Ad disclosure: We were provided with press tickets for the purpose of this post.
As someone who appreciates live theatre, I’m always happy to see opportunities to enjoy a well-produced show that are accessible to those on a tight budget. Not everyone can afford a trip to London to catch a show or two in the West End, and even buying tickets to a professional production at one of Birmingham’s big theatres is an expense many families simply can’t justify.
We actually have a few shows booked next month. One of those is taking advantage of the ‘teens go free’ offer at Birmingham REP, while the other (Matilda at the Hippodrome) is my birthday treat. That booking only happened after James started a new job that will increase our income. While I understand that ticket prices reflect the cost of putting on a major production, and that theatres and producers need to make enough money to stay viable, I also recognise that for a lot of people, attending the theatre as often as they’d like simply isn’t feasible.
As evidenced by our enjoyment of the BMOS production of We Will Rock You last week, amateur performances can be just as entertaining as professional productions and tend to be far more budget-friendly. The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is part of Birmingham City University and offers a number of courses in music and acting, all supported by state-of-the-art facilities.
We went along yesterday to see their production of Into The Woods at the Bradshaw Hall, and it was superb. With tickets costing just £15, and under-18s able to attend for free when accompanied by a paying adult, productions like this are a fantastic opportunity for families to enjoy theatre on a budget.
We took Lydia and one of her besties, Sophie, along with us, and all four of us spent a thoroughly enjoyable few hours immersed in Stephen Sondheim’s wonderful music and the fantastic, complex story that is Into The Woods. Lydia and Sophie are currently waiting to find out whether they’ve secured places in their school’s GCSE Drama class, so they jump at any opportunity to see a live performance. Thankfully, they weren’t disappointed by the RBC students.
Conducted by Anthony Kraus, the orchestra played Sondheim’s score beautifully and brought the music to life. The cast also performed wonderfully, delivering strong vocals and convincing characterisation throughout. The operatic style of Into The Woods is not for the faint-hearted, but this cast rose to the challenge and truly did the material justice.
Into The Woods takes some of the best-known fairy tales, intertwines them, and then continues the story beyond the traditional “happily ever after”. The first act follows many of the familiar fairy tale plots, but with the stories cleverly woven together and all taking place within the same woods.
The second act is where things really go off the rails. The princes’ womanising ways come to light, the consequences of Jack’s giant-slaying begin to unfold, and many of the happy endings established in Act One turn out to be not quite so happy after all. It’s a story that explores human nature, the cost of pursuing your wishes, the consequences of your actions, and the realities of growing up.
The story moves at a brisk pace, with multiple characters and plotlines unfolding simultaneously. It’s not difficult to see why Into The Woods has won multiple Tony and Olivier Awards over the years. The story is dark at times, but still manages to be funny, uplifting and deeply moving, while the music is both beautiful and intricate.
I’ve enjoyed the score for years, with Into The Woods and No One Is Alone in particular always being firm favourites of mine, so it was fantastic to hear them performed so well by these talented up-and-coming performers. If they are the future of musical theatre in the UK, the industry is well and truly in safe hands.
Sydney Suffield was especially impressive as the dimwitted but kind-hearted Jack, bringing both humour and warmth to the role alongside a beautiful soprano voice. Alumnus Matthew Pandya made an excellent Baker, while Millie Royle did a wonderful job as his exasperated wife. The two princes kept the audience laughing with their wonderfully exaggerated expressions and antics, while Joshua Campbell-Hart was an excellent choice for the Narrator, guiding the audience through the story with confidence and charisma. The whole cast, including the ensemble, handled the challenging vocals with impressive confidence and skill.
Bringing together such a large cast, intricate score and intertwining storylines is no easy task, and the production was directed with a clear understanding of both the humour and emotional depth of Sondheim’s work.
When it came to the sets, costumes and lighting, you could tell this was an amateur production with a limited budget and stage setup, but that is by no means a criticism. The overall impression was one of simplicity used to great effect.
Seemingly uncomplicated set pieces were rotated, combined and moved around the stage to become trees, towers, woodland and more. Smaller pieces served as rocks for characters to sit on and, in the case of the posturing princes, somewhere to dramatically rest one foot while lamenting their Agony.
The bird puppets and Milky White the cow were particularly effective. Christine Richards, who puppeteered Milky White, deserves special mention for her ability to give what was essentially a collection of household items topped with a wooden cow’s head such genuine emotion. Through both her physical performance and the movement of the puppet itself, she brought the character to life in a way that was both believable and surprisingly moving.
The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s production of Into The Woods is a wonderful example of just how impressive amateur theatre can be, and definitely deserves a five star rating – ★★★★★. Featuring a talented cast, excellent musicianship, creative staging and a clear passion for the material, it delivered an afternoon of musical theatre that was every bit as engaging as many professional productions we’ve seen. With affordable ticket prices and free entry for accompanied under-18s, it is also a fantastic way for families to enjoy live theatre without breaking the budget. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and will definitely be keeping an eye on the RBC’s events page to see what the next generation of performers does next.
Lydia says: It was brilliant, especially for an amateur performance! The singing was so incredible, as all the cast had very impressive vocal ranges and could easily belt high notes. The set was simple, but very effective. I loved the way they did the birds and the puppet of the cow, which was very well designed. I particularly liked the baker’s wife, who was a fantastic singer, and the narrator/mysterious man, who definitely suited the character perfectly. The actors of Jack and Little Red Riding Hood were also very good at portraying their child like mannerisms. All of the sound effects and music played by the orchestra were incredible, and of course the catchy songs were stuck in my head after the performance. Overall, there was a lot of funny moments, as well as more serious scenes, and all the singing and acting was incredible, especially for a university performance.
