Into the Woods Te Auaha theatre 6 May 2023 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a pleasure it is to see great theatre in the heart of Wellington. Let’s face it, Sondheim is hard and this cast handled it easily.

The set was simple yet very effective, though the lack of proper wings make some transitions frenetic, but that didn’t detract from what was overall an excellent production. Sound and lighting were both well executed, nothing extraordinary, but when you notice neither, you can’t complain. The story is a mash up of a few fairy tales and seemingly gets wrapped up at half time, enough that you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a one act musical. Not so fast. Will Sondheim let everyone live happily ever after? I think not!

A couple of annoyances for me. Firstly this is a long show, so it should start on time. We started 15 mins late. The audience who were there on time deserve better. I’m also not a fan of jewellery that is not a part of the show or the times. A nose stud surely could be removed for a show like this. It’s a small thing I know but a distraction and unnecessary. With a cast as good as this one, there are bound to be favourites, mine were the Witch, the bakers wife and Cinderella. I’m sure anyone who came had their own and likely differed from mine. I really loved this production and am constantly amazed by how much talent there is in such a small city.

Great detail was given to storytelling which often gets overlooked for hitting the correct notes. Bravo to Witch