Into the Woods is a sleek and sexy beast of a musical. It is in turn moody and magical, witty and wise.
It provides the kind of intellectual and emotional satisfaction, and the kind of exhilarating theatrical experience that you would expect from Stephen Sondheim, the creator of musical masterpieces such as Sweeney Todd and West Side Story.
Follow the trials and adventures of a collection of well-known fairy-tale characters from Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Red Riding Hood as they all go into the deep, dark woods on separate quests, and their paths cross and intersect with sometimes amusing, sometimes alarming results.
Don't be deceived: this is not a play for children! This is a wicked and wonderful cautionary fairy tale for adults that will delight you and haunt you. It is all about what it is to be human; to long for something other, to wish for something more than what you have, to deal with the inevitable loss and the terrible beauty that this journey through the world offers us.
It has all the allure of the fairy tale, the mystery, the whimsy. And it tells of love, loss, desire, hope... and revenge... With its roots deeply planted in old folk tales, it offers a rich harvest of ideas. It also has a dazzling score with ravishing melody and seductive rhythms. It also boasts one of the cleverest, most complex set of lyrics ever written for musical theatre.
This is Sondheim at his very best; a very rare opportunity to revel in his wisdom and originality.
Productions of this kind only appear once in a blue moon!
Tickets range from R175 to R375 and can be purchased from computicket.com or (021) 438-3300
Graeme Wicks
Kate Normington and Hayley Hounsom
Videos