Delivering their last production of the year, SUPAS has to be commended for tackling a notoriously difficult musical with Into The Woods. The show presents all your favourite fairytale characters but not as you might know them, interweaving their lives to tell a story of both wit and woe.
Sondheim’s musical scores are not known to be friendly to amateurs but musical director Jack Wheatley navigates the cast and band through it with expertise. Every pun and wordplay in the lyrics is enunciated by the cast and understood by the audience, despite the impressively fast pace of some of the songs; it is apparent that a lot of time and hard work has gone into getting comfortable with the score and it pays off the majority of the time.
Eve Catanach as The Witch particularly shines in this aspect, equally commanding of the stage when firing words at us rapidly in ‘The Prologue’ as she is in the haunting and slow ‘The Last Midnight’, a memorable performance. Amongst these standout songs is ‘Agony’, a hilarious competition of self-pity between the two princes (Evan Donninger and Jude Yellop). The two bounce off each other amazingly and capture the comedic arrogance of their characters, who we love to hate.
Speaking of memorable performances, a mention must go to Abby Lever as Milky White. Lever conveyed a spectrum of emotions through solely her physicality and facial expressions, all whilst puppeteering the cow. The cow’s design and construction should be applauded too, its skeletal look feeding into some of the show’s darker themes whilst Lever also manages to make it the centre of comedic moments. Along with Lever, Katie Weller as The Baker’s Wife combines beautiful vocals with quick-witted lines to portray a satisfyingly well rounded female character, something not always seen in musical theatre. Her performance is reminiscent of the Emily Blunt-esque balance between sincerity and comedy seen in the film adaptation, whilst also bringing a fresh take of her own.
Every cast member has a standout moment, each having their chance to shine whilst also blending together well to create an ensemble. The only thing about such a big cast is that choreography sometimes looks slightly cramped onstage but this is due to the great set that takes up a lot of the space. The set immediately transports us, quite literally, into the woods, and it is easy to see why the production needs such a large tech team.
The construction of this set could not have been an easy task and the four-strong set team should be proud of their efforts. The different levels allow for Rapnuzel’s tower and Cinderella’s steps of the palace to feel worlds apart and allow for a dynamic use of the space that is engaging to watch. The ambitious lighting and sound complements the action well, and there were only a few minor first-night hiccups that did not detract from the overall vision.
Whilst this does feel like a long show, the talented cast and band do well to maintain energy to the end. The contrast of the first and second half allows for a theatre experience that ranges across comedy and tragedy and SUPAS do both admirably. My only annoyance is how catchy the songs are; if you go and watch this well executed production, and you should, just be warned that it will follow you home beyond the bows!
Rating: ★★★★☆
SUPAS’ Into The Woods is playing until May 3rd at the University of Sheffield Drama Studio. Tickets are available here
