![]() Joshua Henry (Rapunzel's Prince) and Gavin Creel (Cinderella's Prince)įor a story about the disintegration of childhood innocence and life's painful ambiguities, Into the Woods is the funniest show running on Broadway (and that includes both of the musicals that are literally about comedians). James Theatre, I would like to submit Into the Woods as proof to this skeptical industry that there is a not-so-far-off kingdom where the pinnacle of art meets the pinnacle of entertainment. Now that it's officially on its feet at the St. In the two months since the concert production, we've been holding our collective breath to see if it was just one of those lightning-in-a-bottle moments, facilitated by an adrenaline-fueled cast of stars and a wave of emotion following Stephen Sondheim's passing - or if that magic could indeed be pocketed for a longer Broadway run. The show has always had its acolytes - largely young actors who can show off their developing tenors with Jack's "Giants in the Sky" or practice their character work with Little Red's "I Know Things Now." But deBessonet's near-perfect mounting at New York City Center Encores! this past May showed that there is more to this musical than just fodder for theater kids. ![]() But regardless of the environment that helped break the evil spell, Lear deBessonet seems to have awoken audiences from the catatonic shrug they've been giving Into The Woods since it was bested at the Tonys by megamusical Phantom of the Opera all those decades ago. