For a moment I worry that Aideen Malone might give back her Olivier award. “It’s funny that I won an award for it, because I’d say Into the Woods is one of the most unfinished pieces I’ve ever done,” says the lighting designer. “There was a lot of detail we never got a chance to finish. We ran out of time – big time!”
Luckily, the judges and audiences disagreed. If you want to see enchantment, take yourself to Stephen Sondheim’s musical set in the twisted world of fairytales. Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and others bounce into the forest, which shimmers with a weave of powdery, gleaming branches and light angling through all the trees. Now transferred to the West End from London’s Bridge theatre, it’s a breathtaking piece of design for a seriously playful musical.
“This is a stunning piece, but it’s a monster,” Malone declares. “There was a lot of problem-solving.” From a lighting point of view, it’s “about the passing of time, day and night. The woods are very lush and inviting at first, and then become darker and more mysterious.” As old and new tales collide, and characters stumble far beyond their happy ever afters, the design marks the journey. After the initial quest into the woods, the characters return to find that arcadia has collapsed into “destruction and wasteland.”
Rangy and witty, the Irish designer arrives for our interview convinced that I’ll be talking to all the “absolutely stunning” creatives behind Into the Woods: Jordan Fein (director), Tom Scutt (set) and Roland Horvath (video). “It’s a great team effort,” she insists. She previously sent light through Scutt’s wheat fields in their Olivier-winning Fiddler on the Roof. Into the Woods offers a series of smoke-and-mirror surprises, for which Malone unleashes a whole spectrum of smoke and haze: “A fog that’s quite dense but rises, and then a cool fog that stays low on the ground.” Light pierces the layers, especially when characters have an epiphany (Red Riding Hood pulled from the wolf’s belly, Jack coming down the beanstalk).
What was her own career-defining epiphany? “Was I a little theatre kid?” she considers. “Not really.” A Dublin pantomime at an impressionable age was a turning point, while at her all-girls secondary school, the annual musical cast the tall Malone as swaggering blokes in Oklahoma! and The King and I. Acting beckoned – but her degree at Dublin Trinity and then Goldsmiths in London also covered backstage roles. “I fell into lighting, and was definitely more comfortable not being on the stage, collaborating with the whole team. I enjoyed how lighting is very technical and creative at the same time. I haven’t looked back since.”
Her career in lighting began on the fringe and working on dance shows. She toured with dancer and choreographer Akram Khan, enjoying how dance let her “play with beautiful bodies in space. It’s very sculptural. Often you don’t need to worry about the faces, and you can play with angle.”
Theatre then became her home turf. Do all directors understand lighting? “Not to name any names,” she grins, “but some are very visual, and some aren’t.” She prefers “somebody with nerves of steel who is prepared to try stuff” – like Sally Cookson, with whom she devised hit shows such as Jane Eyre and A Monster Calls. “Devised w“It’s nerve-racking,” says Malone, “because you don’t know what you’ve got until the last week of rehearsals. You have to figure it out once you’re in the space.” Their 2016 Peter Pan at the National was touch and go, she admits: “But we always get there for press night.”
The pandemic prompted her to pursue a long-contemplated master’s in light and lighting at University College London. “I thought I knew a lot about colour,” Malone says, “but I learned so much about the details of a light source, which makes a huge difference when you’re lighting skin tones.” This fascination carries back into her stage work. “Two people in daylight might look the same, but put them under theatre light and they’re quite different. One person needs 1% more magenta, and one needs 1% less. It’s a challenge.”
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Touch and go … Peter Pan at the National, London. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian
Malone has always been drawn to “the cool and warm natural colours of daylight” – a favourite venue is the Open Air Theatre in London’s Regent’s Park, where she and Scutt designed Carousel and Fiddler. She also embraces projects that blend architectural and theatrical expertise, such as Sadler’s Wells East, which opened last year. A neon sign above the entrance proclaims: “You are welcome” – but the lighting throughout the building must sustain that welcome from morning to night.
Although she is broadening her work, theatre retains its essential appeal for her. “You have a work light on and the space looks flat – then you put a spotlight on and it’s transformed. It’s a bit of magic.”
Into the Woods is at the Noël Coward theatre, London, until 9 January
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Into the Woods in the West End Whats the Secret Weapon
1 What is Into the Woods about
Its a Stephen Sondheim musical that mashes up classic fairy tales Cinderella Jack and the Beanstalk Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel into one story about wishes consequences and community
2 What is the secret weapon behind this production
The creative team and staging Director Timothy Sheaders inventive production is famous for its bold immersive storytelling and clever design rather than bigname stunt casting
3 Who wrote the music and lyrics
Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics James Lapine wrote the book
4 Do I need to know the fairy tales first
No The show assumes you know the basics and it plays with them in ways everyone can follow Knowing the stories just adds extra jokes
5 Is it suitable for children
Its familyfriendly but darker than Disney versions characters die and there are adult themes Its generally recommended for older children and up
6 How long is the show
Roughly 2 hours 45 minutes including an interval though exact running times vary by production
7 What are the bestknown songs
Agony No One Is Alone Children Will Listen and Giants in the Sky
8 What does Sondheim spectacular mean
It refers to a lavish highquality production of a Sondheim musical his shows are known for complex music and witty layered lyrics
9 Why is Sondheim considered difficult to perform
His scores are musically complex with tricky rhythms fast patter lyrics and emotional depth that demand strong singing actors
10 Whats the difference between the stage show and the 2014 film
The film trimmed some songs and material the stage version is fuller and lets the ensemble shine
11 What is the Prologue and why does it matter
The long opening number introduces every character and their wish Its the engine of the whole show miss it and the rest makes less sense
12 What common problems do productions face
Balancing the large ensemble keeping the fast lyrics intelligible
