Into The Woods Broadway Review

I went to one of the closing shows of the infamous broadway musical, Into the Woods. Based on a book by James Lapine, Stephen Sondheim wrote a  musical version of Into the Woods, which first opened on November 5, 1987. Seeing this show on Broadway was a big treat, and I would love to give an honest review of this beautiful show which has sadly closed.

The 2022  revival of Into the Woods opened on July 10th 2022. The opening cast included some well known actors like Hugh Jackman, Sara Berelis, Phillipa Soo, etc. While I saw a different cast, their  performance was just as amazing and I enjoyed every minute of it. They really took a hold of the small space and made it their own. This is the perfect musical if you love classic songs and amazing vocals.

I do understand that they did not have as much room as other broadway shows with bigger sets. If you would like to see a show with a lot of theatrics I would not suggest this one. The orchestra took up the majority of the stage and there was no true set. They had many intricate props that highlighted the crew’s impeccable backstage work, but I now understand that this musical mostly highlighted the actors and their great work. The costumes were very true to the original show. If you are familiar with the movie made in 2014, the costumes are similar to those. It is a fashion you could find in the great depression, around the 1930s. They weren’t anything too special, but very classic and suited well for the show. 

The audience provided overwhelming support for the show. Every quick pause in between lines was spent cheering for the cast. It built a lot of morale but just be prepared for the roar of applause in between each number. The audience will get very loud showing their support for the cast. It is a big workout for those wrist muscles. 

Although I did talk about the lack of set, there was still a clear creative element artistically. If you are familiar with the story, there are giants and many fantastic beasts included in the book, which they represented very well. For the giants, they made beautiful wired boots and walked them around the stage, and they used lights and sounds to mimic the stomping. This was very well done and it was a great way of taking this limited space and making it into the woods. The entire audience felt as if the giant was among them and made the musical so magical. There were also a few animals, like a cow and chicken, which they made into lovely puppets.

I believe that this is one of the most iconic musicals performed on Broadway. It has an amazing cast, astounding songs and overall a great heartwarming story. I would recommend this show to anyone who loves the theater! Everyone performing knows their role exceptionally well, and they embody the character with great skill. Travel into the woods with this cast, you may get lost, but it is worth it.