Lew's Reviews

Design: James Crang

"Into The Woods" is a show that a lot of people love. As per usual, I've barely heard of it so I had no idea what to expect from this production. It can be summed up very easily; first rate, in simply every way.

Into The Woods is helmed by the direction of Sean Vannet, and lead by an extremely strong cast. A big risk of student theatre, is that very often ambitious shows don't have a large enough pool of actors to find someone absolutely perfect for the role, but all actors here were absolutely perfect for their roles. Additionally, it didn't fall into any of the usual pitfalls of student musical theatre, in particular, the acting, singing and dancing levels all seemed to be on one level, a very high one, when quite often the acting or dance can fall behind the vocals.

Whilst every actor has a brilliant moment to shine, some particular standout performances include Julia Weingaertner as the Baker's Wife, and Gordon Stackhouse as Jack. Both o…

Design: Murid Laly, Photo: Elise Coward
"Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off" can be summed up in one word: immersive. From the expectedly stellar acting, to the mind blowing stage design and incredible lighting, Bedlam Theatre was unrecognisable. 
Kirsten Millar drives the entire show more than expertly. Her vocals, both spoken and sung, are captivating, and her comedic timing is perfect. Eilidh Northridge as the titular character is moving, and you really feel sad for her eventual demise, which is, of course, having her head chopped off, which is expertly choreographed on stage. Megan Lambie steals the show in her roles, primarily as Elizabeth I. Both Northridge and Lambie multirole with such convincing motivation, and despite the fact that these characters could easily have been cast separately, the parallels and contrasts created by the multirolling adds to the quirkiness of the show. All 3 leads are perfectly cast, making for a fantastic viewing experience.
The…