Into the Woods

"You need an objective observer to pass the story along."
"Some of us don't like the way you've been telling it."

Once upon a time, in a far-off kingdom...
A young woman, named Cinderella (Crosby), wants to go to the king's festival and dance with the prince.  A young boy named Jack (Wright), is forced to sell his best friend / cow so he and his mother (Barbara Bryne) can eat.  And the Baker (Zien) and his Wife (Gleason) long to have a child, but are under the curse of the Witch (Peters) next door.  The Witch gives them a list of items to procure to lift the spell.  And everyone enters the woods.

Can they all find their "happily ever after?"


In 1986, Stephen Sondheim  debuted a new musical that combined beloved several beloved fairy tales: Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Riding Hood, and Rapunzel; into a new story Into the Woods.  All of the characters interact and their storylines cross in the characters of the Baker and his Wife.  It explores the fairy tales and what happens when everyone gets what they want or deserve... the first Act is the stories you know and ends with the song "Ever After" which talks about how everyone is now going to live "happily ever after."  The second Act begins several months later, as everyone once again wishes for something and realizes that there are flaws with their original dreams.

It is interesting to see how Sondheim and James Lapine imagine these characters... and I like how they use double roles to show more aspects of a character... the role of Cinderella's prince, Robert Westenberg also plays the Wolf, making a comment about the prince's appetite (which makes more sense in the second Act).

When the show opened on Broadway in 1987, it was a hit, garnering several Tony nominations and 3 (Best Actress in a Musical -Joanna Gleason, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score).  The original cast was filmed for a television performance in 1991 (this film).  It is filmed on the stage, using all the scenery from the live performance.  The cast is perfect... particularly Bernadette Peters who dazzles as the Witch.

The songs as mesmerizing, especially "Ever After", "No One is Alone" (my favorite song), and "The Last Midnight."  While I adore the original cast, I also suggest the soundtrack from the 2002 Broadway Revival (I prefer Laura Benanti as Cinderella... but Peters is a better Witch than Vanessa Williams).  Also, look for clips of Christian Sieber and Gregg Edelman as the princes, singing "Agony."

It's an incredible show live, so check your local theaters (I've seen it live twice, and it was awesome both times!).  It's not a show for children... there are "scary moments" and the scenes with the wolf / prince may go over kids heads, but it is a tad risque.  Check it out, but leave the kids at home.

Into the Woods (1991) 153 minutes
Director: James Lapine
Starring: Bernadette Peters as the Witch
Chip Zien as Baker
Joanna Gleason as Baker's Wife
Tom Aldredge as Narrator / Mysterious Man
Kim Crosby as Cinderella
Robert Westenberg as Wolf / Cinderella's Prince
Danielle Ferland as Little Red Riding Hood
Ben Wright as Jack