Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

#1

Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:20pm

OK, since the last revival was such a mess (save Laura Benanti) I think they should do another revival in a few years. I was thinking about possible (realistic) casting and I had some ideas.

Daniel Jenkins as Baker
Melora Hardin as Baker's Wife
Eamon Foley as Jack
Sami Gayle as Little Red

Any other ideas? I always thought Madonna would make a great Witch and Matthew Broderick a great Baker, but I don't think they'd do a Broadway revival.

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Formerly SirNotAppearing - Joined 3/08

#2

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:27pm

I always thought Madonna would make a great Witch...

Why would you want to cast Madonna in a role that requires her to act?

Matthew Broderick... maybe. The more I think about it, the more appealing it is.

But really, we don't need another Broadway revival. The show is very very popular with amateur groups, and unless someone comes along and radically re-invents the piece (or does some much-needed re-writing), we just don't need it.

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"Y'know, I think Bertolt Brecht was rolling in his grave."
-Nellie McKay on the 2006 Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, in which she played Polly Peachum

#3

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:28pm

Melora Hardin as the Baker's Wife... i REALLY like that idea!

#4

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:31pm

Christine Ebersole or Sherie Rene Scott as The Witch
Manoel Felciano as The Baker

#5

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:33pm

Can someone tell me why the ITW revival beat out "Oklahoma!" for the Best Musical Revival Tony? I just don't get it.

#6

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:33pm

Daniel Evans as The Baker
Jennifer Laura Thompson as The Baker's Wife
Erin Davie as Cinderella
Heidi Blickenstaff as The Witch
Jim Dale as The Narrator/ Mysterious Man
Elena Shaddow as Rapunzel
Santino Fontana as Wolf/ Cinderella's Prince
Manoel Felciano as Rapunzel's Prince

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Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.

#7

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:36pm

Catherine Zeta-Jones as The Witch. The whole point of the witch in that show is that she becomes gorgeous. Nobody can knock 'em dead like Cathy Z.

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If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

#8

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:37pm

I think Heidi Blickenstaff would actually be a fabulous Baker's Wife.

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"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."

#9

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:39pm

Whatever the cast, just get somebody new to direct it. I love James Lapine, but what was the point of having the same director do the revival? Get somebody new in there to give a fresh, different take on it. That's really the point of revivals. The original production was amazing and fantastic; you can't replicate it, you need to try something new.

#10

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:41pm

I think Heather Headley would make an interesting Witch. Marin Mazzie should play the Baker's Wife.

#11

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:47pm

Donna Murphy as the Witch! Please someone bring her back to Broadway!

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Tick Tock

#12

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:48pm

Brian Stokes Mitchell as the Wolf/Prince (probably too small a role for him, but it would be great to see)

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If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

#13

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:49pm

susan blackwell as the backer's wife. must happen.

#14

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:51pm

Does Susan's husband have enough money to invest though?

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Tick Tock

#15

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 3:52pm

"I think Heidi Blickenstaff would actually be a fabulous Baker's Wife."

OMG...Yes!

#16

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 4:08pm

Matthew Broderick would actually be a GREAT Baker, I agree.

I'd love to see Patti LuPone try the Witch, but...

As for the Wife, one of my all time favorite characters in one of my all time favorite musicals... I have to think about it some more

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"TO LOVE ANOTHER PERSON IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD"- LES MISERABLES--- "THERE'S A SPECIAL KIND OF PEOPLE KNOWN AS SHOW PEOPLE... WE'RE BORN EVERY NIGHT AT HALF HOUR CALL!"--- CURTAINS

#17

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 4:27pm

Weren't there some really bizarre changes in the last revival? Like an addition of the three little pigs or something? I never saw it, I've just read this.

#18

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 4:59pm

Yes. They show up randomly.

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-Benjamin
--http://www.benjaminadgate.com/

#19

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 5:15pm

What's with the revisionist history of everyone liking Laura Benanti in this production? If I remember correctly people hated her performance and then hated that she was out of the show so much and it wasn't until much later that everything was explained as to why she missed so many performances and why she was fired and then people started liking her again.

#20

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 5:19pm

>what was the point of having the same director do the revival? Get somebody new in >there to give a fresh, different take on it. That's really the point of revivals. The >original production was amazing and fantastic; you can't replicate it, you need to try >something new.

The revival was quite different though...

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Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.

#21

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 5:41pm

Paul W. Thompson, did you see the Oklahoma revival??

Two great shows that were given lackluster revivals. In this case, I think the reason ITW won was a lesser of two evils vote. The Oklahoma revival was,a t least in my opinion, just plain bad, save for Shuler Hensly and Andrea Martin. It was especially sad considering that the production was the same as that great production shown on PBS with Hugh Jackman as Curly.

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-There's the muddle in the middle. There's the puddle where the poodle did the piddle."

#22

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 5:44pm

Yes, I did see "Oklahoma!" And while it was not perfect, it was insightful and fun. The "Into the Woods" revival was unnecessary and cluttered. And when the most interesting character onstage in a musical is the mute cow, you know there's a problem.

#23

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 5:59pm

Laura Benanti was absolutely wonderful in the revival. I just wish they hadn't ruined the ending of her song... Ugh!

~Steven

#24

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 6:03pm

Whatever the cast, just get somebody new to direct it. I love James Lapine, but what was the point of having the same director do the revival? Get somebody new in there to give a fresh, different take on it. That's really the point of revivals. The original production was amazing and fantastic; you can't replicate it, you need to try something new.

Did you even see the revival? It was completely different from the dark original production. If a person didn't know, there was no way of being aware that the director was the same. The show was literally taken in a whole new direction.

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How to properly use its/it's: Its is the possessive. It's is the contraction for it is...

#25

re: Into the Woods Revival: Let's Try This Again

Posted: 10/30/08 at 6:10pm

Melora Hardin! YES!!! Thank you! :)

And what's so wrong with Madonna being the Witch? I doubt she'd take a musical on Broadway, but I found her to be outstanding in the "Evita" film (especially acting wise).