Review: Into the Woods - Kilcock Musical & Dramatic Society

Society name: Kilcock Musical & Dramatic Society

Show name: Into the Woods

Adjudicator date of attendance: 09/04/2026

Kilcock Musical & Dramatic Society’s production of Into the Woods, was an ambitious, thoughtful and imaginative staging of one of musical theatre’s most demanding works. Balancing fairy tale charm with emotional darkness, humour with heartbreak, and fantasy with deeply human storytelling, Into the Woods asks a great deal of any society. Kilcock approached the piece with clear affection, courage and a strong commitment to storytelling.

Chris Corroon’s direction brought a very interesting concept to the production. One of the strongest choices was keeping the chorus onstage as the forest for much of the show. This gave the ensemble a meaningful role in the storytelling and made the woods feel like a living, breathing presence rather than simply a setting. The idea that the forest itself was almost a character worked very well and gave the production a strong identity. The decision to cast a child as the Narrator was also a brave one, but it proved effective. It added a playful, almost ghost-story-around-a-campfire quality to the evening, creating an innocence that contrasted well with the darker material.

The relationships at the centre of the production were particularly well handled. The Baker and his Wife felt like a real couple with history, warmth and frustration between them, while Jack and his Mother had a natural, believable dynamic. These relationships gave the production emotional weight. The central tree was a lovely symbolic idea, although the finished look did not fully realise the potential of the design. It felt slightly blocky and, given its importance as the central visual feature, one expected it to be used more within the staging. Still, the thought behind the concept was clear.

Musically, Mairead McKenna did excellent work with a notoriously difficult score. The orchestra sounded strong, controlled and confident throughout, with well-chosen tempos and very clear cueing. Conducting a score of this complexity from behind the stage, without direct contact with the cast, must be a daunting task, yet the coordination between stage and orchestra remained impressively secure. Diction across the company was also excellent, which is vital in Sondheim, where the storytelling lives so strongly in the lyrics.

Maria Fowler’s choreography came from a place of clear imagination and theatrical instinct. There were some lovely ideas, particularly in the formations and shaping of the ensemble as the living forest. The movement helped support the atmosphere and, at times, created some very effective stage pictures. The main challenge was that the movement style did not suit the performers’ natural abilities. Ballet-like and contemporary movement requires a specific technique, and for an ensemble not trained in those forms, it can become difficult to execute fluidly. As a result, it looked a little awkward rather than flowing. However, this was clearly an ambitious and thoughtful show from Maria, and the visual ideas were absolutely there. Moving forward, choreography that is more closely built around the strengths and confidence of the performers will allow her ideas to land with even greater impact. There is real promise in her eye for shape, atmosphere and storytelling.

Ronan Walsh gave a strong and engaging performance as The Baker. He had excellent stage presence and built a believable character journey, with lovely light and shade throughout. His relationship with Sharon Murphy’s Baker’s Wife felt natural and lived-in, and his grief at the news of her death was genuinely moving. Vocally, he showed great control and consistency. Sharon Murphy was equally compelling as The Baker’s Wife, bringing strength, defiance and vulnerability to the role. Her scene with the Prince was very well judged, and “Moments in the Woods” allowed her to show the character’s internal conflict beautifully. There was always a sense of a woman longing deeply for motherhood, which grounded the performance emotionally.

Amanda Cunningham was excellent as The Witch. She captured the essence of the character without relying solely on the obvious screechy qualities. Instead, she found nuance, humanity, and pain beneath the surface. “The Last Midnight” was a real highlight, delivered with power and conviction. Charlie Reid made a lovely Jack, sweet, innocent and hapless, with particularly touching interactions with Milky White. Olivia O’Donoghue was very strong as Little Red Riding Hood, balancing outward innocence with just enough sass to suggest she knew more than she let on. Her physicality was excellent, full of skipping, frolicking energy, and her moments in “No One Is Alone” were beautifully tender. Sean O’Callaghan gave a super performance as The Narrator, taking on very tricky material with confidence, charm and panache. His presence gave the storytelling a fresh and playful perspective.

Among the supporting roles, Alanna Keane brought sincerity and quiet dignity to Cinderella, with strong, expressive vocal work. Yvonne Ramsey gave Jack’s Mother great energy and realism, grounding her frustration in genuine concern. Peter Manning as Cinderella’s Prince and Aaron Stone as Rapunzel’s Prince were a terrific comic duo. Their posturing, flouncing, and exit runs were very funny, and “Agony” was performed with both strong vocals and excellent comic timing. Barry Dunne brought good physicality to The Wolf, and “Hello, Little Girl” was well sung, though the covered face meant some of the sensuality and interaction with Little Red was lost. Greater facial visibility would have helped the scene’s tension.

Seana Stenson gave a solid Rapunzel, with a particularly strong moment of final breakdown. Lorraine Murphy as The Stepmother, Bry Johnstown as Florinda and Kate Docherty as Lucinda made a suitably selfish and irritating trio, with very good blind acting in Act Two. Joan White was an absolute scream as Granny, throwing herself into the part with wonderful facial expressions and menacing glee. Some diction was occasionally unclear, but her commitment and comic presence more than compensated. Kevin Hynes brought mystery and mischief to the Mysterious Man, while Tim Cogavin was a strong-featured ensemble member as The Steward, particularly in his Act Two interactions with the Baker. Louise Moore was tender and warm as Cinderella’s Mother, and “Cinderella at the Grave” was beautifully sung. Mick Amoruso made an effective weak and drunken Cinderella’s Father, and Marie Kelly voiced The Giant with strength and menace.

The ensemble remained engaged and engaging throughout. Their work as the living forest added greatly to the atmosphere, and vocally they supported the score well. They handled the choreography with commitment and positivity, even when the style did not always sit naturally within their abilities. Their focus and willingness to fully embrace the concept were very commendable.

The set design had a lovely conceptual basis, particularly in the use of the central tree. However, the stage space was not always used to its full advantage. A large amount of upstage space remained unused, while the downstage set pieces limited some of the playing areas stage left and right. This made the stage feel simultaneously large and restricted. Eilis Browne’s stage management was very effective, with scene changes handled by the living forest and smoothly woven into the movement, preserving the flow of the show.

Technically, the lighting design contained some strong ideas, including effective side light and particularly good shadow work during the Wolf scenes. Some execution needed tightening, especially in the Act One Prologue, where cues were occasionally out of sync with the action. The established idea of isolating individual story moments with light was not always consistently followed, and there was a noticeable coverage gap downstage right of centre. The LED battens were a nice concept, though their flickering became distracting at times. Sound was strong overall, with good balance between cast and a relatively large band, which is no small achievement in this score.

Visually, the costumes were beautifully done and were among the production’s strongest elements. The attention to detail, colour choices, and leaf motifs helped tell the story in their own right. The living forest costumes were especially effective, avoiding the trap of simply covering people in branches and instead creating cohesive, theatrical designs. Hair and make-up were suitable and well applied, with the Witch’s mask particularly worthy of note.

Front of House created a friendly and organised welcome from the moment the audience arrived. Patrons were greeted warmly, seating was handled efficiently, and there was a lovely sense of anticipation in the venue. This helped establish a relaxed and positive atmosphere before the performance began.

Overall, Kilcock Musical & Dramatic Society should be very proud of this production. Into the Woods is a huge challenge, and this staging showed ambition, heart and a genuine understanding of the story’s emotional core. There were areas for refinement, particularly in movement style, use of space, and technical consistency, but the production’s sincerity, musical strength, and imaginative storytelling shone through. This was a brave and heartfelt piece of theatre from a company clearly willing to take creative risks.