Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again- Page 2

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 6:13pm

The last revival was respectable but failed to be exciting. The textural changes did little to help the cause -- especially a bizarre revision to "Last Midnight," with the Witch singing about giving Jack to the Giantress, while cradling the Bakers' baby and threatening to steal it. It had no focus or clarity, and took a confusing song (much revised, see "Boom Crunch") and made it impossible to follow. That sort of fiddling didn't make the show deeper or more accessible, just ... well, different. Too bad, because the cast was game.

But we won't see another for a while. That one lost mony, and every middle school in America has done the show. It's not exactly must-see. I think a brilliant tv version would be wonderful, however. With magic, real and theatrical.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 6:13pm

The last revival was respectable but failed to be exciting. The textural changes did little to help the cause -- especially a bizarre revision to "Last Midnight," with the Witch singing about giving Jack to the Giantress, while cradling the Bakers' baby and threatening to steal it. It had no focus or clarity, and took a confusing song (much revised, see "Boom Crunch") and made it impossible to follow. That sort of fiddling didn't make the show deeper or more accessible, just ... well, different. Too bad, because the cast was game.

But we won't see another for a while. That one lost mony, and every middle school in America has done the show. It's not exactly must-see. I think a brilliant tv version would be wonderful, however. With magic, real and theatrical.

[VonTussleGirl]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 7:10pm

Well, we can always dream...

How's about:

Carolee Carmello as the Witch. Wasn't she considered for the Baker's Wife for the last revival?

Danny Gurwin as the Baker. He skews a little young for most peoples' interpretation of the role, but I've always felt the Baker and Wife are generally cast too old - after all, Rapunzel is supposedly in her teens, and the Baker was too young when she was born to remember that he had a sister.

Mara Davi as the Baker's Wife, and I also like the suggestion of Melora Hardin. She was great in Les Mis out here.

Erin Davie would be a fantastic Cinderella. Kudos to whomever thought of that.

I'd like to see an older Jack and Little Red, perhaps in their late teens. I can't listen to the revival recording - Adam Wylie and Molly Ephraim drive me insane.

Manoel Felciano as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, and perhaps Gavin Creel as Rapunzel's Prince? That would be an "Agony" to die for.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 7:25pm

I get what you're saying about Baker and Wife being played too old, but that's the way the roles have always been played. I just can't picture whippersnappers like Mara Davi or Heidi Blickenstaff in the role. Heidi definitely when she gets a little older, though.

And Susan Blackwell as Baker's Wife? REALLY? I mean, I love her and [tos] but this business of suggesting her for these roles is getting real old real fast.

Erin Davie's perfect. I stand by Melora Hardin and Matthew Broderick as perfect casting, and Madonna was fine in Evita, so I'm sure she could pull this role off.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 7:26pm

I know I'm in the minority (we've had this conversation before,) but I think The Witch is one of the few existing roles that Idina Menzel could absolutely nail.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 7:26pm

i hated the three pigs in the revival.. i hated having two wolves... i loved the effect of the giant... i loved OUR LITTLE WORLD... i actually liked the set design... 'm indifferent about the lyric changes in LAST MIDNIGHT... but yeah... the revival was OK...

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 7:33pm

I think I could see Heidi as the Witch more than the Baker's Wife.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 7:35pm

Oh! I love the idea of Heidi playing the Baker's Wife. And Susan.


And I totally agree about Menzel playing The Witch.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 7:50pm

It would NEVER happen, but:

Witch: Julia Murney
Baker's Wife: Marin Mazzie
Cinderella: Audra (I've always imagined Cinderella as being a little more mature than she's usually played)
Rapunzel: Cheno (though she would never accept such a small role)
Jack's Mom: Patti (ditto)
Little Red: a little girl who can SANG, not a squeeky little voice
Giant: Whoopi
Baker: Brian Stokes Mitchell
Narrator: Idk, someone who looks like (SPOILER WARNING) he could have fathered both Cheno and Stokes (END OF SPOILER)
Princes: Raul Esparza and Jason Danieley
Jack: hopefully me lol, or someone else who looks under 18 but sounds more mature vocally

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 7:52pm

Audra?
Noooooooooo....noooooo...no.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 7:56pm

What?
Just imagine how incredible Audra would sound in the "Cinderella at the grave" sequence.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 7:57pm

Well, she's a teensy bit old.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 8:13pm

Which is why I chose her- I've always imagined Cinderella to be older than she's usually portrayed.

[Here I Am]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 9:46pm

Erin Davie as Cinderella.... YES, PLEASE!!!! :)

[cfmiller]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 9:55pm

I can't imagine either Eversole or Mazzie as the Witch.

I don't want to imagine anyone else other than Joanna Gleason as the Wife.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 10:09pm

Just have to chime in regards to the age argument, as I LOVE this show...

~ Just because something has traditionally, or 'always' been done one way does NOT make it correct or best. Now, going from there...

