The Witch in Into the Woods question

[wiggum2]

Posted: 10/30/10 at 4:43pm

Could the Witch be cast as man? So when the witch transforms, we find out he was a man. Would/Could it be allowed? Regionally maybe?

Thanks

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 10/30/10 at 4:46pm

I think it could work fine with a man in drag once the Witch is transformed. I really want to play this role!

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 10/30/10 at 4:51pm

I know Billy Porter was originally set to play the witch in the revival, but then 9/11 happened & they decided they needed a name.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 10/30/10 at 4:53pm

I was cast in the role in high school, and then the national tour pulled all the rights in areas it was supposed to stop in...and then that tour never happened, and we did Sound of Music instead.

You wouldn't have to do it as a man in drag in either act, it's merely the switching of a few pronouns.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/30/10 at 4:55pm

Yeah, but Porter wasn't going to play it in drag. It was going to be rewritten as a Warlock.

I don't see it working with a man.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/30/10 at 4:55pm

Yeah, but Porter wasn't going to play it in drag. It was going to be rewritten as a Warlock.

I don't see it working with a man.

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/30/10 at 5:03pm

I don't see it working as a man either. She is being restored to her former beautiful self.

[Jon]

Posted: 10/30/10 at 6:54pm

"I was trying to be a good mother!"

The Witch represents flawed mothers - mothers who are overprotective. The Mysterious Man represents flawed fathers - fathers who abandon their families when they can't handle the responsibilities.

[defygravity24]

Posted: 11/1/10 at 10:49pm

i don't think it would work. The witch does everyhting she does in act 1 to get back her beauty and she's supposed to be an overprotective mother.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/1/10 at 10:56pm

It would have been a disaster.

[Here I Am]

Posted: 11/1/10 at 10:56pm

Is this Billy Porter thing a joke? Or was this actually supposed to happen?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/1/10 at 11:43pm

No, it was all set to happen. Not a joke at all.

Mercifully, the producers got cold feet.

[Here I Am]

Posted: 11/2/10 at 8:17am

I can't believe I never heard anything about this! lol. THANK GOODNESS they changed their minds!

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 11/2/10 at 9:35am

While I think Billy Porter would have been a very bad idea, a male witch could actually work.

It would give a different level to the line "Handsome like a prince?" It could also really explore father/daughter relationships, something the show is missing.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/2/10 at 10:01am

Isn't the witch supposed to be Rapunzel's mother? I always thought that the reason she locked Rapunzel in the tower was that the witch was vain and didn't want competition from her daughter. In order for that dynamic to work, Rapunzel would have to be a man as well.

[Disneyland Magic Man]

Posted: 11/2/10 at 12:00pm

Actually... it was originally intended that the Witch, when much a smaller roll, was somewhat of a lesbian (in San Diego) complete with full on mullet and a lot of that awkward dialogue towards Rapunzel still exists.

Making The Witch a man removes the mother aspect... which is weird, because she gets awkwardly jealous of The Prince and adds a weird romantic aspect. The Witch is in love with Rapunzel, but is too ugly to justify making a move.

And The Witch is not her mother. Rapunzel is the sister of The Baker. That's explained in the Prologue. No blood relation to the Witch, she only got her because The Baker's mother couldn't stop eating.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 11/2/10 at 7:20pm

Ya know, Pgenre used to bring up the same argument about the Witch being a lesbian in San Diego, and that lots of the dialogue is still there.

I don't see that at all, and that's a role I know incredibly well. I also don't really see it in the video from the Old Globe either.