Into The Woods - Yea or Nay

[ErieBear]

Hey guys,

 

If you had a chance to see Into the Woods, would you? Is it pretty good or not so great.

 

Thanks!

 

EB

[edjames]

A definite YEA! Coming this summer to NYC's Public theater's Shakespeare In The Park! Free seats!

 

ED

[+ WilliamM]

Pretty good. You should see it. You will not be sorry.

 

Is it playing near Pittsburg or in Ohio?...I'm on the other side of Pennsylvania unfortunately.

[ErieBear]

Pretty good. You should see it. You will not be sorry.

 

Is it playing near Pittsburg or in Ohio?...I'm on the other side of Pennsylvania unfortunately.

 

Thanks. I'm going out of town and it's playing in the city where I'm going to be in. So, I figured it might be a fun thing to do while I'm there.

[+ Lucky]

I have never disliked a musical as much as I did Into the Woods when I saw it in New York. The reviews of the Central Park production, which I did not see, are not good. Nonetheless, there is talk of a move to Broadway: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/despite-mixed-reviews-producers-eyeing-woods-move-to-broadway/?ref=arts

[bostonman]

I'm a huge fan of the material (I've done 5 productions of the show, either as musical director or pit keyboard player, or both - if I were a better actor, I'd love to play the Baker, but I'm not holding my breath). But I have heard some odd things about the current Central Park production.

 

The original Broadway production was quite good, though I do think there are plenty of other ways to play the material. I saw the revival in 2002, and was rather disappointed - I feel that James Lapine, in directing his own show a 2nd time, was trying very hard not to do what he did before, but that his ideas of what to do instead were unfinished, not fully realized. Also some of the casting (particularly the dramatically inert Vanessa Williams as a stunning but boring Witch) was very wrong.

 

I think it's a very tricky show - not just musically, but in terms of the style. It's very easy to play the show way too broadly, going for caricature and schtick over true style and substance (I saw a Boston area production a few summers ago, starring Rachel York as the Witch, that fell prey to the cheap-laugh-a-minute temptation - it was the worst "professional" production of the show I've ever had to sit through, despite my having some friends in the cast) - it's also too easy to play the dark elements of Act II as maudlin instead of honest (another Boston production of the show I once saw had the 4 actors having a self-indulgent cry-fest during "No One Is Alone" that totally fucking ruined the song). I feel the original production had the right balance of comedy and drama, though even then, if you watch the video of that production (made late in the run by a reunited first-night cast), there's a lot of overplaying (particularly Bernadette Peters' Witch, and Ben Wright, the original Jack, who keeps doing this annoying faux-British accent thing.) But I think one of the things the original production got right was that marvelous sense of the absurdity of the situations being part of living "in the woods" - that "fractured fairy tale" idea that nothing quite makes sense and yet it does. (Joanna Gleason's go-for-broke delivery of "I need your shoe to have a child" being the kind of thing I mean.) When the show is done right, it's really both very fun and very moving. I find if the characters are played honestly (not for caricature) in Act I, you care for them all the more as they experience death, loss, and renewal in Act II. If it's all played for schtick, and the characters have no human depth to them, Act II is just a chore.

[gallahadesquire]

I'm a huge fan of the material (I've done 5 productions of the show, either as musical director or pit keyboard player, or both - if I were a better actor, I'd love to play the Baker, but I'm not holding my breath). But I have heard some odd things about the current Central Park production.

 

The original Broadway production was quite good, though I do think there are plenty of other ways to play the material. I saw the revival in 2002, and was rather disappointed - I feel that James Lapine, in directing his own show a 2nd time, was trying very hard not to do what he did before, but that his ideas of what to do instead were unfinished, not fully realized. Also some of the casting (particularly the dramatically inert Vanessa Williams as a stunning but boring Witch) was very wrong.

 

I think it's a very tricky show - not just musically, but in terms of the style. It's very easy to play the show way too broadly, going for caricature and schtick over true style and substance (I saw a Boston area production a few summers ago, starring Rachel York as the Witch, that fell prey to the cheap-laugh-a-minute temptation - it was the worst "professional" production of the show I've ever had to sit through, despite my having some friends in the cast) - it's also too easy to play the dark elements of Act II as maudlin instead of honest (another Boston production of the show I once saw had the 4 actors having a self-indulgent cry-fest during "No One Is Alone" that totally fucking ruined the song). I feel the original production had the right balance of comedy and drama, though even then, if you watch the video of that production (made late in the run by a reunited first-night cast), there's a lot of overplaying (particularly Bernadette Peters' Witch, and Ben Wright, the original Jack, who keeps doing this annoying faux-British accent thing.) But I think one of the things the original production got right was that marvelous sense of the absurdity of the situations being part of living "in the woods" - that "fractured fairy tale" idea that nothing quite makes sense and yet it does. (Joanna Gleason's go-for-broke delivery of "I need your shoe to have a child" being the kind of thing I mean.) When the show is done right, it's really both very fun and very moving. I find if the characters are played honestly (not for caricature) in Act I, you care for them all the more as they experience death, loss, and renewal in Act II. If it's all played for schtick, and the characters have no human depth to them, Act II is just a chore.

