Today we are turning back the clock to this very same week in 1987 when Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's INTO THE WOODS hit Broadway for the first time.
First Midnight What is the worth of wishes? What do we actually pass down from generation to generation besides genetics? At the end of the day, who is really good and who is really bad? "Careful before you say 'Listen to me,' / Children will listen," Stephen Sondheim so eloquently writes in the penultimate song in one of his most internationally adored and oft-revived musical theatre masterpieces, INTO THE WOODS, the song being the sagely wise "Children Will Listen". What we want and what we need are vastly different entities, but we wish anyway - it is basic human nature. Such is the gist of INTO THE WOODS. Indeed, INTO THE WOODS is about what makes all of us tick - and, what makes fairy tales themselves so incomparably effective in passing down invaluable life lessons from parent to child, over and over ad infinitum. To wit, later on in the same song, Sondheim posits the overall theme of the entire fairy-tale centric, family-focused piece: "Wishes come true, not free." And so goes the intellectual and erudite spin on classic childhood tales as presented by Sondheim and collaborator James Lapine in one of the master's most recognizable musicals, INTO THE WOODS.Also, check out the 2002 revival led by Vanessa Williams on that year's TONY AWARDS telecast.
What is your absolute favorite production of INTO THE WOODS to date? Why do you think the show speaks as strongly to viewers today as it did nearly 30 years ago? Furthermore, what aspect of the feature film are looking forward to experiencing most of all? With source material this strong and a score this rich, not to mention a cast this starry, INTO THE WOODS seems set to be a modern movie musical classic... or, we can at least wish.
Photo Credit: Martha Swope/NYPL
Videos