INTO THE WOODS Reviews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 12:06am

First review thread of the 2022-23 Broadway season — so let's get started!

[willrolandsframes]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:34pm

None yet? Is that normal?

[GroupAGroup1]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:35pm

AM New York is a Rave:

"If I had the time and money, I could happily sit through every single performance of the exceptionally cast, musically perfect, joyous and glorious Broadway revival of 'Into the Woods'..."

https://www.amny.com/entertainment/broadway/into-the-woods-revival-review-july-2022/

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:39pm

Washington Post: With a perfect cast, Broadway has an ‘Into the Woods’ for the ages

https://www.washingtonpost.com/theater-dance/2022/07/10/into-the-woods-bareilles-sondheim/

[GroupAGroup1]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:42pm

The Hollywood Reporter is Very Positive:

"Of all the canonical musicals left behind by Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods perhaps more than any other lends itself to elaborate design treatment, with its pile-up of fairy-tale characters both high- and low-born and its forest setting yielding equal parts enchantment and disillusionment. Recent New York productions have painstakingly conjured that storybook environment with scenic splendor or crafty props, while Rob Marshall’s starry 2014 film was a sumptuous blend of Brothers Grimm and Disney aesthetics. But the 1987 show about the uneasy awakening that follows “happily ever after” works just as well in a stripped-down presentation, putting the emphasis on the questioning revisionism of James Lapine’s libretto and Sondheim’s lyrics.

That’s the case with Lear deBessonet’s gorgeous production..."

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/into-the-woods-stephen-sondheim-broadway-1235177573/

[GroupAGroup1]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:47pm

Alexis Soloski of the New York Times is a Rave:

"After the woods and the wolf and the dark and the knife, Little Red Riding Hood has learned a thing or two. In the first act of “Into the Woods,” while modeling a cloak made from the wolf’s pelt, she shares her wisdom. Be prepared, she advises in “I Know Things Now.” Watch out for strangers. Stephen Sondheim’s bone-dry lyrics supply one more maxim: “Nice,” Little Red concludes, “is different than good.”

True. But isn’t it splendid when a work of musical theater is absolutely both?

Lear deBessonet’s superb production of the Sondheim and James Lapine modern classic “Into the Woods,” which originated at Encores! in May, has made the journey west and south to Broadway. Despite some cast changes, its humor, wonder and humanity have arrived intact. Indeed, they may glimmer even more brightly at the St. James Theater than they did at City Center. So if you saw that recent staging, should you go into the woods again? Unless your budget doesn’t run to Broadway prices, of course you should. To put it another way: Wishes come true, not free..."

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/10/theater/into-the-woods-review.html

[GroupAGroup1]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:51pm

Variety is a Rave:

"The revival that opened on Broadway Sunday night is not just a glorious lifeline for fans reawakening to the wonders of live performance after a long, dark hiatus. It’s a crystalline showcase for sensational performances from an all-star cast of marquee veterans, and a testament to the enduring genius of the beloved musical, now in its fourth Broadway incarnation since premiering in 1987. The biggest giant in the sky this time around is Sondheim himself, and exalting his legacy is the production’s unmistakable guiding principle..."

https://variety.com/2022/theater/reviews/into-the-woods-review-revival-sondheim-broadway-city-center-encores-1235312251/

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:53pm

These raves are making me tear up. 

[GroupAGroup1]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:53pm

Deadline is a Rave:

"Even in a second- or third-rate production, Into the Woods is delightful, big and lovable and accessible and loaded with some of Stephen Sondheim’s most gorgeous and endearing songs.

In a top-flight production, the 1986 musical is transcendent. And make no mistake: Whatever else this summer will be remembered for, we can say this: New Yorkers and visitors to this city currently have a chance to witness the transcendence of a musical theater masterpiece..."

https://deadline.com/2022/07/into-the-woods-broadway-review-1235061007/

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:55pm

How incredible for everyone involved. And there goes the very expensive last seats available for this production! 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:58pm

DTLI Consensus: It really does take two - this second Broadway revival of one of Sondheim’s most beloved musicals is simply incredible. Go to the Woods!

