A masterclass of Sondheim and Lapine's amazing musical. This staging is genius, sitting in Regents Park listening to the haunting melodies of Sondheim as dusk descends, the trees changing color, the stars above extending the backdrop and the wind rustling the leaves as if conducted by MD Gareth Valentine. Simply Perfection. The cast shine in this production and a great addition is the role of the Narrator being played by child; how prefect to see the story unfold through the eyes of one so young making perfect sense of the heart rendering "Children Will Listen" sung beautifully by Hannah Waddingham as the witch. Beverly Rudd shines as Little Red Riding Hood providing the audience the great comic moments. Sondheim favorite Jenna Russell as always is in a league of her own with her portrayal of The Bakers Wife. She does not act the role but simply lives it with note perfect confidence. This really is an ensemble piece with the entire cast weaving through the woods with perfect ease.

I adored "Into the Woods" at Regent's Park open air theatre. Eat your granny for a ticket to this Sondheim meisterwerk! Act 1 weaves lots of fairy tale favourites into a slightly macabre web of lust and longing, Cinderella, Jack, Red riding hood and Rapunzel all pop up, as the hapless Baker seeks to obtain the four special items he needs to lift a witches spell which has been preventing his wife from bearing a child. The songs are fast and furious, bouncing around the forest scaffold set and actors like a pinball, and manage to expertly combine the pathos of parenthood with the delusion of dreams and the corruption of youth. The physical direction of the cast is deft, and the sequence where a wolf straight out of "Grease" teases his prey, before seducing her into her grandmother's bed & "devouring" her, to her obvious delight, is impeccable. in act 2 however when the show comes into it's own, the focus pulls back away from the fairy tale context, with heart wrenching hilarity