Into the Woods Delacorte Theater Rumors: Meryl Streep as The Witch? — Page 3

Somethingwicked, I see what you're saying and it's hard to disagree that Streep would have made a brilliant Baker's Wife. I just saw BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY for the first time yesterday (trying to catch up with some of her nominated performances that I haven't seen to celebrate her third Oscar...dorky I know) and was so fascinated by her mix of vulnerability, sensuality and emotion behind the performance.
However, she is a force in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA where I feel she basically mops the floor with everyone around her (well, mainly poor Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci hold their own). It's a performance that I don't think many people expected from her for the same reasons you listed below, but I think it proves that she would be a wonderful Witch, especially on stage where her presence as such a legendary star would become key to her dynamics with the rest of the cast. I'd love to see her in the role, she's good friends with Sondheim and I can't believe she's never worked with him on stage before, it's a shame she's probably not doing this either.

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ray, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is exactly what I'm trying to reference in what I'm talking about. There isn't any "self indulgent bravado" to Miranda Priestly at all. What's incredible about the performance (and the character, really) is how Streep's able to be so genuinely powerful, magnetic, and terrifying without ever once raising her voice. It's all in the subtlety, and that's what she does like no one else. As I said, I have no doubt she'd be a remarkable Witch, but I'm just trying to convey that the material for The Baker's Wife is much more suited to her biggest gifts.

As Michael Bennett said, she's certainly played more "larger than life" roles in her career (Madeline Ashton and Mary Fisher come to mind,) but no matter what she's doing, there always seems to be a poise and a composure to Streep that makes me inately skeptical when she's talked about for a role that requires a high amount of volatility on an unhinged level. It's the same reason I question her being cast as Violet Weston in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, and the same reason she almost never plays lower class or less intelectually expressive characters: she just radiates with regality.

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Updated On: 3/8/12 at 11:54 AM

Sure, The Witch is larger than life and can be self-indulgent, but "unhinged" and extremely volatile don't fit with any interpretation I've ever seen of the character (or at least how I remember the various incarnations). Vanessa Williams especially played many of those moments that could be portrayed as unhinged and volatile in exactly the opposite fashion - cold, restrained and in complete control. This made those moments five million times more effective and frightening. A crazy "villain-esque" character is scary - a "villain-esque" character who exhibits complete sanity, clarity and pre-meditation is far more interesting to watch and ultimately scarier. Although The Witch certainly voices a great deal of her personal frustrations and gets exasperated with the other characters, I would never want to see her become fully unhinged. Perhaps maybe in the final moments of Last Midnight - but up until then, she should be the showrunner and remain calm and cool. That being said, Meryl would be absolutely magnetic. She could whisper the whole darn libretto in Latin and it would still be every bit as mesmerizing.

^ Hint, please??
Is she a name or a Broadway name?

There are many women who could and haven't played the witch yet. I personally would love to see Kate Shindle, Sherie Rene Scott, Idina Menzel, Heidi Blickenstaff, or Megan Hilty play the witch. Heck i'd love to see someone we'd never expect them to get like Maya Rudolph. So it's not like donnas the only choice.

Updated On: 3/10/12 at 04:36 PM

I like her, but I'm hoping it's not Murphy.

I'm sorry but i disagree strongly about the 'regal' aspect. I don't think it would be hard at all for any of them. i love murphy i know many people want to see her play the role, but this criticism seems foolish when many of the women listed above have been lauded for there roles as powerful or once powerful rulers, (in the case of Scott, Hilty, and Blickenstaff)

Updated On: 3/10/12 at 06:26 PM

Marin was actually an understudy, stand by witch at the end of the original productions run. I don't know, we'll have to see if Carrie gets another extension.

For those roles 'regal' is front and center for several moments think 'no one mourns the wicked' for Hilty in wicked she really played that aspect of the solo up. Though she doesn't get a whole song to do this aspect Amneris is Aida is incredibly so during the last scenes of the show. Menzel can be regal and have that kind of queenly quality when she needs it, for example on glee especially in the first few episodes you can see that aspect shine, particularly in her scenes with Michele. Blickenstaff was the picture of former elegance and class as Ursula. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Donna, i'm just saying she can't play EVERY Sondheim woman.

"For those roles 'regal' is front and center for several moments think 'no one mourns the wicked' for Hilty in wicked she really played that aspect of the solo up. Though she doesn't get a whole song to do this aspect Amneris is Aida is incredibly so during the last scenes of the show. Menzel can be regal and have that kind of queenly quality when she needs it, for example on glee especially in the first few episodes you can see that aspect shine, particularly in her scenes with Michele. Blickenstaff was the picture of former elegance and class as Ursula."

Okay...if you say so....