Someone on Twitter said Brian was out through early next week, but obviously the veracity of that is…nebulous.
Jason Forbach was on as Baker again tonight and, honestly, he was perfect. I didn’t miss BDJ at all. 10/10. No notes. His chemistry with Sara Bareilles was marvelous and his “No More” moved me to tears. Alex Joseph Grayson was on as Jack and I thought he was great too.
Overall, the show is in great shape for how quickly it came together. I’ve never heard an audience applaud a Sondheim musical like it was a rock concert - it was CRAZY. The only quibble I had was with Patina Miller. As much as it killed me to say, she had too much restraint as the Witch after the “reveal” (which, let’s be real, she was SERVING EVERYTHING!) Songs that I feel like should’ve made me feel some level of menace did not, and that was a slight let down. She acted it well, but didn’t meet the grade for the songs
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If the sky were the limit on a Baker replacement, Josh Groban and Sara together would be a dream. But I'd absolutely love to see Josh Radnor as the Baker!
henrikegerman said: "If the sky were the limit on a Baker replacement, Josh Groban and Sara together would be a dream. But I'd absolutely love to see Josh Radnor as the Baker!"
a) No one's replacing the Baker, Brian's just out for medical reasons (presumably tested positive for Covid, but I haven't seen the email) b) Groban is... yeah no. He could be an interesting Narrator in 20ish years time, but Baker isn't in his wheelhouse. At least imo.
I'm seeing the show Sat evening, I REALLY hope BDJ is back in. He and Soo are the main reason I am spending more money to go back and see this again.
Caption: Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect balance when I soared above him.
And yeah, an extension isn't possible. The Piano Lesson loads in the day after they load out, and there isn't another Jujamcyn house for Piano lesson to move to.
I was at the matinee today and there were three understudies on - Jason Forbach as the Baker, Delphi Borich as Little Red, and Alex Joseph Grayson as Jack. I enjoyed all three, particularly Jason Forbach. I was looking forward to seeing Brian d'Arcy James when I purchased my ticket, but Forbach really held his own up there. It already felt like a very honest and lived in performance, and, as others have mentioned, his chemistry with Sara was great.
The show is just as good as it was at Encores!, and I'm thrilled that I got the chance to see it again. And since BDJ was out, that just gives me a good excuse to make yet another return visit, maybe when Cheyenne Jackson slips in as Cinderella's Prince :)
I was also at today’s performance. While I’m looking forward to seeing Brian’s performance later in the run, and while I appreciate how wonderful this production is (and it really really is), I left feeling as though the Encores! performances were really something special that’s nearly impossible to replicate. What stood out most for me was the absence of Heather and Denée. As a positive though, I was happy to see this production in a more intimate theater.
BJR said: "And yeah, an extension isn't possible. The Piano Lesson loads in the day after they load out, and there isn't another Jujamcyn house for Piano lesson to move to."
You are wrong. This is extending and the Piano Lesson is moving theatres.
Dolly80 said: "How stupid. Into the woods is a cheap concert and could easily be moved. This is bad form."
No. It can’t “easily be moved”. As myself and others have pointed out, Jujamcyn has no theaters available for it to move to. If this “Piano Lesson” switch is in fact happening and going to a Shubert house, than something was worked out for that to happen that will hopefully benefit both shows financially.
I can tell all of you. With certainty, The Piano Lesson is NOT moving theatre. There was an exploration of costs. But Into The Woods could not afford. Post is wrong.
I really hope to God that the extension rumors are true! This show is WAY TOO GOOD to only run till August. If the extension does happen, the real question is how long would the cast be willing to stay before leaving for other commitments.
The idea is to work and to experiment. Some things will be creatively successful, some things will succeed at the box office, and some things will only - which is the biggest only - teach you things that see the future. And they're probably as valuable as any of your successes. -Harold Prince
The St. James is literally the last theatre I would consider for a straight play, regardless of who is cast, because it’s so large and I can’t imagine the acoustics of a play boding well for the cheap seats.
If they can more to a more appropriate house, renegotiate, and make it work for everyone, by all means since Broadway is a BUSINESS. The Jujamcyn group realize they struck (a slipper as pure as) gold with this and it would be hard to just let it go away after 8 weeks.
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I think it's worth noting that the current long-running Broadway revival of CHICAGO also started at Encores! and was in the same boat as INTO THE WOODS is now when it made its transfer... It had a theatre (the Richard Rodgers) for a limited time only. That was in 1996 and it's still running on Broadway today. I'm in no way insinuating that INTO THE WOODS is going to run for 25 years, but it sure would be cool to get another surprise hit revival from Encores! that enjoyed a nice long run...
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