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The Review - THEATRE by RICHARD OSLEY
Published: 30 December 2008
 
An enchanting stroll through the woods

INTO THE WOODS
Upstairs at the Gatehouse

INTO The Woods is a triumph, a departure from the normal rock’n’roll beat which emanates from Highgate village at this time of year, but nevertheless still a triumph.
It’s built on hard work, a talented cast assembled at Upstairs At The Gatehouse and a bit of magic from the master lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who created this wonderful – albeit complicated – meeting of fairytales.
Nowhere else but in this misty world of woods, palaces and
turrets (all above a pub at the village crossroads) will you find Little Red Riding Hood shaking hands with Jack from Jack And The Beanstalk and Cinderella trading exchanges with ­Rapunzel.
Throw in a witch scary enough to give the kids in the front row a fright or two, some
magic beans and Paul Nicholas (Vince from Just Good Friends) appearing as a hologram narrator – and what more could you want?
Some decent songs? There are those too, although this show isn’t about knockout ­numbers. Instead, the craft is in the effortless lyrics which zip from one witty line to another before you can catch breath.
It’s a wonder that not a word was missed as a series of plots and ­sub plots meld into one.
Shimi Goodman and Alexander Branford shine as two campy ­comedy princes. Dominic Brewer excels as The Baker in search of ingredients for a mystic brew, perhaps only outdone by Rachel Bingham as The Baker’s Wife, who captures the puzzling world these characters are ­mischievously thrown into by Sondheim. She was marvellous.
This is the seventh seasonal musical in a row I’ve seen at this ­theatre, and there is a reason I keep going back. It’s usually ­rock’n’roll thrills but a more sedate stroll into the woods was just as absorbing.
Until February 1
020 8340 3488
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