Phylicia Rashad as the Witch in INTO THE WOODS??- Page 2

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 6:43pm

OT: I'd love to hear Patti and Stokes sing "It Takes Two."

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 6:54pm

You guys are leaving out Ellen Foley, who played the Witch in the world premiere production at the La Jolla Playhouse.

Although, I was told she always knew she wasn't going to Broadway with it, since they were looking for a NY "name" to open.

EDIT: And for those of you who don't know who Ellen Foley is, she was a regular on "Night Court." Plus she's the girl singer on the classic rock recording with Meatloaf of "Paradise By the Dashboard Lights." (...will you love me forever?...)

And... she's in the movie "Hair" singing Diane Keaton's original part on "Black Boys/White Boys."

Updated On: 5/1/08 at 06:54 PM

[TooDarnHot]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 6:58pm

lake - Vanessa was approached after they decided not to cast Billy Porter as the Witch. Sondheim had been planning on an ethnic Witch (and originally a man) since the Revival casting had begun.

p.s. - who loves Chip Zien? Cause I do. he's so sweet and fabulous.

[bobby_luvs_bway]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:01pm

Will someone please elaborate on the Betty Buckley tease? It's getting in the way of my work now!

[lakezurich]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:02pm

Chip is Ferosh!

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:12pm

If bobby_luvs_bway loses his job, I'm blaiming Betty Buckley.

[lakezurich]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:16pm

I will blame vidoe games and the internet, and Marilyn Manson, like everyone else.

[TooDarnHot]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:18pm

I'll go with... porn.

[Jon]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:20pm

Ellen Foley was also the final Witch on Broadway.

By that time, Marin Mazzie was playing Rapunzel, which she had played in California opposite Foley. Outside the Martin Beck Theatre was a picture of the two of them from that production - with Foley in VERY different costume and wig that was used on Broadway. She was sort of a punk rock witch.

[bobby_luvs_bway]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:24pm

oh so now i'm to be tortured...you are all so cruel. teasing me with this betty gossip. i'm going to the restroom and when i return...I WANT THAT STORY!

[Jon]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:25pm

Cocaine.

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:26pm

Jon, are you lying? One can never tell.

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:27pm

Posting again to get his hopes up.


I'm a bitch.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:28pm

That is what I read as well. During the "Eight is Enough" years.

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:28pm

Oh, ok. Now we have an answer cocaine, Carrie, it all makes sense now.

[bobby_luvs_bway]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:28pm

No wonder she was so skinny on Eight is Enough. Well the 70s and 80s were very snowy. Especially here in LA. Thank you Jon. Now I can get some work done.

[bobby_luvs_bway]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:30pm

Not Barker...you are a cruel bitch. I will build a shrine to you later.

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 7:31pm

PMing you construction specs now, I am very specific.

[cfmiller]

Posted: 5/1/08 at 8:44pm

Was it nose candy, smack, or tina?

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/2/08 at 3:33am

I doubt that Phylicia Rashad was in the running to play the witch after Betty Buckley was dropped because the show was opening in the fall of 1987 and Rahsad was doing THE COSBY SHOW then. She took over in April 1988 and stayed untul July.

[Urban]

Posted: 5/2/08 at 4:11am

I immediately thought it was Cocaine after reading the initial 'it was the 80s' post.

*shrug*

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 5/2/08 at 6:34am

I was hoping for Betty to have been involved in, like, a prostitution ring or something.

Chip Zien is basically amazing.

and didn't Patti say she wanted to play Cinderella and that's why she turned down the Witch? I'm sorry, but...really?

[JBSinger]

Posted: 5/2/08 at 9:05am

I saw Phylicia right after she took over (July 4th weekend 198. though not as vocally powerful as Bernadette, her choices were strong and she did a terrific job. She is originally from the Theatre world (before turning into Claire Huxtable) and I think this was her first post/during-Cosby attempt to get back in.

In regards to the Buckley stuff. I guess in the workshop, the Witch actually had very little to sing. I think "Stay with Me" was the only song - so she passed on the role.
For those who wonder what Patti would've sounded like on "Last Midnight" - remember this. That song was actually a replacement for "Boom Crunch" and clearly tailored to BP's gifts and money notes. If Patti had been cast as the Witch, the replacement song would've turned out differently, I'm sure. Sondheim's writing during a show's creation is always tailored to the actors in the parts. Joanna Gleason (in an interview) talked about having a discussion about the character with Sondheim and then having her thoughts end up in a song.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/2/08 at 9:23am

Yes, before The Cosby Show and Into the Woods, Phylicia Rashad was in the original Broadway choruses of The Wiz (she was the original understudy for Glinda) and Dreamgirls (she was the original understudy for Deena Jones).

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/2/08 at 9:31am

My best estimate on Witch chronology:
Betty Buckley - Workshops
Ellen Foley - Old Globe Try-Out
Bernadette - Broadway (here it starts getting tricky)
Phylicia Rashad - Broadway (April - June)
Betsy Joslyn - Broadway (June-ish)
Cleo Laine - National Tour
Nancy Dussault - Broadway
Betsy Joslyn - National Tour
Ellen Folley - Broadway (until closing)

Honestly, much as I love Bernie, I thought both Phylicia and Betsy were far better as the Witch. And yes, Bernadette did it as a favor to Sondheim. In fact, there is an article that talks about that from the NY Times...

Fun fact, "Boom! Crunch!" was still in the show when it started previews, and somewhere during it started morphing into "Last Midnight" (and at one point was an awkward conglomeration of the two)
Article on Bernadette in Woods