Into The Woods – Reviews Round-up
August 18, 2010
Into The Woods at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park
Hannah Waddingham in Into the Woods
It seems that the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park has delivered again. After last summer’s enormously popular revival of Hello Dolly!, this year they have taken on Stephen Sondheim in tribute to his 80th year.
As the critics almost unanimously agree, a staging of Sondheim’s Into the Woods in the middle of Regent’s Park is an inspired setting, with Soutra Gilmour’s set winning much praise from the critics.
As does Timothy Sheader’s direction, with some light adapting of the original (making the narrator a young boy) to ensure that awards should follow.
And to seal its success – a cast to die for, including Michael Xavier having fun as the Prince and the Wolf before moving on to Love Story at the Duchess, the mischievous and hilarious Beverly Rudd as Little Red Riding Hood, and the Sondheim Babes – Hannah Waddingham and Jenna Russell – working their magic.
Book tickets to Into the Woods at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park.
JENNA RUSSELL in Into The Woods
August 16, 2010
Jenna Russell stars in the Open Air Theatre’s Into the Woods
This summer Jenna Russell will play the Baker’s Wife in a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park, timed to celebrate Sondheim’s 80th birthday year.
Directed by Timothy Sheader, the show adds a dark twist to famous fairytales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel.
Jenna is no stranger to working outdoors having played the Open Air Theatre on a number of occasions, namely as Hermia in A Midsummer Nights Dream and Nellie in The Card.
She has also appeared in Into the Woods before – playing Cinderella in the Donmar’s 1998 production directed by John Crowley and Jonathan Butterell.
Jenna’s talent and versatility is demonstrated by her numerous stage roles, crossing both drama and musicals, and both classic and modern work.
Her credits include Amy in Amy’s View for Sir Peter Hall; Dot/Marie in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, for which she won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical; Sarah in Guys and Dolls at the Donmar Warehouse directed by Michael Grandage; a number of RSC productions for directors including David Thacker, John Caird, Adrian Noble and Alan Ayckbourn; and West End roles in Les Miserables, Follies and Martin Guerre.
Jenna recently performed at Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday Prom at the Royal Albert Hall alongside Dame Judi Dench and Simon Russell Beale.
Other cast in Into The Woods include Hannah Waddingham, Valda Aviks, Billy Boyle, Gaye Brown, Helen Dallimore, Alice Fearn, Amy Griffiths, Mark Hadfield, Amy Ellen Richardson, Beverly Rudd, Ben Stott, Simon Thomas, Gemma Wardle and Michael Xavier.
Into the Woods will run from 5 August until 11 September at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park.
Book tickets to Into The Woods at the Open Air Theatre in London
Into The Woods opens tonight
August 16, 2010
The Open Air Theatre’s new production of Into The Woods officially opens tonight, 16 August, at its Regent’s Park venue.
Jenna Russell in Into The Woods. Photo: Catherine Ashmore
Timed to celebrate Stephen Sondheim 80th birthday year, the musical features West End stars – and Sondheim aficionados – Hannah Waddingham (A Little Night Music) and Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park with George).
Directed by Timothy Sheader, Into The Woods adds a dark twist to famous fairytales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel.
Other cast in the show include Valda Aviks, Billy Boyle, Gaye Brown, Helen Dallimore, Alice Fearn, Amy Griffiths, Mark Hadfield, Amy Ellen Richardson, Beverly Rudd, Ben Stott, Simon Thomas, Gemma Wardle and Michael Xavier.
Into the Woods will run from 5 August until 11 September at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park.
Book tickets to Into The Woods at the Open Air Theatre in London
OTHER SHOWS STARTING IN AUGUST
Deathtrap, starring Simon Russell Beale and Jonathan Groff, starts previews at the Noel Coward Theatre on 21 August.
AND CLOSING:
As You Like It and The Tempest at the Old Vic Theatre, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Stephen Dillane and Juliet Rylance, closes 21 August.
La Bete at the Comedy Theatre, closes 28 August.
STARTING IN SEPTEMBER
Noel Coward’s Design for Living at the Old Vic Theatre, from3 September.
Passion at the Donmar Warehouse starring Elena Roger, from 10 September.
Complicite’s A Disappearing Number at the Novello Theatre, from 10 September.
Les Miserables 25th anniversary production at the Barbican Theatre, from 14 September.
Krapp’s Last Tape starring Michael Gambon at the Duchess Theatre, from 15 September.
Yes, Prime Minister at the Gielgud Theatre starring David Haig and Henry Goodman, from 17 September.
Birdsong starring Ben Barnes and directed by Trevor Nunn, at the Comedy Theatre from 18 September.
Flashdance The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre, from 24 September.
Onassis at the Novello Theatre starring Robert Lindsay, from 30 September.
AND CLOSING:
HAIR at the Gielgud Theatre, closes on 4 September.
All The Fun of the Fair at the Garrick Theatre, closes on 4 September.
Burn The Floor at the Shaftesbury Theatre, closes 4 September.
Tap Dogs at the Novello Theatre, closes 5 September.
The Secret of Sherlock Holmes at the Duchess Theatre, closes on 11 September.
The Prisoner of Second Avenue at the Vaudeville Theatre, closes 25 September.
Love Story set for West End
July 23, 2010
Erich Segal’s best-selling novel Love Story, which was famously turned into a film starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal, will come to the West End this year.
