Into The Woods at the Edinburgh Playhouse Review
Into The Woods
Edinburgh Playhouse
31 July to 1 August 2015
Reviewed by Dee Ryz
Following the recent release of Disney’s adaptation of Into the Woods, I was excited to see what the Edinburgh “Stage Experience” cast had to offer and I wasn’t disappointed! This performance marked the 10th anniversary of the Edinburgh Playhouse’s flagship ‘Stage Experience’ project which offers young people aged 11 – 24 the opportunity to get involved in theatre, and wow – they were absolutely fantastic!
The evening opened with drinks in ‘The Boards’ where the general manager welcomed us to the performance and gave us a background on the staff and cast – a lovely tribute to all of those involved!
This performance follows the story of a baker and his wife, hoping to find their ‘happily ever after’ by having a child, but to do so, they must reverse the spell cast upon them by their ugly witch neighbour by collecting certain items from the woods. I don’t want to reveal too much of the plot, however, on their journey, the baker and his wife stumble across different classic childhood fairytale characters – Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella and Rapunzel – but with lots of comic twists and turns along the way, including the appearance of some not-so-honourable Princes!
The performance was directed by Peter Corry and the cast was led by leading man and lady duo Kieran Wynne and Ellie Campbell as the baker and his wife – you really wouldn’t have known they were only age 20 and 17. The cast as a whole were highly professional and looked as though they were having as much fun performing as we did watching – and a massive well done to Olivia Hemmati in her role as Little Red Riding Hood who was absolutely hilarious! The variety within the set design was fantastic too, and their imaginative use of lighting and props to depict the mysterious woods in different scenarios was absolutely brilliant!
Built in the late 1920s, Edinburgh Playhouse is a beautiful centrally located theatre. Close to all transport links – Waverly train station and St Andrews bus station are both within 5 – 10 minutes’ walk – and parking (both on and off street) is readily available nearby, with a car park almost adjacent.
Definitely worth a trip to see how this ‘happily ever after’ ends, and a fabulous night at the theatre brought to you by a very talented young team!
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £19.40 to £22.40 (plus £4 transaction fee).
Into the Woods is at the Edinburgh Playhouse until 1 August 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 3014.
Edinburgh Playhouse, 18–22 Greenside Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3AA | 0844 871 3014
