Casting has been revealed for Terry Gilliam and Leah Hausman’s revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods at the Theatre Royal Bath.
The new production opens at the Theatre Royal Bath on 19 August 2022, running until 10 September. Producers then plan to transfer the show to the West End in 2023.
The cast includes TV and film actor Julian Bleach (Halo, The Brothers Grimm, Emerald City Shockheaded Peter) as the Mysterious Man; Audrey Brisson, star of the recent West End production of Amélie The Musical as Cinderella; Olivier Award nominated West End actress Nicola Hughes (Chicago, Fosse, Porgy and Bess) as the Witch; TV and stage actor Rhashan Stone (All About Eve, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) as the Baker; musicals actress Alex Young (Anyone Can Whistle at the Southwark Playhouse; Follies at the National Theatre) as the Baker’s Wife; West End actress Gillian Bevan (Into The Woods; Sweeney Todd; Doctors; Teachers) as Jack’s Mother; and Britain’s Got Talent star, singer and actress Charlotte Jaconelli as Florinda.
Other cast includes Nathanael Campbell (Come From Away) as the Wolf / the Prince, Maria Conneely as Rapunzel, Lauren Conroy as Little Red Riding Hood, Phoebe Fildes (The Mousetrap) as Lucinda, Samuel Holmes (Crazy For You, Kiss Me, Kate) as the Steward, Henry Jenkinson as the Prince, and Barney Wilkinson(Sunset Boulevard, Bat Out of Hell) as Jack.
Billed as “imaginative and delightfully playful”, the big news is that Gilliam and Hausman have a new conceit for the show: the story unfolds through the inquisitive eyes of a young girl playing with a Victorian toy theatre.
The show is produced by Scenario Two and Theatre Royal Bath Productions. Scenario Two’s co-director John Berry said: “It’s been both a joy and privilege to work with Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine throughout the development of this new production and I’m thrilled to be working again with stage Directors Terry Gilliam and Leah Hausman, whose work together is never less than highly entertaining and always visually stunning.”
Anthony Lilley, also of Scenario Two, said “It’s been a challenge for the whole industry to bring shows to the stage over the last couple of years, so we are especially thrilled to share the news of this wonderful cast. I can’t wait for the first day of rehearsals and to see the production finally come alive in Bath this August.”
Theatre Royal Bath’s director Danny Moar said: “We are thrilled to have secured a cast as talented as our creative team and as extraordinary as Stephen Sondheim’s material. This promises to be the most spectacular production ever to have been staged at the Theatre Royal Bath.”
The production was originally to have been staged at the Old Vic Theatre in London in April 2021 before being cancelled.
Into the Woods is the award-winning musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine. The show brings together a number of Grimm Brothers fairytales includingRed Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel into one magical story.
Acclaimed film and stage director Terry Gilliam, who was part of the iconic Monty Python team, will direct the show, alongside American choreographer Leah Hausman. Other creators includedesigner Jon Bausor, costume designer Antony McDonald, video designer Will Duke, sound designer Paul Groothuis, and casting director David Grindrod.
The show’s awards include a Tony Award for Best Score and Best Book for the 1987 Broadway original production starring Bernadette Peters; a Tony Award in 2002 for Best Revival; and an Olivier Award in 2011 for best musical for the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production starring Hannah Waddingham and Jenna Russell.
More information about Into the Woods
