Into the Woods, London review: Magical, overwhelming meta musical

Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim review and star rating: ★★★ Musical theatre can be self-referential, didn’t you know? Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine certainly do. Their Into The Woods maxes out on meta gameplay in this technically brilliant but at times baseless musical that can be terribly proud of itself. A baker and his wife plunge into Tom Scutt’s endless-feeling set, which is in effect a handful of trees and some carefully placed reeds but feels immensely lush and escapist, in order to break the spell that forbids them from having children. They must venture into the woods to bring back four items: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold, says a familiar-looking witch, and Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk are along for the ride too (don’t ask).  Into the Woods: London return is technically spectacular As for the music, it’s no surprise that Cinderella and Little Red