Into the Woods lighting wins Olivier for shaping its darker turns
The West End production of Stephen Sondheim’s *Into the Woods* has won an Olivier award for its lighting, which helps shape the musical’s shift from an inviting fairytale forest to a place of darkness and destruction. Designer Aideen Malone says the work was unfinished when it opened, despite its strong reception from audiences and judges.
Malone’s design uses layers of smoke and haze, with light marking changes in time and moments of revelation. The production transferred from the Bridge Theatre to the West End and was created with director Jordan Fein, set designer Tom Scutt and video designer Roland Horvath. Malone says her route into lighting began through theatre studies and work in dance, where she valued its mix of technical craft and creativity.
In short
- *Into the Woods* won an Olivier for its lighting.
- Aideen Malone says the design was unfinished when it opened.
- Light and haze trace the forest’s shift from wonder to ruin.
Explained simply
Into the Woods is a musical by Stephen Sondheim that brings familiar fairytale characters together, including Cinderella, Jack and Little Red Riding Hood. Their stories meet in a forest as they pursue wishes and face the consequences of their choices.
The musical begins in a world that feels like a fairytale, then takes a more serious turn. In this production, lighting designer Aideen Malone worked with director Jordan Fein and designers Tom Scutt and Roland Horvath to help create that changing atmosphere. The lighting matters because it guides the audience through shifts in time and moments when the story is revealed.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “As mega-hit Into the Woods wows the West End, what’s the secret weapon of this Sondheim spectacular?”.