elphaba610 reviews Into the Woods CD

Ok, so I borrowed the cd of into the woods from my friend and I thought I would give it a listen. Big mistake. The music makes no sense what so ever. What the hell is the witch singing in the begining? Rap music in a musical?? I dont think so. There were some nice songs like agony and the last midnight. On a scale of 1 to 10...I give it a 3. I would never see this on broadway. Too childish for my tastes. I guess its back to my wicked cd for now. Perhaps i'll listen to a different show later on?

Hahaha, too childish.

Wow. People never fail to amaze me...ever. Good job being totally closed minded.

Bahahhahahahahahahahahah!

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unbelievable. into the woods is one of the most complex mature shows ive ever seen. did you listen to the revival or the original cast?

Watch the DVD of the show that was released, and give it another listen. I DOUBT you'll be able to say it's "too childish" after that. There's a lot more to it than what you're getting.

S/he must have listened to the revival CD, which I love. However, there is a drum beat during the witch's part of the opening number. It sounds somewhat hip-hop-ish. I can understand the dislike of that, but to call the show childish...oh dear.

Bleh, haven't we already dismissed this poster as a purposely contentious troller already?

I hereby propose that we should...Just pop her name into the search engine, removes all doubt, and its amusingly crazy stuff!

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MFL, you hypocrite.

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elphaba610: try taking a nice lonnnggg break from Wicked. I know it'll be hard to tear yourself away, but please. PLEASE give Into the Woods a few more listens. do a little bit of research. watch the dvd. Hopefully it will enlighten you a little bit -- Into the Woods is anything BUT childish. just a suggestion..

Having just seen a production of INTO THW WOODS (I have seen 12 over the years) it never fails to amaze me how rich, how dense and how bloody enjoyable the show is.

True, much of the music is not simple straightforward melody. When writing wordy songs, Sondheim wants us to focus on the words, while more simple lyrics are accompanied by lush melodies. Anyone who says Sondheim can't write a melody need only listen to "Children Will Listen" or "No One is alone."

The score weaves together many different music and lyric ideas into a wonderful tapestry. James Lapine's book is clever beyond words, despite a second act that dwells on reaction rather than action for much of the time.

The diction on the OCR is impeccable - esp Bernadette Peters' rapid fire "rap" about zapping vegetables. (Didn't your friend loan you the booklet with the synopsis and lyrics?) And yes, why no use rap in a musical if it is appropriate (and here it is VERY appropriate, giving the witch feistiness. Rock music is all about anger, after all.)

I would suggest giving it a few more listens (following with the libretto) or better yet see the VHS or DVD of the original Broadway production.


I guess its back to my wicked cd for now.

This is the most troubling part of your post. WICKED does not have anywhere near the level of sophistication in music, lyrics or text that INTO THE WOODS has. The more you listen to WOODS the more you will discover about the score. (There was a list here recently of about 2 dozen musical and verbal motifs.) If WICKED and all the other current Broadway shows had 1/4 of the thought and effort put into their creation as has WOODS, Broadway would be much more rewarding

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Naturally the music makes no sense if you're accustomed to lyrics like this:

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game

This, on the other hand, while it may not be your proverbial cup of tea, is anything but childish:

Running away -- we'll do it
Why sit around, resigned?
Trouble is, son,
The farther you run,
The more you feel undefined
For what you have left undone
And, more, what you've left behind

I find it funny that people take this seriously.

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