Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

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Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 4:51pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsFx5835Qrg

I admit, I have never seen this Tony Awards performance clip before, and just discovered that Phylicia Rashad was the witch?!!

That being said, she was awful! WHAT were they thinking?

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re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 4:53pm

Actually I saw her and thought she was excellent in the part.

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re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 4:57pm

I saw her too and i'll agree she was excellent as well

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re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:00pm

Feel free to correct me anyone (this is what I gathered from this site, but I can't seem to find the thread), but there was a whole lot of drama when casting the Witch in Into the Woods. Apparently, they asked Patti LuPone who turned it down to be Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes. They next went to Betty Buckley who they fired for being uncooperative and a diva, so they asked Phylicia Rashad who wanted to do it but she had a toddler and didn't want to take time away from her so she said she would when it was more convienent for her. At lunch one day with Bernadette Peters, Sondheim commented that they were having difficulty finding someone for the part and she called him the next day and told her that if he needed her that she would do it. Bernadette originated the role on Broadway until Phylicia, who I'm guessing realized that she could handle both, finally took on the role. Again, that's just what I remember reading but feel free to pick it apart.

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:07pm

thank god bernadette did it AND they recorded it for video!!!

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:15pm

Phylicia Rashad, at least in this clip, was VERY weak vocally. Just a bad performance? Or is it one of those performances you need to see in context of the show?

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:17pm

I liked her, too. She was very elegant in the role, a foreshadowing of the maternal queen/roles she's played of late (actually, sensibilities very right for the Witch, whose backstory and arc in the story are defined by maternal feelings)

But I'd never heard she was the original choice. I did know that Buckley had done the workshop and been a bit difficult. I don't think she's right for the role. The Witch must have a sense of humor, a sparkle in her eye. Buckley tends to play the eleven o'clock spot from the start.

"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:21pm

She had trouble negotiating "Children Will Listen," but everything else was fine. And she was very funny with "Beans, beans..." -- all of the crone material.

"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:21pm

I thought she looked and sounded great but I never actually got the chance to see ITW and have only listened to the soundtrack, thus I'm not the best to judge.

"Perhaps, when we remember wars, we should take off our clothes and paint ourselves blue and go on all fours all day long and grunt like pigs." Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle

#10

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:22pm

Was that back before she began speaking everything as if she were issuing a commandment from god? (Her Tony speeches make me cringe, though I like her anyway.)

And these Tony clips are always so annoying in that they make the performers try and fit in as MUCH as they can by speaking/singing as quickly as they can. Interesting though...

#11

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:24pm

Bernadette agreed to do the part for a little awhile, I believe as a favor to Steve, and of course because she liked the role. She agreed to play it for six months and then she would leave. It was also agreed upon that the producers would submit Gleason's name for Leading Actress instead of her. She came back to do the video (whenever that was) but Rashad took over after six months. I also believe that Bernadette presented the Leading Actress award that year.

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#12

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:24pm

I heard that Betty was liking someting other... this was the 80s folks.... ahem ahem....

And before you all jump down my ass.. this is common knowledge she had problems in the past.

#13

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:25pm

According to what I've read, Bernadette was busy and they didn't think she would do it. She did it as a favor to Sondheim. I would still love to have seen Patti's take on the role, but her Reno was something to be reckoned with so that's okay.

#14

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:25pm

P.S. I love Ms. Rashad in this clip.

#15

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:27pm

I heard that Betty was liking someting other... this was the 80s folks.... ahem ahem....

And before you all jump down my ass.. this is common knowledge she had problems in the past.

I'm confused. Are you saying she was doing Carrie or that she contracted AIDS?

#16

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:31pm

Buckley's ... issue ... is known, but in fairness, she was past it then, considerably so.

I don't think the role is right for Buckley or LuPone. It just needs that core glamour to really work. I also saw Betsy Joslyn, and she was rather uninteresting.

"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling

#17

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:33pm

I stand corrected. And I am fine with being wrong. I love Betty Buckley and think she is a fabulous singer and actress.. I saw her and John in Sunset Boulevard and loved her.

I just thought that being it was the 80s -- my time frame was a little off.... my bad.

#18

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:33pm

What issues with Betty Buckley?

"Perhaps, when we remember wars, we should take off our clothes and paint ourselves blue and go on all fours all day long and grunt like pigs." Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle

#19

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 5:34pm

What was Betty's issue? I'm a huge fan of hers and ITW. What was she doing in the 80's? Was she like all the rest, having a healthy coke habit?

#20

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 6:02pm

Bumping because I'm dying to know.

#21

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 6:13pm

i wanna know too!!!

#22

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 6:13pm

i wanna know too!!!

#23

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 6:24pm

this reminds me of the Witch casting for the ITW revival.

Sondheim originally wanted to cast it as a man. they put Billy Porter through a lot of callbacks and just when they thought they were going to put him into the role, the Creative team changed their minds.

it was some more Witch drama!

you can hear him sing "The Last Midnight" on his solo CD from Joe's Pub.

#24

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 6:30pm

That's so cool about Patti being asked... I'd LOVE to hear her sing Last Midnight... That being said, I loved Bernadette Peters' interpretation on the video... Rashad is okay on the clip, I think... but not great.

#25

re: Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??

Posted: 5/1/08 at 6:41pm

I would LOVE to hear Lupone's take on the character. I wonder if they approached her for the revival?

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