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Into the Woods
Original Broadway Cast
Starring Bernadette Peters, Johanna Gleason, Chip Zien
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
VIDEO
Read an off-site Synopsis of the show on Musicals.Net.
This is a great video, and I'm glad this cast was preserved like this. Into the Woods is an awesome show.
This video doesn't have the annoying constant close-ups that get too close that some other stage-taped videos do. It has plenty of good close-ups, but the cameraman doesn't practically go up the actor's nose! :-) Plus, we get a chance to see the action from an audience-like perspective. Yay!
The cast is perfect. Bernadette Peters is so funny. I actually didn't like her much when I first listened to the OBC CD, but once I saw the movie I realized how great she was in the role of the Witch. Hilarious! I love the rap part.
Chip Zien is a good Baker. His voice isn't great but it isn't bad at all, and it's quite Baker-ish. He also brings across the simplicity of the character very well.
Joanna Gleason as the Baker's Wife is fantastic. I liked her OK on the CD but I sort of ignored her, but when I saw this movie I realized how much she deserved the Tony she won for the role. She had the character down perfectly.
I love Kim Crosby as Cinderella. Whenever I think of Cinderella, it is her face I will always see in my head. She had the best facial expressions and body language! "He's a Very Nice Prince" is too funny for words. And I do not know how she kept the lyrics to "On the Steps of the Palace" straight. She also has a really nice voice, and the slow song she sings in, "No One is Alone," is gorgeous.
Robert Westenberg is awesome as Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf. He sings well as the Wolf, especially when you consider all that makeup he was wearing. He's best as the Prince, though. He's so shallow. ;-) And of course I love Chuck Wagner as Rapunzel's Prince. (He can climb my hair anytime he wants! LOL) "Agony" is an awesome song and both Princes have great voices with which to sing it. (It's also a funny song.)
Danielle Ferland as Little Red Riding Hood is priceless. "You expect me to believe that egg came from that hen?" LOL She shines best in the cynical, sarcastic aspect of the character, although she has a nice voice as well. "I Know Things Now" is both acted and sung wonderfully. Ben Wright does a great job as Jack, especially with "Giants in the Sky." He really played the role well.
The only bad singer in this movie is Todd Aldredge, the Narrator/Mysterious Man. He has a cool spoken voice that's great for the Narrator, but his singing voice isn't great in "No More." Oh well, at least it's a duet. His voice sounds a little better on the CD, so I wonder if in the actual show he purposely made his voice gravelly in order to sound old. ::shrug::
I highly reccommend this video. The show is great - it's really funny and pokes fun at fairy tales while sort of being one. I love Sondheim's work, and this is one o f his best. See this movie!
Also see my review of the Into the Woods OBC CD.
