John Dagleish, Laura Pitt-Pulford and Simbi Akande join INTO THE WOODS West End company

Nine new principal performers have completed the company for the West End transfer of INTO THE WOODS, led by John Dagleish as the Baker, Laura Pitt-Pulford as the Baker’s Wife and Simbi Akande as Cinderella. The announcement sets the cast for the Olivier-winning revival’s limited season at the Noël Coward Theatre, where previews begin on 22 September.

The other six additions are Fiona Finsbury as Rapunzel, Lucas Koch as Rapunzel’s Prince, Jack Quarton as the Steward and Keith Ramsay as Jack. Matthew Seadon-Young takes the dual roles of Cinderella’s Prince and the Wolf, while Michael S. Siegel will play the Narrator and Mysterious Man.

Eight previously announced performers from the Bridge Theatre company will continue in the West End. Kate Fleetwood returns as the Witch, with Valda Aviks as Grandmother and the Giant, Geoffrey Aymer as Cinderella’s Father and Jennifer Hepburn as Cinderella’s Stepmother and alternate Witch. The continuing company also includes Hana Ichijo as Lucinda, Julie Jupp as Jack’s Mother, Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson as Florinda and Gracie McGonigal as Little Red Ridinghood.

The production has also named Hollie Aires, Sabrina Aloueche, Jacob Fowler, Adam Robert Lewis, Sophie Linder-Lee, Toby Turpin and Elsie Watson as its seven standbys. The official sources reviewed do not assign individual roles or coverage tracks to them. Across the principal cast, the transfer pairs nine new appointments with eight returning performers, preserving part of the Bridge company while introducing a substantially changed line-up.

This staging originated at the Bridge Theatre, where previews began on 2 December 2025 and opening night was held on 11 December. The season was initially announced through 18 April 2026 before an extension took it through 30 May. Those two end dates reflect the later extension rather than competing accounts of when the engagement finished. The Noël Coward Theatre season is the production’s subsequent West End transfer, not a continuation at its original venue.

The move follows four major awards for the Bridge Theatre staging. It won the 2026 Olivier Awards for Best Musical Revival and Best Lighting Design. The Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards also recognised it for Best Ensemble or Cast and named Tom Scutt Best Designer. Together, the honours cover the revival, its company and two areas of design ahead of the transfer.

Several incoming and continuing principals bring previous Olivier recognition. John Dagleish’s official production biography records Best Actor in a Musical recognition for SUNNY AFTERNOON and THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Laura Pitt-Pulford’s biography notes her nomination for SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. Kate Fleetwood was nominated for her Bridge Theatre performance as the Witch, a role she now carries into the West End season.

Jordan Fein continues as director, while Tom Scutt remains responsible for sets and costumes. The creative team also comprises musical supervisor Mark Aspinall, orchestrator Jonathan Tunick, sound designer Adam Fisher, lighting designer Aideen Malone, video designer Roland Horvath and movement director Jenny Ogilvie. The same principal creative team is therefore moving with the production even as much of the cast changes.

Producer Jamie Wilson has said the team has been adapting the Bridge Theatre production for its new home at the Noël Coward Theatre. No precise scenic, technical or orchestral changes have been disclosed, so the form those adjustments will take remains unspecified. Jamie Wilson Productions, Kevin McCollum and New Ventures Entertainment are identified on the official production site as the West End producers.

INTO THE WOODS has music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine. The musical interweaves characters and narratives drawn from several familiar fairy tales, bringing their stories together within a single work. Its large network of roles gives the transfer room to retain performers from the Bridge staging while introducing new principals across much of the company.

The current official Cast & Creative page corroborates the completed principal and standby roster. A ticket-information FAQ on the same site still contains the initial partial cast, names a different performer as Jack and says further casting will be announced. That FAQ is out of date, and the updated company page supports Keith Ramsay as Jack and the full roster reported on 13 August.

The West End engagement officially opens on 7 October 2026. It is announced to run through 9 January 2027. Official booking and accessible-performance information is available through the production’s ticket service.