Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
#1Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/4/14 at 8:02pm
Hi all,
Who saw her in the role? What did you think? That whole production of Into the Woods seems to be a bit forgotten, unfortunately.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Updated On: 10/4/14 at 08:02 PM
#2Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/4/14 at 8:07pm
absolutely LOVED her Last Midnight, especially when they reverted back to almost all of the original lyrics. She was very good throughout the show.
Updated On: 10/4/14 at 08:07 PM
#2Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/4/14 at 9:39pm
It's been forgotten because it wasn't recorded, ran for a limited time, and was divisive. It also had a quality about it that makes it, at least to my mind, be remembered as neither good nor bad. There were very good things about it- Jessie Mueller, Sarah Stiles, the atmosphere and experience of seeing it outdoors. But there were bad things, or just a lot of "okay" things.
I thought Murphy was very good. Not revelatory, but very good and in very good voice.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
Updated On: 10/5/14 at 09:39 PM
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#3Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/4/14 at 10:39pmWhen they pulled her into the ground, that was pretty incredible. And the way the giant was created, but other than that there wasn't anything to merit anymore attention than it got. Amy Adams was bad. Everything else was passable. Mueller, who I love, was great, but it's not really a role that really garners attention.
Wilmingtom
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/11
#4Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:13amIt was essentially the Regent's Park production directed by Timothy Sheader which you can find online. Murphy was fine if not extraordinary, as was the entire production.
#5Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 1:36amIt could have been an amazing production but like others said, it was "meh". It was fine in parts, pretty good in others but nothing extraordinary ever happened during it.
#6Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 3:43am
Murphy was very good. Not great, but good. A completely credible performance.
The standout in this production was the actress who played Little Red. Sarah Stiles, I believe her name was? Chip Zien was wonderful in a glorified cameo. The rest of the cast was serviceable, except for Dennis O'Hare who was terrible.
There were moments of sheer magic in this production (the aforementioned construction of the giant, for instance), but they were only brief glimpses of what this production could have been. And that was them last disappointing part- moments of theatrical brilliance overshadowed by a lot of banality.
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#7Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 7:31amI loved Murphy. Mueller was great. And I've forgotten just about everything and everyone else with one exception: Adams, who almost always inspires me on screen, was surprisingly bland.
#8Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 9:02am
I thought Murphy was far and away the best part of the production. She was one of the few people who had some life in her on that stage.
I wasn't impressed with Mueller's performance, especially On the Steps of the Palace. There was no sparkle to her voice, and she had the unfortunate burden of wearing the ugliest costume anyone has surely designed for Cinderella. It was a hideous creation and distracted he whenever she appeared, of course through no fault of her own.
Love Amy on film, but here she was bland, bland, bland.
Didn't Denis O'Hare step in for someone at the last moment or am I remembering that incorrecty? I cut him so slack for that reason.
What I remember most about the production is Morgan James tweeting, “HOW can you f*** up Into the Woods?? I fear musicianship is dead in musical theatre. And acting, for that matter. #horrified” after the first preview. The story was picked up in the news all over the country.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#9Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 9:31amThought Cinderella's look and costume was one of the few witty parts of the show; and very contemporary. it reminded me of Gillian Flynn's description of Williamsburg hipster geeks in Gone Girl.
#10Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 11:19amPut me in the "good, not great" camp. I think many of us had high expectations going in that (for me, at least) weren't met.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#11Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 12:12pmO'Hare wasn't a last-minute replacement. I believe the Public had sought Jesse Tyler Ferguson originally, who wasn't able to do it, but O'Hare was the Baker from the first day of rehearsals onward.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#12Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 12:27pmThanks, Kad. I don't know why I rewrote that story in my memory!
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
#13Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 12:47pm
It, sadly, was just kinda there. It wasn't a complete disaster like the 2002 production [minus Laura Benanti of course], but it seemed like many cast members were miscast. Donna was pretty good, though, and I loved her exit during "Last Midnight." Very creepy.
I was surprised by how dull Amy Adams was. I love her on film, but she just didn't seem right for this part at all. She wasn't horrible, but, like the production as a whole, was just kinda...there.
thebeautyis3
Stand-by Joined: 10/18/12
#14Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 12:52pmWasn't Chris Fitzgerald supposed to do it? He had to drop out due to a TV commitment or something, and they brought in O'Hare instead. It wasn't a last minute choice, but he certainly wasn't their first choice.
LarryD2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/1/14
#15Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 4:36pmJesse Tyler Ferguson was the first choice for The Baker, but that was mostly a non-starter. He was never going to be able to do it because of MODERN FAMILY. Chris Fitzgerald was offered and accepted, but had to withdraw because of his TV show (which I don't think ever got off the ground). O'Hare was about #12 on the list.
#16Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 5:45pm
I LOVED Donna Murphy in this! I thought she played the role amazingly. She had some diction problems in the Last Midnight when she just yelled some of the lyrics, but otherwise her portrayal was masterful in my opinion (and she was the biggest sweetheart at the stage-door)
I was actually pleasantly surprised by Amy Adams! I had relatively low expectations for her, as I had no idea she could sing at all, which is probably why I was impressed by her performance. Obviously she was no Joanna Gleason though.
#17Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Posted: 10/5/14 at 5:51pm
Has anyone who saw the Central Park version seen the video of the Regent's Park production on which this one was based? How does it compare?
I really loved the video of the London production. It was a very creative, original production with many interesting touches. The performances from the entire cast were also excellent.
Updated On: 10/5/14 at 05:51 PM
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