Written by Sylvain Chan
The LSE Drama Society concludes their eventful academic year with a bang through their production of Into the Woods which ran from the 24th-28th of March 2025. The 1986 Broadway musical follows the lives of various fairy tale protagonists seeking to fulfil their respective yet intertwined quests.
Audiences are immediately transported into the Grimm’s fantasy realm through the charming rustic outfits brought to life by costume designer McCammon, backed by the bounciness of the first song, ‘Prologue: Into the Woods’, where the actors demonstrate their vocal mastery in nailing its complex overlapping chorus. This is all while navigating the choreography across the stage, an added wooden platform below, and the floor — creating various levels that amplify the depth of their composition, cleverly overcoming an otherwise limited space. The musical continues this powerful momentum even into the unnerving, fourth wall-breaking second half; each performer as self-assured as the next. The fast-paced nature of Into the Woods lends itself to the strong grasp the stage managers, lights operator (Soryoung Han) and sound operator (Jess Edwards) have on their seemingly never-ending cues.
Fabian Jones commands the stage in channeling The Baker’s no-nonsense attitude, the ‘straight man’-ness of it all comedically contrasting his predicament and the larger-than-life personalities of the cast. For example, the Baker’s wife, portrayed by Zoë Legge, adopts an expressive boldness unbecoming of the previously humble character as the Prince seduces her. After a stirring post-show debrief, it was unanimously agreed upon that ‘Agony’ was the most entertaining number, where Toby Owens and Arthur Chan bring a homoerotic undertone to the over-the-top song of Cinderella’s Prince and Rapunzel’s Prince lamenting their sufferings over love. Another standout performance was the unconventional role of Milky White — often merely a cow puppet in other productions — played by Raesang Dalu, whose exasperated expressions and panicked moo-ings during their scene of being fed increasingly strange objects definitely steal the show. There is something hilariously surreal about a cow mouthing ‘what the hell’ that only theatre may allow.
From their emotional adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and their portrayal of a comedic, hippie wonderscape that is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to the tender realism in A Brief Encounter versus the high-octane energy of Into the Woods: the range of performances LSE Drama Society offered this year have confidently highlighted their talents’ prowess. These incredible efforts would not have been without Director and President Soryoung Han’s creative vision, and I look forward to the vast ways the society will continue to flourish after passing the mantle.
