The Public Theatre's Shakespeare/Park presents INTO THE WOODS -- Discussion — Page 30

"You're so pure..." is out, "You're so nice..." is in.

She still takes the baby, but doesn't sing to it. She references the child during that section, replacing "like his son will be.." with "like you will be..." and again with "You'll just do what they do", making it "You'll just do what they do".

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Wow. This is like my dream. Those are some of my favorite Sondheim lyrics. I hope they stick with it.

Any idea when this transfer is to take place? That is indeed awesome news.

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I saw it last night and generally liked it. Donna was the clear standout for me, and "Last Midnight" was so awesome. They should just let her do a one woman cabaret act on that set in her green dress. She was so beautiful and enchanting. Another superb performance out of her.

The other really strong performance was from Sarah Stiles. I like the new direction she took Little Red. Jessie Mueller has a lovely, lovely voice, but I found her acting a little on the bland side. It didn't help that her costumes were hideous and I couldn't help thinking how much I hated them when she was on stage.

I know people have been disappointed with O'Hare, but I didn't mind him. I thought his acting was excellent actually, but his singing was what left a little to be desired. I agree with someone above that he had little chemistry with Adams. She herself was fine, and "Moments in the Woods" was her best, well, moment, but she didn't command the stage like I thought she might.

I liked the child narrator spin for the most part. It's nice to see a different take, whether or not it's 100% successful.

There was one aspect I really hated though: the costumes. Other than Donna's I thought they were all different shades of awful and ugly. The set was so lush and pretty and the costumes were a real eye sore. I mean that boy couldn't even dream up a pretty dress for Cinderella? Red didn't even have a cape (it is a cape as red as blood, not a jacket as red as blood). The Step-Mother and Sisters looked like Effie Trinket knock-offs, and the princes could have been Cinna. If it does transfer I'd love to this creative aspect reworked.

Otherwise it was great to hear this score and book again that I so dearly love. Like many here I grew up obsessed with the OBCR and my VHS copy of the taping. I wanted to be Joanna Gleason SO badly, ha! I would practice saying things like, "I need your shoes," and "I pulled it from a maiden in a tower" all time.

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mac,
Your questions have NOTHING to do with Into the Woods and everything with an awful concept forced upon the show by a "smart" director.
Generally, the Narrator is an adult man who also plays the Mysterious Man. There is NO prologue about a kid running away, no child with toys, no nightmare, no nothing. The Narrator strictly tells the story, in act one AND in Act two, then the characters, looking for a sacrifice for the Giant, pull him into the story and feed him to the Giant.

SPOILERS

Dear Mac. I happen to love this concept (though I've only see the Regents Park version) and the boy has run away from home because his mother has passed away and he's angry and confused and probably at odds with his father because he is too young to process this easily (though when is it ever easy to process the death of a parent?).

In Regents Park this was made clear as when he is narrating the first act he is very angry at the Baker's Wife when he refers to her. I don't know if the young narrator still does that in this version, without it I might have been confused as well.

And with regards to your first respondent: god save us from purists with no imagination.

Yes, they are. As of last night, they brought in the chorus to sing a line of the "What do you say to a child..." section, which was previously a solo for the Witch. It was strange, not sure if it's being kept that way.

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^ It was listed still on Wednesday night and not done.

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The inclusion of "Our Little World" is an error. It was never even rehearsed for this production.

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They'd then have to pay for a reprint.

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^And spend money reprinting all the programs? I don't think so.

As of last night, they brought in the chorus to sing a line of the "What do you say to a child..." section, which was previously a solo for the Witch.

That's odd. I hope they keep it as a solo for the Witch.

She was climbing her hair and the rigging system got stuck or something. She went a little to far and it sounds like she is climaxing.
Audio Clip

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