Let me take you back to 1989.. yes, 1989! Who said time travel wasn't possible?! But how else would you have the opportunity of watching the original Broadway cast of Into The Woods? - oh yes, that's right... YouTube! Well, thank goodness someone had the foresight to record this for posterity. Being the "original" doesn't necessarily make it the best, but it does make it the yardstick from which all other productions follow and are judged.
I feel both gratified and honoured that such an opportunity was made available, since I am a huge Sondheim fan, and have seen this particular musical many times. One day I hope to have the chance to direct it, but until then...!
The video sadly doesn't do this production justice. There seems to be much more going on technically with the set and lx / sfx design than is captured on here, and the video is still quite grainy with little definition at times. Maybe because that's 1989 and not 2020....
Directed by the writer of the book, James Lapine, and starring, of course, the inimitable Bernadette Peters, then it was of course, in a word, SUPERB! I would have loved to have been there in person!
However, if I dare to make two very small criticisms. For me, the wolf's costume was a little too overt. It didn't need to have his "tackle" on show did it? Surely either an androgynous wolf costume or his wearing trousers would have been much more acceptable?! And secondly, the female giant voice and action didn't really work. Mabe though that was because this was video and not live, but the voice didn't seem any louder or stranger than the cast''s nor was I sure why the cast were looking behind the auditorium when the noises of her 'footsteps' seem to have come from behind them.
Peters' performance notwithstanding - she is just utterly spellbinding (in both senses of the word) in this production; my favourite character interpretations came from The Narrator / Mysterious Man, the Baker and the Baker's Wife.
Quarantine / lockdown has had me watching so many YouTube videos, and it really is quite amazing what one can find! Thank you to whoever filmed the show and uploaded it for the world to see. Extremely grateful!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 9/6/20
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