A Review of Peach Productions’ Into The Woods

Student performances at The Oxford Playhouse seem to have taken a turn towards stripped back sets in recent terms. Peach Productions’ Into The Woods continues this trend, presenting audiences with a fairytale told on an almost bare stage. This seems like an interesting decision for Sondheim’s musical, and a brave one that relies on the performances of the ensemble cast filling the space. But, does this show succeed? Undoubtedly.

Most of us know the story of Into The Woods – Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Jack and Rapunzel staring in the story of a baker and his wife’s wish to have a child and the subsequent deal with a witch in order to obtain it. This isn’t the first time the musical has been staged in Oxford in the past twelve months, begging the question of what draws directors to this particular story and, more importantly, how is this rendition unique? Upon entering the theatre, audiences are greeted to the sight of the actors preparing behind a gauze barrier. We see them doing warm ups, chatting and slowly putting on their costumes in preparation for the show. This choice is a fun, if not unique, preset, which does not reach its full potential until the orchestra strikes up and suddenly cast are running helter-skelter across the stage, pausing to sing the occasional line. It is a masterful piece of choreography that it captivating and sets the scene for what is a very physical piece of theatre. The ensemble numbers are a particular strength of this performance, with regularly occurring moments of complex choreography which fill the space perfectly. 

There are many standout numbers in this musical and no doubt fans each have their favourites, but it is hard to deny that Agony is a particularly memorable song – especially, in this case, the Act Two reprise. Not to spoil this unexpectedly wonderful reimagining of a song that can feel a little unnecessary, but both the princes and the audience were clearly having a lot of fun. I will leave you to discover what that means for yourself! It goes without saying that this cast is filled with powerhouse voices from Joe Basczcak’s Rapunzel’s Prince to Eleanor Bogie’s Witch. Bogie’s performance as a whole is excellent, with Last Midnight being a highlight of the show. Of course, it is the Baker and his wife who must carry the story and both Theo Joly and Rebekah Devlin have no trouble in achieving this. Joly’s heartfelt Baker, displays a wealth of emotion, while Devlin is equally skilled in her acting and vocals. In contrast with Devlin’s leaning towards emotional depth, Oliver Spooner’s focus on physicality in his dual roles of Narrator and The Mysterious Man is an unusual choice with is reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Puck. It is a continually eye catching piece of characterisation, which breathes life into peripheral characters.

This musical is both heartfelt and good fun, and director-producer team Lydia Free and Luke Nixon create this balance perfectly. Each scene has clearly been thoroughly considered and the spaces available within the theatre are used with purpose. The costumes and staging come together to create picture perfect moments, notably Jack coming across the body of the Baker’s Wife in Act Two (Spoiler! But we all know the plot right?). There are so many more things I could touch on; Caitlyn Fraser’s wonderful performance of Milky White, the birds, the bold costumes… but given that is in fact a musical it would be remiss of me not to have my final shoutout be to the amazing orchestra headed by Musical Director Isobel Connolly! Overall, this is an excellent piece of theatre and my only quibble is with the trees, which are unique in design but which I can’t decide whether I like or not. But don’t let that dissuade you!