INTO THE WOODS... — Page 2

"So are rights for Into the Woods restricted for other theatres in the five boroughs while this is playing? What are MTI's rules?"

Not 100% sure but my understanding is that the rights are restricted in the 5 boroughs except for the Bensonhurst neighborhood in Brooklyn and the Tottenville and New Dorp Beach neighborhoods on Staten Island. If you do it in those neighborhoods, you're good to go though I recommend you double check.

Not to be "that guy" but how long was the show running last night?

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I think first preview is tonight?

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When you're hauled off to musical jail, you can always cry "...but FishermanBob said it was okay!".

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Minimalist Milky White.

"There we go, my persistence paid off. Thank you, FishermanBob."

You REALLY should check with them directly. As I said, I'm not sure, though the guy who told me has been pretty on target with his picks for Sunday Night Football.

I wonder if the lack of "names" in the production combined with actors giving lackluster performances will be a big hurt to it...

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It'll stay open for its scheduled run because it's Roundabout; the majority of houses are already filled with subscribers.

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But for argument's sake, isn't Into the Woods all about storytelling? I mean, one of the biggest themes of the show is all about the impact of the stories we tell. Obviously it's a matter of opinion if the concept actually works in production, but it's not like using the frame of telling a story is that far fetched for this particular show.

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I found it to be an extremely charming and different take on the show. It's certainly not the best-sung production, but that didn't bother me. The music is important here, but the focus here is on the text and and its themes. I found there to be a greater emotional immediacy in this production than any other I've seen. The staging, as expected from Fiasco, is inventive and serves the piece, often very well. The second act does lack the inventive spark of the first half, a fault of both show and production, but it builds to a very poignant "No More" and a humanization of the Giant I hadn't seen before.

Surprised the acting is being criticized; I thought the acting was uniformly very good, with standouts being Jennifer Mudge, Emily Young, and Patrick Mulryan.

For those curious: "Our Little World" and the full "A Very Nice Prince" are reinstated, the Narrator is cut and his narrative lines divvied up, and the aphorisms that accompany the midnights in the first act and the final scene are also cut. Of those cuts, I only missed the aphorisms in the finale - it provides a much-needed transition from the Giant's defeat to the final scene and reprise of "No One is Alone."

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I CANNOT wait to see this version! Especially after seeing and loving the movie I'd love to see it live again, stripped down, and get to hear the full score again. It sounds awesome!
An Incomplete History of Into the Woods

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For the record, I am in favor of minimalism unless it involves the actors playing instruments or Bernadette Peters crying. In which cases, I am not.

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I LOVED LOVED LOVED everything about this production. Well except for Cinderella's Prince, I thought he was just beyond dreadful. I didn't know what to expect going into this but I really was blown away by it. It's definitely something I'll see a few more times before it leaves.