Into the Woods

CAST

NARRATOR | Fran Rafferty
WITCH | Emily Sidonie Grossman
CINDERELLA | Amanda Stewart
CINDERELLA'S PRINCE | Chris Warner
RAPUNZEL | Hettie Hobbs
RAPUNZEL's PRINCE | Sam Harrison-Baker
BAKER | Andrew Overin
BAKER's WIFE | Kara McLean
JACK | Chris McGuigan
JACK'S MOTHER | Susan Booth
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD | Lotte Gilmore
CINDERELLA'S STEPMOTHER | Jo Webber
FLORINDA | Emma Walton
LUCINDA | Skyla Loureda
MYSTERIOUS MAN | Robin Crowley
STEWARD | Stephen Beeny
CINDRELLA'S MOTHER, GIANT, GRANNY and SNOW WHITE | Sarah Shephard
SLEEPING BEAUTY | Deborah Lean

CREATIVE TEAM

DIRECTOR | Matt Gould
MUSICAL DIRECTOR | Ryan Macaulay
CHOREOGRAPHER | Gayle Bryans
SET DESIGN | Steven King
PRODUCTION DESIGN | Rebecca Turner
COSTUME DESIGN | Deborah Lean
LIGHTING DESIGN | Ben Pickersgill
SOUND DESIGN | Tony Gayle
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER and DEPUTY STAGE MANAGER | Lizzie Drapper
STAGE MANAGER | Pippa Roome

[Sedos has] pulled it off at the Bridewell Theatre, which is given more depth and texture than you’ve ever seen courtesy of a vast, twisting set of trees and grassy paths and wooden walkways. This, along with a fantastic orchestra led by Ryan Macaulay, and incredibly solid direction and choreography, are the details that elevate it from other amateur and short run productions into the realm of quality fringe.

The whole production was visually stunning… Director Matt Gould gave us a production that had a good pace, plenty of humour, some original touches and a brooding sense of menace…Each actor gives an outstanding individual performance but the sense of the cast working as a team is never lost… truly impressive performances all round… Sedos certainly lived up to their premier status with a production that leads you on a fabulous journey down a twisted path to a breathtaking conclusion.

If Sedos has taught us one thing, a tall order is never impossible for them... Sedos has created here a hugely fun production, combining experienced directing (Matthew Gould), excellent musical direction (Ryan Macaulay) and fantastic casting... Like a fairy-tale playground in a deep dark forest, set designer Steven King’s creation was astounding. Along with production designer Rebecca Turner, costume designer Deborah Lean and the team that put everything together this production was nothing short of visually spectacular.

The set is a wondrous creation by Steven King... The first act reveal of the titular woods was the first of many times I was glad I’d packed a handkerchief. Added to this is a phenomenal 15 piece orchestra under the baton of conductor and musical director Ryan Macaulay playing Jonathan Tunick’s orchestrations in all their original glory. Director Matthew Gould and choreographer Gayle Bryans marshall their enormous cast with steady inventive hands and produce something akin to magic and to hear some of Sondheim’s finest songs backed by a full orchestra is worth the price of admission alone.

The large cast works well together in what is truly an ensemble play, acting and singing with skill and enthusiasm... their performance puts many professional productions to shame.

As usual Sedos has its audience eating out of their hands in the first ten seconds as once again, their professional attitude shines through in this memorable performance… strong musical direction by Ryan Macaulay presents Sondheim's distinctive harmonies and tongue-twisting lyrics at their best… Steven King's set design is just extraordinary. Every inch, from floor to ceiling, of the Bridewell Theatre's performance space, has been used effectively. It's worth seeing this show for the scenery along… Sondheim is not an easy sing and most amateur companies would shy away from it so I take my hat off to anyone who can perform it as well as Sedos.