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Monday, June 9, 2025

Operatic's Into the Woods reveals a spectacular surprise

If you go down Into the Woods today - or rather the Town Hall later this week - you're sure of a big and very pleasant surprise.

Because you'll see a large and stunningly good cast from Llangollen Operatic Society staging a show the likes of which they've never done before.

It's Stephen Sondheim's hugely acclaimed 1986 piece entitled Into the Woods, which can only be described as a colourful, tuneful and rather frantic show-with-a-message. And it's about as far from the society's traditional offerings as you can get.

Characters from a host of Brothers Grimm fairytales, such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel team up in a crazy kaleidoscope of scenes which sees them thrashing about in the woods to find objects such as a snow white cow and a blood red cape.  

Whether they do find them I daren't say but what they do discover is a lot of things about themselves and life generally.

All this is stylishly conveyed by a largely young and extremely talented cast who have spent months honing their performances to perfection.

Like Ethan Roberts as Jack, Jessica Fidler as Rapunzel, Rose Burgon as Cinderella and Steph Williams as the Witch, they can sing up a storm.

And they can also act - like Robin Crowley and Rachel Dobson as the Baker and his wife, Kevin Williams as the Wolf, Leri Roberts as Little Red Riding Hood, Graham Bannister-Kelly and Kelsey Thornton as, respectively, Cinderella's and Rapunzel's princes and Naomi Riley and Hannah Taylor as the Step-sisters.

But it's not just the young ones who make a big impression. Alongside them to add  a touch of seasoning are Operatic veterans Bill Cheshire (the Mysterious Man), Sue Cheshire (Granny), Justine Bradey (Cinderella's Mother), Sue O'Neill (Jack's Mother), Chris Williams (splendidly attired and authoritative Narrator), Louisa Jones (voice of Giant and Cinderella's Mother) and Jan Bellis (an unforgettably moo-ving Milky White the cow).    

Unless you're familiar with the piece you are unlikely to be on sing-along terms with the songs but around 30 of them are there to ease along the action and you may well find yourself humming a couple of the catchier ones as you leave. 

Make no mistake, this fairytale with attitude really works.

And that's due in no small part to the excellent production team of artistic director Chrissie Ashworth, joint producers Tracey Kempster-Jones and Caroline Anthonisz, musical director Elen Mair Roberts and choreographer Rob Stevens. 

With a five-performance run, you can catch the show at Llangollen Town Hall from this Wednesday-Saturday June 11 -14, with performances on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings as well as a matinee on Saturday afternoon.

* Tickets are available online at: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollenoperaticsociety as well as local outlets in Llangollen: The Tourist Information Centre, The Oggie Shop, and Solitaire Jewellers.




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