 

"come into the woods with me!"

"No!"

"Come into the woods with me!"

"No!"

"Come into the woods with me!"

"My mother wouldn't like it!"

"Your mother LOVED it!"

"Come into the Woods with me!"

[edjames]

See, the tricky thing here is that this is a "FREE" production, so why complain? The only thing you've lost is your time and effort. If you don;t like it you can always leave.

 

Whether or not it transitions to Broadway is a matter for the producers who are trying to raise the needed monies. Obviously some cast member will not join the Broadway production due to other contractual agreements.

 

BUT, given the right night, it's a glorious night out in Central Park " IN THE WOODS." With fabulous music.

 

ED

[+ WilliamM]

See, the tricky thing here is that this is a "FREE" production, so why complain? The only thing you've lost is your time and effort. If you don;t like it you can always leave.

 

BUT, given the right night, it's a glorious night out in Central Park " IN THE WOODS." With fabulous music.

 

ED

 

Ed, its free to everyone who lives in New York, or close by. I live 90 miles away, and have to worry about transportation costs, & more important, catching the last train back to Philly. Years ago there used to be a late night bus, so no worries then...I remember seeing Janis Joplin perform at Forest Hills.

 

I'll be in New York Labor Day weekend for the U.S. Open, but I believe Into the Woods' last performance is the Saturday of that weekend. If it rains in Queens, it will also rain in Central Park.

[edjames]

Yes, a long trip to stand on line or hope you are selected in the virtual lottery.

Into the Woods does end Saturday, Sept 1.

The only way to ensure tickets is to "join" the Public theater which entitles you to complimentary tickets. however, the website does not specify how much the donation is, and once again, it's all "weather permitting."

Enjoy your time in the city, and I hope you have a good time at the US Open. I am sad that Nadal has bowed out becuase of his knee but it opens the field for Federer, Djokovic, and perhaps a first time win for Andy Murray.

 

ED

[+ WilliamM]

Ed, Thanks you for the thoughtful response.

 

I have no real basis to complain if only the Public Theater performances in the Park are a problem. Too bad Sept. 1 is the final show. Also from past experience, day tennis at the Open can last into the evening on that Saturday if there is a rain delay.

[skynyc]

My review…sent to my theater and Sondheim-fan friends:

 

The most coveted ticket of the summer is for Into the Woods, the second installment of the Public Theater's annual Shakespeare in the Park season. I got up with three friends two weeks ago and arrived at the park at 8:00 a.m., and five hours later, when they distributed tickets, we DIDN'T get in.

 

Last Tuesday, I woke up and headed alone to the line at 6:30, and was farther back than we had been the previous time, so I went home and back to bed.

 

I also signed up daily for the virtual lottery. I have kept an inordinate number of evenings open this month, JUST IN CASE I happened to win the lottery. My friends and I have been exchanging emails joking about our daily dose of rejection shortly after one p.m. "Unfortunately, you have not been selected…"

 

And then last Wednesday, the incredible…a friend won the virtual lottery and invited me to join him. Left the following morning for a week in the mountains unplugged, so please forgive the delay in my review. Here are my thoughts on Into the Woods and I warn you there may be some spoilers within.

 

I am a Sondheim nut. I am also involved with children's literature, so the subject matter is very near and dear to me. I am glad to have seen this production of a really remarkable show. But I do think that it was a bit of a mixed bag. And I think the direction is the cause of the peaks AND the valleys of the evening.

 

The show itself is very well served. It's a anomaly in itself…full of good times and bad, happy endings and sad, beautiful melodies and riotous patter. It also can be heavy-handed, and LONG. I am going to assume that those who read this will know the show enough that I don't need to recount the plot/music here.

 

The new (to me) framework of the child who has run away and becomes the narrator of the evening was exceptional. Clever and honest, this device provided the most moving moment of the show for me. The set is extraordinary, four levels of platforms and tree branches and leafy retreats which too often became traps for the characters. And the fact that the woods of the set melt right into the woods of the park made for a magical evening. And I get goosebumps recalling the moment right at the beginning of "It Takes Two" when a strong breeze riffled through the theater, just at the moment when the tension between the Baker and his Wife is broken. Also the scene where the witch, in her fury casts the beans away a second time in order to regain her power, and is claimed by the earth was stunning.

 

Full disclosure: I am not a "seat queen", I like live theater from anywhere I can sit, so to me there's not a bad seat in the house, but I have to say, that we, on the VERY left of the audience were faced with a bright light for much of the second act…which was under the first level of the set unit, and shone directly in our eyes for much of the show. I suspect that is was vital as illumination for the two staircases that ran from the stage floor to the first tier, but it was very distracting at times. Also, from our seats, we couldn't see the giant's face at all…although the puppetry of her hands was right stunning and effective.

