London – Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods has always walked a tightrope between enchantment and existential unease, and this latest revival at the Bridge Theatre, directed by Jordan Fein, leans confidently into both. Fresh from its triumph at the Olivier Awards 2026—where it won Best Musical Revival and Best Lighting—this production arrives with the weight of acclaim and, crucially, the substance to justify it.
A living, breathing fairytale
Critics across major outlets have noted how this staging reinvents the musical’s familiar structure with an immediacy that feels almost cinematic. The Bridge Theatre’s adaptable space is used to striking effect: designer Tom Scutt conjures a mutable forest that shifts seamlessly from storybook whimsy to something darker, more fractured. The result is not merely immersive—it is destabilising in the best way, echoing Sondheim’s own subversion of fairytale logic.
Where many productions lean heavily into charm, this revival—much like its most celebrated predecessors—allows the second act’s moral ambiguity to land with real force. Loss, responsibility, and the collapse of “happily ever after” are not softened; they are sharpened.
A cast in transition, but not in decline
With a significant cast change from 20 April, the production enters a new phase—one that continues to draw from the West End’s strongest musical theatre talent.
Melanie La Barrie steps into the Witch with a performance widely anticipated to balance vocal power with emotional nuance, following in the footsteps of Kate Fleetwood’s Olivier-nominated interpretation. Opposite her, Rachel Tucker as the Baker’s Wife brings a proven emotional clarity to one of Sondheim’s most complex roles, while John Owen-Jones lends gravitas to the dual role of Narrator and Mysterious Man.
The transition from departing leads—among them Jamie Parker and Katie Brayben—feels less like a disruption and more like a renewal. Reviews of the original run consistently praised the ensemble as a whole rather than any single star turn, and that collective strength remains intact. Performers such as Gracie McGonigal (a standout Little Red Ridinghood) and Oliver Savile (doubling as Prince and Wolf) continue to anchor the production with precision and wit.
Sondheim’s score, re-experienced
Musically, this revival has been widely described as both faithful and freshly urgent. Sondheim’s intricate score—arguably one of his most intellectually and emotionally demanding—is delivered with clarity and dramatic intent. Numbers such as “Children Will Listen” and “No One Is Alone” emerge not as sentimental resolutions but as uneasy, hard-won truths.
This aligns with the consensus among critics: that the production refuses to treat the material as nostalgic. Instead, it interrogates it—asking what these stories mean in a contemporary world shaped by uncertainty and fractured narratives.
Verdict
This Into the Woods is not simply a revival; it is a re-examination. By combining inventive staging, a rotating yet consistently strong cast, and a clear-eyed approach to Sondheim’s darker themes, the production earns its critical accolades without relying on them.
At a time when many revivals trade on familiarity, this one dares to unsettle. And in doing so, it reminds us why Sondheim’s work endures: not because it comforts, but because it tells the truth—even in a forest of lies. To book a ticket visit: THE BRIDGE THEATRE