| Product: |
Stephen Sondheim - Into The Woods (DVD) |
| Date: |
11/07/08 (116 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: witty, clever, great songs, great messages, great cast
Disadvantages: not enough people have found this yet!
Once upon a time... Jack sold his beloved cow for a handful of magic beans that would change his life forever. Rapunzel let down her hair for a handsome stranger. Magic helped the neglected Cinderella attend the ball and meet her Prince Charming. A childless baker and his wife sold a basket of goodies to girl in a red cloak who was headed into the woods to visit her sick Granny, and the witch who lived next door revealed the curse upon the baker's family. Sooner or later, everyone must journey Into the Woods to find their happily ever after... but will it be what they expected?
"Nice is different than Good." ~ Little Red Riding Hood
~~~~~~ My Thoughts ~~~~
This 1991 Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical is a must have for every family! Fortunately for us all, this production was filmed three years after the original stage enactment. The Broadway cast includes: Bernadette Peters as the delightfully wicked witch, Joanna Gleason as the determined Baker's wife, Chip Zien as the Baker, and the utterly fabulous Robert Westenberg in the dual role of Prince Charming and the Wolf.
"The special beans! I let him go, I didn't know he'd stolen my beans! I was watching him crawl back over the wall when BANG! CRASH! The lighting flashed! And... well, that's another story, never mind." ~ The Witch
Dialogue is rapid, witty, and carries deeper messages relevant to all ages. The interactive sets are amazingly versatile, yet simplistic, and also helped keep everything flowing smoothly. The songs are well placed within the overall tale, move the story and characters forward in a truly charming manner, and really are a prized feature in this 153 minute play. I particularly enjoyed the interplay between the two Princes as they compare their difficulties in attaining their Princesses! If you'd like a little taste of the play, you can find this song on youtube, and it's definitely a smile-inducer on a drab day!
At 153 minutes, it is a rather lengthy viewing but I have been astounded at how well this production can capture the imagination, and more importantly, the attention of a room full of rowdy kids! I once had over 20 Brownie Girl Scouts at a sleepover for our youngest daughter, and within 10 minutes of putting this show on, they were completely silent, still, and riveted. Magic indeed!
In the first act we follow the various threads of some of the Grimm brothers' most popular tales; Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and even Rapunzel all find their way into each others lives, if only in passing. The Baker and his wife successfully complete the Witch's quest, and the curse of infertility is lifted from his home. Cinderella marries her prince. Jack gives his mother a life of wealth and regains his beloved cow. Red and her Granny are rescued from the sleeping Wolf, and even the witch is happy having regained her beauty. Look out though, because "happily ever after" doesn't last as long as you might think!
"What's the matter?" ~ The Witch
"Oh, nothing! You just locked me in a tower without company for fourteen years, then you blinded my Prince and banished me to a desert where I had little to eat, and again no company, and then bore twins! Because of the way you treated me, I'll never, never be happy!" ~ Rapunzel, crying
"I was just trying to be a good mother." ~ The Witch
Act two reveals that everyone who lives on the edge of the great woods is now endangered by the Giant's wife who has come looking for her husband's murderer. Suddenly everyone is in an uproar over what to do. Some say hide the boy, others say give him to the Giant, and still others try to place all the blame on the witch. Before you know it, everyone is pointing a finger and accusations are flying! "No, of course, what really matters is the blame, somebody to blame.", the Witch sneers. In a flash, she has defied the magical laws laid upon her and leaves everyone else to sort out the mess for themselves.
Suddenly, everyone has to admit to themselves that they played a part in bringing this trouble down upon themselves. Each character discovers that the ends they sought don't always "justify the beans", and the deepest lessons are learned in the final songs. We are reminded that we all have to travel through the woods sooner or later. We all have to make our own decisions and live with the consequences, happy or not. "Sometimes people leave you, halfway through the wood. Others may deceive you. You decide what's good. You decide alone, but no one is alone.... Believe me. You move just a finger, say the slightest word, somethings bound to linger, be heard."
Scattered throughout the play are darker moments, real life timeless dilemmas wrapped in a magical fantasy. This is what fairy tales were before mis-guided but well-meaning... politically correct individuals began to alter them. Perhaps the greatest morale of this story is directed to the adults in the audience during the final song. "Careful the things you say... Children will listen. Careful the things you do... Children will see and learn. Children may not obey, but children will listen. Children will look to you for which way to turn, So learn to be careful before you say, "listen to me". Children will listen."
"Rapunzel! Rapunzel!... What kind of a name is that?!" ~ Prince Charming
For all the many light-hearted or even darkly humorous moments found as we journey Into the Woods, we are given just as many profound morals to carry out with us. Plain bread to sustain us over our long quest, but also a delicious tart as our just desserts made by the Queen's own hands. Into the Woods will delight and fascinate viewers of all ages, stands up to repeated viewing without loosing one golden flake of appeal, and can be purchased almost for a song.
"This is ridiculous, what am I doing here, I'm in the wrong story!" Baker's Wife
Summary: Made to enchant audiences of all ages...
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