Learn about the production history of 'Into the Woods'

Revisit many memorable moments in the woods prior to the Sondheim favourite's return to London this December.

Julia Rank24 May, 2025, 00:00

One upon a time, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine had the idea of creating a musical based on fairy-tale stories. Inspired by psychoanalytical analyses of these stories (very popular in the ‘70s and ‘80s), they decided on a mash-up of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel, plus the characters of the childless Baker and Baker’s Wife, who hold the various strands of the story together.

The first half comprises a quest narrative in which the different characters search out what they want (or what they think they want), resulting in happy endings for all. It then takes a darker turn in the second act, forming a cautionary tale and exploring themes of morality, human greed, and flawed parenting. The score, with its overlapping motifs, word play, and dark comedy, is a marvel. It’s a true ensemble show, and every role is brilliantly written (especially, perhaps, the Baker’s Wife). It’s no wonder that it’s one of Sondheim’s most popular works.

This winter, Into the Woods will be revived at the Bridge Theatre, directed by Jordan Fein (whose production of Fiddler on the Roof won three Olivier Awards this year). Read more about this wonderful show’s production history ahead of its latest London revival. Tickets are sure to be at the top of every theatre fan’s “I wish” list!

Book Into the Woods tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Original Broadway production (1987)

Following a 50-performance try-out at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, Into the Woods opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre (now the Al Hirschfield Theatre) on 5 November 1987, directed by James Lapine (who also wrote the book). The star name was Bernadette Peters as the Witch, who had previously worked with Sondheim and Lapine on Sunday in the Park with George, as well as starring in Mack and Mabel, Song and Dance, and more. The show ran for 765 performances.

The production won three Tonys: Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical and Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical (for Joanna Gleason’s magnificent Baker’s Wife). However, it lost Best New Musical to The Phantom of the Opera. It also won five Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Lyrics, and Outstanding Book of a Musical. The cast album won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The production was taped for PBS’s American Playhouse series – the VHS/DVD has been a formative influence on many musical theatre performers and fans.

Fun fact: Kim Crosby and Robert Westenberg, who played Cinderella and Cinderella’s Prince, fell in love in real life and, unlike their characters, lived happily ever after. When the production went on tour, jazz singer Cleo Laine played the Witch (her daughter Jacqui Dankworth played Cinderella in the original London production). Sondheim and Lapine worked together for a final time on Passion (1994), which can be interpreted as a dark fairy tale, with echoes of Beauty and the Beast.

Original London production (1990)

When Into the Woods arrived in London, it wasn’t a transfer of Lapine’s Broadway staging. Rather, it was a new production directed by Richard Jones (who recently directed a remarkable revival of Sophie Treadwell's Machinal at the Old Vic). Julia McKenzie and Imelda Staunton, two of the foremost interpreters of Sondheim’s work, starred as the Witch and the Baker’s Wife respectively. The production featured the new number "Our Little World" for the Witch and Rapunzel. Jones won an Olivier Award for his direction, as did Staunton (now appearing in the West End in Mrs Warren's Profession) for her performance (her second Olivier, though it was her first for a musical).

Donmar Warehouse production (1998)

The first London revival was directed by John Crowley (who went on to direct the film Brooklyn) and designed by his brother Bob Crowley. Sophie Thompson won an Olivier for her performance as the Baker’s Wife. A very young Sheridan Smith played Little Red Riding Hood and a pre-stardom Damian Lewis was Cinderella’s Prince.

Broadway revival (2002)

Lapine himself directed the first Broadway revival, with a new design concept and some small amendments to the book, including an appearance from the Three Little Pigs (who were originally axed in San Diego) and new lyrics for “Last Midnight” and the finale. The theme of lives and communities senselessly destroyed by the Giant resonated with audiences in the 1980s in the midst of the AIDS pandemic (though Sondheim and Lapine have explained that they didn't write it as an allegory), and the show had a similar significance in the aftermath of 9/11. Vanessa Williams, currently starring in The Devil Wears Prada in the West End, was Tony nominated for her performance as the Witch. The production won the Tony for Best Musical Revival.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre (2010)

What could be better than Into the Woods staged in the outdoors? LondonTheatre.co.uk's reviewer admired Soutra Gilmore’s “complex and impressive set constructed in steel, which blends into the theatre's natural backdrop without overpowering it”. Hannah Waddingham, prior to her mainstream stardom, was the Witch and Jenna Russell, who previously played Cinderella in the Donmar Warehouse production, was an outstanding and heartbreaking Baker’s Wife, who brilliantly illuminated the fine line between being cunning and conniving. The production deservedly won the Olivier for Best Musical Revival.

Tim Sheader's production transferred to New York’s open-air Delacorte Theatre in 2012, starring Donna Murphy as the Witch and Amy Adams as the Baker’s Wife. The production was dedicated to the writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron, who died in June 2012, shortly before the show opened.

Disney film (2014)

Darker than your usual Disney fare, director Rob Marshall (Chicago) pitched the project as “a fairy-tale for the post 9/11 audience”. Meryl Streep chewed the scenery for all it was worth as the Witch, though most would agree that Emily Blunt’s Baker’s Wife and Anna Kendrick’s Cinderella were the standouts – as well as Chris Pine hilariously camping up his dashing leading man image as Cinderella’s Prince. West End favourite Joanna Riding also had a cameo as Cinderella’s Mother.

Menier Chocolate Factory (2016)

New York-based company Fiasco Theatre visited the Menier Chocolate Factory in summer 2016 with their stripped-back version of the show. In a five-star review, LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer called it “perhaps the finest production of Into the Woods I've had the pleasure of seeing. There's something wholly refreshing about the presentation, which never feels 'gimmicky' - instead it feels purely honest, organic and utterly compulsory.”

Broadway revival (2022)

Following Sondheim’s death in 2021, Lear deBessonet’s production for New York City Center Encores! transferred to the St James Theatre with a starry cast, including Patina Miller as the Witch, Sara Bareilles as the Baker’s Wife, and the late Gavin Creel as the Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince. The show was nominated for six Tonys and the cast album, like the original cast recording, won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. The production went out on tour in 2023, featuring real-life husband and wife Sebastian Arcelus and Stephanie J Block as the Baker and Baker’s Wife.

Bridge Theatre (2025)

Almost a decade after the show was last seen in London, we head into the woods again. This new production will directed by Jordan Fein and designed by Tom Scutt (both of Fiddler on the Roof renown). Further creatives and casting are to be announced. Remember: “The cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, the slipper as pure as gold...”