I use Rapunzel as a base for my argument. Rapunzel states that she has been locked in the tower for 16 years. We also establish, via the prologue, that the Baker should be AT most 2 years older than his sister, Rapunzel, since he does not remember her.

Now, had the Witch locked her away at birth, she would be 16, putting the Baker and his Wife at about 18. Illogical. However, had the Witched locked Rapunzel away at the onset of puberty, about 11, let's say, then that would put Rapunzel at 27 and the Baker and his Wife at about 29, a much more logical age and fitting for the "we are running out of time to have a child" aspect of the plot should the director set the show in a traditional "fairy tale" period. Considering how, if Rapunzel and Cinderella are about the same age and their princes are about that age as well, that would be EXTREMELY old for unmarried Prince of the period, so a happy medium would be best and most logical, placing Rapunzel and Cinderella, and their Princes at about 22 and the Baker and his Wife at 24-25, still a reasonable age to be panicked about not having kids in that period, and also making the connection between the Baker and Cinderella more plausible, as well as making Cinderella more likely to still be at home and under he stepmother's thumb. You could then place the stepsisters, convincingly, at the more "marriage worthy ages" of 16-18.

I won't go further than that, but you get the idea...

Thing that all former productions are gospel is how you never get a new vision. But honestly, look at the book and what it lays out and it dictates the ages. Because the original was so loved and well received, no one questioned the choices. However, lack of regard for the book in that way by most other people would be frowned upon and slammed, but because it is Sonheim and Lapine, and Lapine wrote and directed (making the disparity all the more surprising to me), people don't like to question....



I must add as well, that I would much prefer seeing Jessica Grove as Cinderella.
Updated On: 10/30/08 at 10:09 PM

[timesquare01]

Posted: 10/30/08 at 10:09pm

I'm gonna vote for Megan Mullaly or Sherie Renee Scott as the Witch.

And I would actually really love to see (I forget who said this originally) Catherine Zeta Jones as the witch also.

Marin Mazzie and Mathew Broderick would be a great Baker family. A little bit older, hence making it that much sadder that they are childless.

And I stand strong that Kim Catrall should play the Step-Mother.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/31/08 at 12:38am

I'm curious to know what Doyle would do with "Into the Woods." I'm sure he's been approached. I don't need to see it happen, but I'd like to know his concept. I LOVE the set for the West End revival. Talk about a beauty and an interesting and new concept!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/31/08 at 1:21am

Doyle already did Into the Woods with the actor/musician concept at the York Theatre Royal in 1997.

[childcatcher2]

Posted: 10/31/08 at 5:45am

Glen Close as the witch !!!!

[CateBroadway]

Posted: 10/31/08 at 8:50am

Baker-Raul Esparza
Bakers wife-I'm going with the crowd favorite on this one, Susan Blackwell. I've always thought she would be perfect in this role
Cinderella-Elena Shadoe
Witch-Julia Murney
Rapunzel-Cortney Wolfson
Rapunzel's prince-Gavin Creel
Cinderella's Prince-Cheyenne Jackson

For Little Red and Jack, Hopefully they wouldn't go with some wretched teens like the most recent revival and actually find some actually young looking adults with real acting chops like the original.

Little Red-Dana Steingold (This girl kills me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw5u0Bz0iO8 if you've never seen her)
Jack-Andrew Keenan-Bolger. Duh!

[Elphie3]

Posted: 10/31/08 at 9:06am

I would LOVE to see Charlotte Parry ("Coram Boy") play Little Red

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 10/31/08 at 1:29pm

This is my dream cast. Will never happen, but still...

Witch: Bette Midler
Baker's Wife: Carolee Carmello
Baker: Brian D'Arcy James
Jack: Michael Arden
Riding Hood; Dakota Fanning
Cinderella: Audra McDonald
Wolf/Cinderella's Prince: Norm Lewis
Narrator/Mysterious Man: John Cullum

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/31/08 at 3:40pm

Cynthia Nixon said in a recent interview with the American Theater Wing that she's been taking singing lessons (and sang "Dance: Ten, Looks: Three" at a benefit for The Public a couple years ago.)

If it was in her range, she's about as perfect for The Baker's Wife as you can get.

[Soprano91]

Posted: 11/1/08 at 6:40pm

Baker/Baker's Wife: I love the idea of Matthew Broderick and Marin Mazzie! I think it's fabulous, and they'd be fabulous.
Witch: Ruthie Henshall
Cinderella: ...I'm gonna second Audra McDonald here. She's in her thirties, yeah, but I think she'd be really amazing.
Jack: Andrew Keenan-Bolger
Little Red: Celia Keenan-Bolger
Cinderella's Prince/Wolf: Brian Stokes Mitchell
Rapunzel's Prince: Norm Lewis
Mysterious Man/Narrator: John Cullum
Jack's Mother: Judy Kuhn
Rapunzel: Katie Rose Clarke
Stepmother:Michelle Pfieffer