Into the Woods Reviews

Chuck V. from New York, New York

THE COW STEALS THE SHOW!

No lie. The human characters have been perfectly cast, all the way down to third spear-chucker on the left. Their performances of this beautiful piece will rend your heart. But Kennedy Kanagawa brings to life an ear-twitching, eye-blinking, milk-deficient, udderly adorable animal character without which the witch will fail in her quest. Who woulda thunk that this stand-up gal would be so crucial to the heart of the story? Do not miss this production - the seeing of it is a tale you will tell to your children.

LG from New York, New York

2ND TIME IN 4 DAYS

A must see. Everyone is superb, and the cow - the best. A fitting tribute, honor, recognition of Sondheim.

Dee Jenkins from Los Angeles

LOVE ME SOME MILKY WHITE!

I had no doubt I would be mesmerized by this stellar cast but the big surprise is that I fell in love with the brilliance of James Ortiz’ puppet creations, especially Milky White. Initially marveling at the grace and dexterity with which Kennedy Kanagawa moves Milky, I soon realized that Kennedy WAS Milky White, a heartwarming achievement that endeared both the actor and the cow to all the audience.

Anonymous from New York, New York

INTO THE WOODS

Fabulous SHOW! A must see 🥰❤️🎉🎊

Molly from New York, NY

SO GREAT! INCREDIBLE CAST

I missed this in NY and am glad I got to see it in Boston. The show is phenomenal - not a single weak link in the cast or performances. Agree that Milky White (and the giant's shoes, also the puppeteers) were exceptional, and also agree with another review that the set production is underwhelming--there are shows where it feels appropriate to go low key on the set and I'm not sure this is one of them--but it's fun to have the orchesetra on stage and it didn't take away from the performance. Loved it!

Ken Alan from Los Angeles, California

ALL IS RIGHT INTO THE WOODS

Like "Chicago", this show can lose its sets/scenery and still be a grand entertainment, for doing so brings the focus to the clever fusion of the stories, the performances, and Sondheim’s music, lyrics, and rhymes. ITW has always been somewhat lost between being a “Fractured Fairy Tales” or “How to Parent” guide for aspiring moms and dads. After all these years, this production gets it right. Color-blind casting allows cultural flourishes and broadens its appeal to new audiences. Every cast member is perfect. Milky White finally gets a star turn and elicits lots of laughs and audience sympathy. The puppetry more than makes up for any lack of sets…certainly right up there with War Horse or Lion King. It’s the director who is to blame for the irresistible and almost illegal amount of fun, laughs, humor, pratfalls, and characterizations that cast members deliver flawlessly. Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Jack’s mother who’s “There’s no time to sit and dither. While her withers wither with her” diction is nailed on the head. This is the most fun and laughs you may have ever have in a theater. I’ll probably go back for a third dose before July 30. Don’t miss your first. It’s THAT good.

Claudia from Arlington, va

DISAPPOINTING

Could have been so much more…the woods were barely visible—some tree trunks. Lighting could have been used…wasn’t it darker in the woods? They could have used more imaginative but portable sets…they barely had props. I thought it was a cheap production for the Opera House. Cow was the best part. Sound was very good.

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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