Last week, I sat down with Luke Nixon, Lydia Free, and Isobel Connolly, the directorial force of a new ‘vivid and visionary’ production of Sondheim’s timeless classic Into the Woods being held at the Oxford Playhouse from 29th January to 1st February. Together we unraveled what it takes to build the woods from scratch and guide a cast through the shadowy forest floor, how we can explore the humanity of some of our most beloved fairy tale characters, and how to simply embrace the chaos of Sondheim’s ridiculously complex score. Luke, Lydia, and Isobel share their inspirations, challenges, and a few behind-the-scenes secrets that make their rendition of this musical masterpiece one-of-a-kind.
Cherwell: Why did you decide to stage Into the Woods in the first place?
Luke: It’s felt like forever since me and Lyds [Lydia] first spoke about taking Into the Woods to the Playhouse in our final year.
Lydia: We started to talk about it around two years ago and the seed of our friendship was that we both loved this musical so much. We decided to take the plunge and get staging it when we were on our years abroad, at which point Izzy joined the project. Since then, the three of us (all Aries…crazy) have been whittling away for almost a year trying to bring it to life! In all honesty, I just wanted to put mine and Luke’s friendship to the test. Co-staging a mega sondheim musical in a 600-seat theatre when I have never been involved in a musical and Luke has never directed. Easy. Izzy is the only one who knows what she’s doing.
Luke: The musical just gives us it all, really. A phenomenal score, some beautiful ballads, some amazing opportunities for an ensemble to shine as well as a tight network of intricate relationships that are a pleasure to watch. It’s also hilarious; that’s one thing we’ve been really keen to push through our production.
Interviewer: The show intertwines so many beloved fairy tales—how do you balance the familiar stories with fresh creative interpretations?
Lydia: We have set the play in a very bare-bones way to draw maximum attention to the theatre ‘space’. We are laying out the fictionality of the fairy tales as much as possible in that way. With a really strong, fantastical backbone, we want the nuanced, clashing parts of humanity and morality that the musical explores to shine out against it.
Luke: We’re using what we know of these fairy tales—their characters, their stories, their relationships—and exploring why we love them so much, why are they still so relatable nowadays? It’s because they’re wholly truthful; amongst the farce and the ridiculousness are characters genuinely experiencing the madness, and this has been so enjoyable to play with. The company is formed of sixteen characters who are fully-fledged, fully feeling people, and this is something that we have taken real pride in moulding.
Interviewer: Sondheim’s music is notoriously intricate; what has been the greatest challenge you’ve faced in bringing it to the stage?
Isobel: The music has been a mammoth task to teach and learn, but also a lot of fun. The cast have tackled it head on and really embraced the intricacy and detail of the score. I think the biggest challenge has been working to make the emotions of the songs feel genuine, whilst maintaining the accuracy that Sondheim’s music demands, and everyone has really risen to that challenge.
Lydia: Into The Woods is difficult to keep fresh for the whole show because about 90% of the action happens in nebulous woodland landscapes. It requires immense collaboration to continue to look at the small space of the stage in new ways and find new corners of it to continue to surprise the audience throughout the show. It has been a challenge doing that, but the collaboration has of course been a joy.
Luke: I mean there is just so much going on. The cast are stunningly talented so that’s a relief, but there are just so many little intricacies that we have been trying to pay homage to; lots of them are literally tiny little things that no one will pick up on. The greatest challenge however is when the Into the Woods melody comes back in again for the 57th time and we’re trying to do something new with it. Again.
Interviewer: If you could add a new fairy tale character into the story, who would it be, and where would they fit in?
Luke: Well, I mean, I genuinely believe Rapunzel’s twins are Hansel and Gretel so I would love them to grow up in Act II and take down the Witch gingerbread-style.
Lydia: Wait, I love that.
Luke: It would be so fun. Would add so much to the set budget.
Isobel: I’d say the ugly duckling, who I feel would hang out with Jack and Milky White as an adorable trio.
Lydia: I’d say maybe Shrek. He could bop about with the narrator.
Interviewer: If you were to venture into the woods like the characters, what would you wish for, and why?
Lydia: I would wish for Stephen Sondheim’s resurrection and for Sara Bareilles to come and watch the show and get a group picture with the company backstage, much like Meryl recently did for the cast of The Hills of California on Broadway last month.
Isobel: Can I also have Lydia’s wish? But Sara Bareilles brings Bernadette Peters with her too.
Luke: Maybe a job for when I graduate, I think. That’d be nice.
Interviewer: If you could bring any real piece of magic into the production, what would it be?
Isobel: This cast, band, and crew are already pretty magical, but I’d go for characters being able to fly. Would probably add some extra pizzazz.
Lydia: I would choose for Eleanor Bogie [The Witch] to actually be able to perform sorcery, so that when she waves her hands, gusts of wind and flying disco balls and floating audience members actually occur. The magic she already possesses is in the way she will make you sob in ‘Stay With Me’.
Luke: Shape shifting. So we can nail those speedy quick changes without having to faff with clasps and laces and buttons. Sorry Grace [Costume Designer], love you.
Interviewer: Why should people come and see your production of Into the Woods?
Isobel: Because you’ll love it!
Lydia: So many people have poured so much passion and time into this show and you can really feel that when it’s being performed. The amount of effort and care from cast to designers to flies operators to marketers – it’s a joy to feel that thrumming, and the audience very much will when watching.
Luke: It is a truly fantastic production that hopes to be a super enjoyable night at the theatre in the dark depths of Hilary. It is a heart-warming comedy about love, loss, and the murky grounds of morality that has been a real pleasure to stage. And Sondheim’s score is just gorgeous. Everyone on and off the stage has put blood,
Lydia: Literally.
Luke: Literally. Blood. Sweat, and tears.
Isobel: Literally.
Luke: Literally! So much blood, sweat and tears. And the results will prove it.
Peach Productions’ Into the Woods will be performed from 29th January – 1st February 2025 at the Oxford Playhouse.
Tickets are available here: https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/into-the-woods
