Into the Woods Reviews

Ray Henson from Chicago, Illinois

MEH-DON’T GO WITH BIG EXPECTATIONS.

Had seen and been in several solid productions of the show and took friends to this production to show them what a spectacular show it is. Frankly, I was embarrassed by the hype I had bestowed upon it and my guests wanted to leave at intermission. The performances were “fine”. No one was outstanding in my opinion. The first act was almost slapstick..perhaps to more vividly contrast the dark second act. There was no set (budget?)-just suggestive set pieces. No special effects-sorely missing from the witch-were there prop problems? The witch walking off stage for her transformation was ineffective the “mask” or whatever she wore on her face caused diction problems so that a large portion of the most clever lyrics were muffled and lost. Also trouble understanding Jack’s lyrics many times. The pace was good-swift and clean. In the end it felt like a low-budget “B” tour with actors playing solely for laughs. This is one of the weakest productions of ITW I’ve seen.

Eibling from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

YEAH IT WENT WITH A COUPLE SONGS, BUT WHICH CAME FIRST THE TITLE OR THE SONGS WITH THE SAME TITLE.

Everyone had a good voice, except for the "Witch". By the end of the show I wanted to stuff a cork in her mouth. It seemed to she had a range of two notes, one particularly screechy.

LWS from Los Angeles, California

JUST OK

Saw Into the Woods tonight. Stephanie Block (Baker's Wife), Sebastian Arcelus (Baker), and Ellie Fishman (Cinderella understudy) had fantastic voices. I would happily have listened to Ellie sing for hours. Kennedy Kanagawa (Milky White puppeteer) was hilarious and made the cow the best of show. I was very disappointed in the performance of Montego Glover (the witch). She managed to make one of the most moving songs incredibly boring. I saw a small community production of Into the Woods in Oregon nearly 20 years ago that put this witch to shame. The rest of the cast was ok. They did their job (mostly) though some of them strongly reminded me of what you might see in a middle-school theater. This was my first time at this theater and I left just a little disappointed.

Kurt from Los Angeles, California

ACTING SUPERB, BUT SET DESIGN TOOK ME OUT

Trying to expose my 12 year old daughter to something other than tiktok and snap, I decided to take her to this. Personally i was excited because this musical is what changed my life. Saw it for the first time in high school in 1988 and i fell in love with the theater so much, 35 years later I still am blessed to call it my career. That being said, this production was absolute disappointment, NOT from the acting standpoint, but from the set design and lighting. It felt like a middle school production at an school with no budget. It was not immersive. Felt like i was at a local acting class watching scenes on stage with limited props and a few chairs. My daughter actually fell asleep in the first act and we left at intermission after being ripped off of over $200 for upper mezzanine. For someone who grew up in the theater and knows how important it is to present an audience spectacular lighting and set design, this was a fail. Dont even get me started on the tree trunks. Smh.

Sophia from San Francisco, California

WORST MUSICAL I’VE SEEN

I’m not really sure I’d call this a Broadway Musical, it reminded me of a local school production. The costumes looked like they had been slapped together from good will and the set design was none existent. The best part was the lady who played the witch. I left at intermission as I couldn’t keep watching it. Don’t go with high expectations and you won’t be left disappointed. I’m not really sure why everyone rated it so highly

Jack from Los Angeles, California

INCREDIBLE UNDERWHELMED BY THIS STAGING OF INTO THE WOODS

Given the rapturous reviews for this "direct from Broadway" revival of Into the Woods, I expected something pretty wonderful. Perhaps the NYC reviews had to do with the particular actors in these roles, but the LA cast was, with a couple of exceptions, incredibly underwhelming. The witch couldn't deliver the emotions crucial to that role. Little Red was acting in a completely different (crass and amateurish) production. The princes were all flounce and little chemistry. Only Jack, the puppeteer for Milky White and the Baker seemed up to the task. Unlike some, I actually like the spare staging, with the orchestra in the middle of the action. But that bit of subtlety was undercut by over-the-top performances. ITW is a long show in any situation, but still has some of Sondheim's best songs. This production felt endless and many of those great songs were left to wither and die on the beanstalk.

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