Into the Woods Nominations

In 1988, was there a lot of "discussion" (lack of a better term) when the nominations and awards were announced for Into the Woods. The reason why I'm curious is; im surprised Peters chip Zien and Danielle Ferland were not nominated at all for Tonys.

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What made it so controversial?

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Wasn't Bernadette not even submitted for consideration?

I'll never for the life of me understand the Tony Nominations. Larry Kent gets nominated for Company. Judy Kaye dosent get nominated for On the 20th Century. It is crazy.

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I wish someone would upload Joannas Tony Win on Youtube.com

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Wasn't there someone else playing the Witch before Bernadette Peters (previews)? Maybe something hadn't been worked out by opening night for the committee to consider her.

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rjjn-
Ellen Foley played it in the Old Globe Try Out. But was filming Night Court (I think) and couldn't do Broadway. Betty Buckley had been the original choice, but something kept her from it. They needed a witch, and Bernadette stepped in for 4-5 months. Phylicia Rashad took over, then Betsy Joslyn, Nancy Dussault, and Ellen Foley again.

I *had* a NY Times article saved at one point that discussed Bernadette and Robert Westenberg being the two real newcomers.

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I have sources that say Buckley was DIVA-TASTIC and would frequently show up late.

And then when she showed up significantly late to dinner with Sondheim and Lapine to discuss the role, they fired her on the spot.

Ouch.

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...Even though it was mediocre.

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Interesting, that ever since, the Baker's Wife is not perceived as the centerpiece, the way it was when Gleason played it -- so brilliantly. (O'Malley was unmemorable in the revival -- will someone disagree?) The Witch remains the coveted role. And the Baker, while requiring a lot of hard work, has its thankless component. My son played the Baker in high school; it's a killer in terms of focus (never a moment's rest in the wings, awaiting an entrance), but without a solo, and in many ways co-dependent to the other characters (tho admittedly, he gets the moving ending with the baby...) It's an ensemble show that tips one way or another based on casting.

There are contraditory stories about Buckley. I don't think she has the lightness of touch (!) for the first act, though we all know she could break our hearts singing over her lost child. The Witch requires a musical comedy diva -- Ebersole would of course be brilliant. But if the role is played heavily, with too much attention to the overwritten Lapine thematic material, it's not much fun to watch. Peters made it look effortless -- and even put forth "Last Midnight," one of the few Sondheim songs that just cannot land.

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Updated On: 12/30/08 at 04:46 PM

I think it's a very interesting show- and an "ensemble" one, also. I remember thinking how odd it was at the end to see four supporting characters carry the climax- but they aren't really, are they? A lot of it depends on performance- I've seen amateur productions where the narrator comes off as the star.

Peters deserved a nod of course, her Witch was incredibly impressive, but I understand why they wouldn't submit her name.
If anyone from WOODS got robbed of a nod, it was Kim Crosby whose portrayal of Cinderella is magnificent in many ways and IMO even surpasses Laura Benanti's.

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Auggie-
I could not disagree with you more on either Ebersole as the Witch, or "Last Midnight" being an unlandable song. If your Witch can not land it, and build it properly, she should not have the role. It's not *that* hard of a song to land.

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