This thoroughly enjoyable production could easily be subtitled ‘Summertime Sondheim’ because that’s what it is: Sondheim’s glorious music in a delightful picnic setting, full of well-known magical characters in what is, to be honest, a sometimes dark, often mashed-up newish fairytale genre. It’s like that because it’s Into the Woods and that’s how Levine and Sondheim wanted it to be. It is ‘what’s under the bed’ theatre and we love it regardless of how old we might be or how scared we might claim to be. Add some real Canadian magic and you have a super night out.

The venue is a lovely glade known as ‘The Meadow’ on the Corban’s Arts Centre Estate in Henderson, it’s outdoors so bring your own chair, a picnic, a tipple if you’re so inclined (Corban’s of course), sun screen, bug spray, and a blanket because, at two and a half hours, it does get cool later in the evening. The stage area is around 150m from the Te Pou Theatre venue and down a slight hill with a somewhat uneven surface so access is a little challenging for those less fleet of foot.

Hosted by Te Pou Theatre and “A Mulled Whine”, a production company whose director is Eleanor Strathern, a freelance producer for dozens of independent projects to her credit and this tour is already proving a great success. 

“Talk Is Free Theatre” is an award-winning theatre company based just north of Toronto in Barrie, Canada. Best known for its ‘over 20-year history of wowing audiences with new creations, unexpected reimagining’s of established works, and neglected classics both at home and increasingly all around the globe’, the “Talk Is Free Theatre” touring team has honed the art of performing on the road to the very last cross stitch and final drop of paint. 

In the lead up to the performance, audience members arrive with blankets, picnics, and comfortable camp chairs and settle in for the evening. Food is shared with the audience by the ever-polite Canadian performers, blankets are spread, and everyone becomes happily comfortable.

Into the Woods is from 1987 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine who had previously collaborated on the highly successful Sunday in the Park with George. The 80’s were a rich time for innovative musical theatre, and that’s what this is. Not a museum piece but work as exciting and dynamic as it was when it was first staged.

The musical interweaves the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales that explore a range of consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. The main characters are lifted direct from “Little Red Ridinghood”, “Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Rapunzel, “Cinderella” and several others and everything is tied together by a narrative involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family. Yes, that’s the original start to “Rapunzel” which is an early reminder that this plot certainly has a unique life of its own, a life that sees the Bakers meet a witch who had placed a curse on their family, and, from then on, they engage with other Grimm characters who we also recognise – if only just.

For those who know the fairy tales and expect just a retelling with songs, it’s certainly not like that. True to the Grimm originals rather than any Disney-like follow ups, the stories are at times dark and sinister and anything but conventionally linear with the ugly sister’s disfigurement, the Rapunzel story barely unrecognisable and mired in misogyny, and with Red Ridinghood’s wolf being downright Weinstein (or Epstein even) creepy. It’s frankly a delight.

The cast are all multi-talented and it would be unfair to pick any one actor as standing taller than the others, they are all quite wonderful in the style of a true 1980s ensemble. The narrator eases us into the plot and provides us with a continuity that is, at times, most welcome. The music that links the scenes is exceptionally well performed but it’s Sondheim so there are challenges and in this case the cast rises to them, and outdoor musical theatre doesn’t get better than that. Singing in the outdoors is always a challenge, but not to this group of extraordinary North American thespians who manage it with ease.

There are wonderful moments such as that between Jack and his cow and we are reminded that ‘nice is different to good’ but that each can exist at the same time, and does. Dark themes are delivered with sweet tones, and this enables the story to rise above its innate dark heart and become pure entertainment just when we need it to.

Costumes are effective and each enables us to synch the characters with our own childhood memories in a deeply satisfying way. The text reminds us that ‘opportunity is not a lengthy visitor’ and neither are these wonderful Canadians so my sincere advice to you is to get yourself to the Corban’s Estate Arts Centre, find your way to The Meadow, and settle in for a fantastic night’s entertainment without delay. The weather forecast looks good for the next few days which is heartening and, if the sun continues to shine as is promised, I can guarantee you will have a great, if non-traditional, night at the theatre.

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