 

The cast has high points. Amy Adams seemed very natural and real as the Baker's Wife, I believed her conflict throughout, (although her wig can only be termed "godawful". Jessie Mueller is wonderful as Cinderella, playing her much more as the plain Jane, than Laura Benanti or Kim Crosby, which made her acceptance into the rag-tag little group of survivors at the end all the more plausible. Donna Murphy is the best witch I have seen. The intensity and conviction with which she tore into the role was terrifying. It was the perfect performance to deliver the line: "I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just right…" Little Red Riding Hood was awesome as the Katy Perry wannabe of the piece, her delivery of the lines truly creating the snarky teen that has already been chewed up and spit out (literally) by life. Jack was good, but his entire staging was on the VERY right of the stage, so he felt VERY far away. (I am sure those on the right side of the audience felt that way about Cinderella who was right in front of me all night.) Chip Zien was terrific as the mysterious man, and his performance in "No More" was the one that touched me the most of the evening.

 

Which brings me to the lower points of the cast. Primarily Dennis O'Hare, who I usually think is BRILLIANT. I loved him in Assassins, and Take Me Out and this year's Iliad. But here his singing voice isn't strong enough for his two marvelous songs and he seemed so "actor-y". It was very hard to find any chemistry with either his wife, or with his father at the end. I think I have to blame much of this on the direction. And the direction is VERY much to blame with the reason that the Princes didn't work for me. As the wolf, Ivan Hernandez was very sexy…(almost too sexy, again the direction) but as the Prince he didn't convey "Charming" as much as "Liberace". And this was mirrored by Rapunzel's Prince. Their voices on "Agony" were great, but the characters that they were directed to play were agony to me. Likewise Cinderella's stepsisters, dressed in punk-chic didn't fulfill my expectations for those roles.

 

To conclude…I totally recommend this production to the Sondheim cognoscenti, the theatrical OCD'er, and any great fan of live entertainment. Of the five productions of this show I have seen, this had some of my favorite points: (the set, the lost boy framing device, the Baker's Wife,) and some of my least favorite (the Baker, the Princes and inability to see the Giant). The reviews were VERY mixed, deservedly so, and I do not think this should transfer to Broadway…I think it will lose a lot of investor's money. The show itself may not attract the general audience, especially at today's prices. One can still get tickets as a "Public Summer Supporter" for $175 to see this, but I must admit, that I am glad I didn't pay that to get in.

 

That said, I am beyond thrilled to have seen it….

[bostonman]

Donna Murphy is the best witch I have seen. The intensity and conviction with which she tore into the role was terrifying. It was the perfect performance to deliver the line: "I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just right…"

 

I've always been a Donna Murphy fan - I saw Passion twice on Broadway and was amazed by her appropriately unforgiving performance as the complicated, difficult Fosca. I'm not surprised to hear that her witch is as intense. It makes me very glad to hear you quote that lyric in the middle of the song - I had heard originally that they were using the rewrite used in the 2002 revival, which I found unnecessary and confusing. (Plus, I love that original lyric, and really that whole section of the song. And what orchestrator Jonathan Tunick does in that section to set an eerie mood with merely a clarinet, a horn, and tremolo strings is masterful.)

 

Which brings me to the lower points of the cast. Primarily Dennis O'Hare, who I usually think is BRILLIANT. I loved him in Assassins, and Take Me Out and this year's Iliad. But here his singing voice isn't strong enough for his two marvelous songs and he seemed so "actor-y".

 

I've never seen O'Hare live. But I do have to admit, judging from what I have *heard* of his Oscar in Sweet Charity and his Guiteau in Assassins has already turned me way way off to him as a performer. He has trouble staying on pitch, and he has this horrible slurry diction - he may be a wonderful actor in the right cases (I have always heard that he was wonderful in Take Me Out), but I really wish he'd stop doing musicals. And it must be tough for Chip Zien (who of course created the role, and is now playing the "Mysterious Man" father role) to hear the role so mishandled.

[edjames]

From my in box this morning:

 

Reserve your seats for Into the Woods thru Sep 1 ONLY!

BECOME A SUMMER SUPPORTER AND SKIP THE LINE!

 

Help keep theater free for all! Make a $175 tax-deductible donation and receive one reserved seat for a performance of Into the Woods at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. In order to keep the highest number of free seats available for the general public, a limited number of reserved Summer Supporter seats are available.

 

To make a Summer Supporter donation and secure your seats, call the Public Theater Box Office at 212-967-7555, or click here anytime.

 

$175 each????? Help keep theater "FREE"? And don't forget once they get your info, you'll be enudated with emails, mailing and phone calls asking for more money. I don't think so. I'll pass.

 

ED