilarious. They really brought out the wit/power of Sondheim's lyrics, and, like Agony, showed the audience what a great songs they are.

I have to admit, I thought that Little Shop was a better production on the whole, but that does not mean Matthew Xia's production was bad - in fact, far from it! The thing I really commend him for is that he really brought this wonderful script to life - not enough mention goes to James Lapine, who wrote the piece's book - and this space only brings out the corkers! Similarly with the script, the lyrics are only emphasized, proving that Lapine and Sondheim are real geniuses!
The run finishes on 16th January =)