I used to have a difficult relationship with
Director Domninic Lewis has put together a powerhouse production
It is a testament of the skill of the local actors and creatives from Bare Productions, who have been honing their craft from their days in am-dram to the semi professional position they are now in. They have grown into the deft performers they are today. It's also a testament to Edinburgh’s theatrical landscape that it acts as an incubator for this development.
Into the Woods is an adaptation of a number of Brothers Grimm's fairy tales, with some added original characters all happening in the same lille community, where a Witch is causing trouble for the locals. The infamously difficult Witches Rap was performed by Felicity Halfpenny with total clarity. It’s a show that could ride or die on the Witch casting, she provides the moral complications of the show and has to carry the conflict of act two. Halfpenny rose to the occasion brilliantly.
The cast need serious commendation for coming to grips with the challenging verbose score with such aplomb and grace. Harrison Owens as Jack did a fantastic job with Giants In the Sky, maintaining a child's gushing sense of excitement but never rushing.
The real revelation for me was Ethan Baird as Baker. These characters have been cut out of fairy tales, so they have a tendency to be seen as 2D, and that was before James Cordon got a hold of the role. Baird's performance was nuanced and found a depth to Baker that I have never seen in the character. He navigates the tragedies of the second act with honesty and vulnerability.
It was a delight to see actors who were both totally disciplined when it came to the score, yet also relaxed onstage, able to seemingly vamp and improvise in comfort - bringing new life to an old text. It takes excellent direction to achieve both of those at the same time. Director Domninic Lewis has put together a powerhouse production.
The reason it’s not the full perfect five stars was there were a few tech flubs that I was not expecting to see so late into a run, missing singers voices, microphone feedback, and actors not in the light. Not to mention some accidentally, unbalanced stage pictures. There were a couple of points where I could not follow what was happening in setting up, and Sonheim is notoriously wordy, and I didn’t have the knowledge of the musical to fall back on. Also I was disappointed the set wasn't taken more advantage of.
I cannot wait for what comes next for Bare Productions as they swiftly rise to local legends.