Emma Williams and Michael Xavier in Love Story in Chichester
The new musical by Howard Goodall and Stephen Clark, had its premiere earlier this year at the Chichester Festival Theatre and was well received by critics, with The Stage calling it a “gorgeous new chamber musical”. As befits a chamber piece, it will transfer to the modestly-sized Duchess Theatre from 27 November. The producers of the show include West End star Michael Ball, Adam Spiegel and Stephen Waley-Cohen.
The show is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, with a book by Stephen Clark, design by Peter McKintosh and musical direction by Stephen Ridley.
Casting will be announced shortly. In Chichester the show starred Michael Xavier and Emma Williams.
In the musical, rich jock Oliver Barrett meets poor arty Jenny Cavilleri and against the odds they fall in love.
CREDITS:
Emmy, Brit and BAFTA award-winning Howard Goodall is one of the UK’s most versatile and distinguished composers having written choral music, stage musicals, film and TV scores. Goodall was appointed as England’s first ever National Ambassador for Singing, he is the Classical Brit Composer of the Year and Classic FM’s Composer-in-Residence and a highly respected broadcaster and an energetic campaigner for music education. His extensive scores include Q.I., The Vicar of Dibley, The Gathering Storm, The Borrowers, The Catherine Tate Show, Mr Bean, Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie, Mr Bean’s Holiday and Blackadder. Previously his musical theatre compositions include The Hired Man, Girlfriends, Days of Hope, Catwalk, The Kissing Dance and The Dreaming.
Stephen Clark’s work includes Mahabharata for Sadler’s Wells, The Far Pavilions at the Shaftesbury Theatre, the Laurence Olivier award-winning Martin Guerre at the Prince Edward Theatre, La Traviata for English National Opera and Zorro at the Garrick Theatre and Folies Bergère, Paris.
Love Story is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre where her many credits include Hapgood, Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure and Uncle Vanya as well as David Hare’s Racing Demon, Murmuring Judges and The Absence Of War. Her other credits include The Music Man starring Brian Conley and A Small Family Business for Chichester Festival Theatre, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Alice in Wonderland for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Hilda for Hampstead Theatre and The Rivals for Bristol Old Vic.
Michael Ball makes his producing debut with Love Story. His many West End credits include originating the role of Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, produced by Adam Spiegel, and for which he won the Laurence Olivier and Whatsonstage Awards for Best Actor in a Musical. He can currently be seen on tour in the UK reprising the role of Edna. His other theatre roles include Marius in Les Misérables, Giorgio in Stephen Sondheim’s Passion, Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, Alex in Aspects of Love, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Count Fosco in The Woman in White in the West End and on Broadway. His made his English National Opera debut as Hajj/Poet in Kismet and in 2005 he made his debut with the New York City Opera as Reginald Bunthrone in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience. As well as his Sunday Brunch for BBC Radio, he will present a new series for ITV, The Michael Ball Show, starting next month. His 15 solo albums have all achieved gold or platinum status and his discography includes: Michael Ball, Always, One Careful Owner, First Love, The Musicals, The Movies, Music, One Voice and the superb homage to Burt Bacharach, Michael Ball – Back To Bacharach.
HANNAH WADDINGHAM in Into The Woods
July 9, 2010
Beautiful Hannah returns to Sondheim and goes Into the Woods
West End star Hannah Waddingham, whose recent successes include Trevor Nunn’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, will return to Sondheim this summer in Into The Woods.
Part of this year’s Open Air Theatre season in Regent’s Park, the show helps celebrate Stephen Sondheim’s 80th year which also sees a revival of Passion this summer at the Donmar Warehouse starring Elena Roger.
Directed by Timothy Sheader, Hannah Waddingham plays the central role of the Witch, alongside Olivier award winner Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park with George) as the Baker’s wife in the show that adds a dark twist to famous fairytales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel.
Hannah has enjoyed a successful stage career, including Olivier Award nominations for playing the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot and Desiree Armfelt in Trevor Nunn’s production of A Little Night Music at the Menier Choclate Factory and the Garrick Theatre. Other roles include Suzanne Valadon in Lautrec, Christine Warner in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Beautiful Game at the Cambridge Theatre) Satan in Rod Stewart’s Tonight’s The Night and Rizzo in Grease at the Victoria Palace Theatre.
The Menier Chocolate Factory production of Sondheim’s A Little Night Music continues to pack them in on Broadway, now starring Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch (from 13 July). Catherine Zeta-Jones won a Tony Award for her performance as Desiree in the show on Broadway.
Other cast in Into The Woods include Valda Aviks, Billy Boyle, Gaye Brown, Helen Dallimore, Alice Fearn, Amy Griffiths, Mark Hadfield, Amy Ellen Richardson, Beverly Rudd, Ben Stott, Simon Thomas, Gemma Wardle and Michael Xavier.
Into the Woods will run from 5 August until 11 September at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park.
Book tickets to Into The Woods at the Open Air Theatre in London
Summer Theatre in the West End
June 28, 2010
New shows opening in London this summer
Spring and autumn may be the busiest times for new shows in London, but this summer will still pack quite a punch with some big names, high-profile directors and a few surprises in store.
A range of musicals and plays will open in the capital over the next few months, including classic musicals from Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods) and Rogers & Hammerstein (State Fair); starry comedy, including David Hyde Pearce and Joanna Lumley in La Bete, Jeff Goldblum in The Prisoner of Second Avenue and Simon Russell Beal and Jonathan Groff in Deathtrap); dance spectaculars (Burn the Floor), new musicals (Wolfboy), ambitious children’s drama (The Railway Children) and a terrifying new play (Ghost Stories).
