Director Rob Marshall, who successfully ushered Chicago from stage to Oscar glory in 2002, is now trying to weave the same magic with Stephen Sondheim's smash Into the Woods. The musical contains a list of famous fairy tale characters, including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Jack and the Beanstalk. Anna Kendrick, Johnny Depp (in a cameo as the wolf), Chris Pine and Tracey Ullman all turn up in their best pantomime outfits. The modern reworking of the Brothers Grimm tales is interweaved into a story about the attempts of a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) to have a baby being thwarted by a witch, played by the always fabulous Meryl Streep. She's put a curse on the couple, which they can only lift by finding the right ingredients for a magic potion. Being a Disney film, as much emphasis is put on great visuals and big songs as on the actors chewing up the scenery. Great family entertainment.
• Into the Woods screens at 8pm on Wednesday, December 17 in Madinat Arena.