13 positive (including the NYT).

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/into-the-woods-3/

Updated On: 7/10/22 at 08:58 PM

[GroupAGroup1]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:59pm

Time Out New York gives the production 4 out of 5 Stars:

"...DeBessonet hits these serious points movingly and gracefully at the end of the show, without sacrificing the many pleasures that the musical offers along the way. Into the Woods’s legion fans are well-served by this revival, and at both the Encores! performance and the Broadway press performance that I attended, the audience response was overwhelming. The show, for all its thorniness, engenders the bliss of re-encountering an old friend who is holding up great. What more, in the end, could you wish?"

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/into-the-woods-broadway-review-revival-sara-bareilles-stephen-sondheim

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 8:59pm

I'm REALLY hoping they can get through these 6 weeks with a minimum of COVID absences.

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 9:08pm

After seeing the show yesterday, I am not surprised the reviews are raves! I am just hoping and praying that a pro-shot or cast recording (or BOTH) will come from this production! We will never see anything like this again!

[ACL2006]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 9:23pm

Any chance this extends?

[nyla123]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 9:26pm

I think they might try to bring the gang back together later, but even if the cast could extend (or enough of them) it would have to move because The Piano Lesson is going in to the St. James three weeks after ITW's current closing date.

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 9:31pm

ACL2006 said: "Any chance this extends?"

I wish! (No Pun Intended). Unfortunately, The Piano Lesson is occupying the St. James this fall. Plus, most of this cast may have other commitments. I just hope they film it and do a cast album! This show is too good not to do so. 

[thirtythirtyninety]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 9:40pm

Jordan Catalano said: "These raves are making me tear up."

Me too! That last line about Sondheim in the Variety blurb…chills

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 9:50pm

Here is the last sentence from the Variety Review:

"If a production this radiant can make you laugh and laugh (and even cry a little) as the world burns, isn’t that all that anyone could wish for?"

I'm bawling my eyes out! 

Updated On: 7/10/22 at 09:50 PM

[UWS10023]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 12:23am

I wish the run were longer so more people could see it. I hope Lear directs one of the City Center revivals  next year. Congrats to all and thanks for the splendid productions. The musical numbers which were very well sung in both productions continue to run through my brain….

 

 

 

 

Updated On: 7/11/22 at 12:23 AM

[brdwybound04]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 1:28am

I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up here… but I just noticed that when you go to the ITW website, click on get tickets, and then click on August performances, that now there’s blank spaces for several months dates beyond August 21st which were not there a few days ago… up until yesterday, you couldn’t scroll past August 21, could this be taken as a sign that an extension is coming within the coming days? Perhaps Piano Lesson can switch theatres?

[Ke3]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 2:28am

UWS10023 said: "I wish the run were longer so more people could see it. I hope Lear directs one of the City Center revivals next year. Congrats to all and thanks for the splendid productions. The musical numbers which were very well sung in both productions continue to run through my brain….

I'm pretty sure she's directing "Oliver!" next season






"

 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 7:12am

I love how throughout this Vulture review Christopher Bonanos connects select lines from the show to the staging and other production choices.

[BJR]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 8:28am

GroupAGroup1 said: "Variety isa Rave:

"The revival that opened onBroadwaySunday night is not just a glorious lifeline for fans reawakening to the wonders of live performance after a long, dark hiatus. It’s a crystalline showcase for sensational performances from an all-star cast of marquee veterans, and a testament to the enduring genius of the beloved musical, now in its fourth Broadway incarnation since premiering in 1987. The biggest giant in the sky this time around is Sondheim himself, and exalting his legacy is the production’s unmistakable guiding principle..."

https://variety.com/2022/theater/reviews/into-the-woods-review-revival-sondheim-broadway-city-center-encores-1235312251/"

Thrilled for the raves, but can I just say, what is this writing? Appallingly purple prose. And "long, dark hiatus"? Bway opened almost a full year ago.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 9:29am

Yes Broadway may have opened more than a year ago and some fans no doubt are only now making their first trip to see shows, particularly those from out of the country or out of town.