"Once upon a time..." How many wonderful stories begin with these four words? As a lifelong fan of children’s literature, fairy tales, and musical theater, I had the privilege of seeing the original production of Into The Woods performed on Broadway. It was brilliant. By creating the story of the Baker and his wife, James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim managed to weave many of the world's most beloved fairy tales into one hysterical yet emotional story. To reverse the witch's spell that leaves them childless, the Baker and his wife must obtain Jack and the Beanstalk's cow, Little Red Riding Hood's cape, Cinderella's slipper, and (Rapunzel’s) hair, as yellow as corn. Although the childless couple interrupts the stories of the other characters, at the end of the first act we are confident that they will all live happily ever after. Into the Woods JR chooses the happy ending as its Finale, but reminds us that in order to make our wishes come true, we must take action even if it means journeying into the unknown.
Into The Woods opened on Broadway on November 5, 1987. It was named Best Musical of 1988 by both the Drama Desk and the New York Drama Critic's Circle. It was nominated for ten Tony awards in a year that was dominated by Phantom of the Opera. Stephen Sondheim won the award for Best Score, James Lapine won for Best Book of a Musical and Joanna Gleason was named best actress in a musical for her performance as the Baker's Wife. Into the Woods also received the Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Recording.
Stephen Sondheim is quoted as saying, "Eventually, the show is about community responsibility ...you can't just go and chop down beanstalks and tease princes and pretend that beans are worth more than they are. Everybody has to pay for that. Into The Woods JR was chosen as this year’s MWMS musical because of the incredible community that we formed creating Honk! JR. The outstanding talent and work ethic of our students; the kindness, creativity and commitment of our production team; and the generosity and support of our school and parents has brought us to this event. It is with great pleasure that the entire MWMS community invites you to journey Into The Woods. Our wish is that you enjoy this performance as much as we have enjoyed preparing for it.
Sources
Zadan, Craig. Sondheim & Co. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1989, 337-353.
Flatow, Sheryl. INTO THE WOODS, Original Cast Recording, New York: BMG Music, 1988.
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