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The University of Kent Musical Theatre Society’s (UKC MTS) Autumn production has been at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre for the past couple of days, bringing Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s popular musical ‘Into the Woods’ to a Kent stage. With direction by Nic Yanni and Sofia Malanga, the society has been working on this musical since September in their evenings and weekends and the Gulbenkian performances mark the end of a long rehearsal period. It has been quite a few years since I graduated from the University of Kent, but I still live locally, so I was keen to see how the students would visualise the complex fairytale narrative. As this is an amateur production, I won’t be star rating the show, instead I will be offering some thoughts on this interpretation of the source material.
Initial thoughts
It goes without saying that this is a really difficult musical to perform, with Sondheim’s challenging and iconic score acting as the backdrop to two and a half hours of theatre. I was impressed by the singing voices within the company, specifically in the ensemble numbers where you get to witness the entire cast coming together. It is very much a musical where every performer gets the opportunity to have their moment and the cast certainly seize the opportunity provided to them. This is a full presentation of the show, complete with an intricate ‘Milky White’ cow puppet, variations in lighting design and the use of set pieces; and it has all been achieved on a University society budget.
Cast performances
Standout soloists include The Witch (Lweji Padre) and Cinderella (Hannah Patrick), who have completely contrasting voices that each compliment their characters: the bold and sassy evil figure versus the endearing maiden. In terms of characterisation and cast dynamics, I really enjoyed the on stage relationship between the Baker (Roshan Dosanjh) and his wife (Ellie Marquis), as well as the predator/prey depiction of Little Red Riding Hood (Cerys Howell Cousins) and the Wolf (OJ Okolo). You could truly believe in the former pair’s partnership in ‘It Takes Two’ and the latter acquaintances provide some much needed comedy in ‘Hello, Little Girl’.
Visual design
The dark staging at the Gulbenkian and colourful costumes really work for this enigmatic show about fairy tales. The company has been able to recreate the characters we all know from our childhood books through memorable coloured fabrics, which stand out against the shadowy surroundings. Spotlights are used to light the characters as they relay Lapine’s words and even though the placement of these sometimes means that details in the facial expressions are missed, creatively it is a nice choice.
Without the benefit of technology and complex set design, it is a challenge to move the set pieces in time between scenes. It creates brief lulls in the narrative and does in places affect the continuity, but this is kind of to be expected when you’re relying on freestanding set pieces and no mechanisms. Something that really stood out to me is how the company made humour out of their set design, particularly surrounding the movement of the items. The stage management team get their comical moments to shine as it’s revealed how certain things happen on stage.
A commendable take on the popular show
Overall this is a very enjoyable version of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical. For a show that features many central characters, in this production the strengths lie in the ensemble numbers, showcasing the cast’s ability to blend their voices and work as a collective. The society should be really proud of what they’ve achieved over the past few months. It can’t be easy preparing for a full length musical whilst studying for their degrees. I am very grateful to UKC MTS for inviting me to see their show. The company have finished their performances at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre now, but their next show ‘Legally Blonde’ opens at the venue this March.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
*My ticket for ‘Into the Woods’ was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
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