‘Into the Woods’ by NRCstudents

The Northern Lights Theatre Company of students from the Northern Regional College in Ballymoney staged Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods in the Riverside Theatre.

A darkly dangerous look at the fairytales you thought you knew such as Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood, the show was outstanding.

Sondheim’s music is challenging to say the least but the students tackled the score with great confidence and professionalism.

Under the direction of Paul McMaster and musical direction of Jonny Boyd, Into the Woods was a brilliantly macabre yet hilarious retelling of fairytales.

Told by narrator Jordan Moore, we met a childless baker and his wife (Kurtis Given and Natalie Kelly) and their struggle to find four magical objects in a challenge set by the witch, played in a great performance Annie McAllister.

This couple gelled together brilliantly and Kurtis was reminiscent of James Corden in the recent film version while Natalie was outstanding in her comic timing, pathos and acting.

On their journey they meet various familiar characters including Jack of beanstalk fame (Eoin Toner), Rapunzel (Stephanie Adams) and Cinderella (Abigail Fullerton).

The incredible set of layers of scaffolding draped in foliage and trees gave a fantastically dreamlike feeling of a Midsummer Night’s Dream meets Glastonbury meets Into the Woods.

Clever use of foliage also doubled up as Cinderella’s little friends, the birds.

The two handsome but incredibly conceited princes (Warren McCook and Brandon Lyons) provided much of the comedy of the evening while Peader McKinney as the Wolf gave a creepy performance as he salivated over a very tasty but feisty Little Red Riding Hood (Melody May Felici). Top marks for the clever staging of his meal of Red and Granny. An excellent show!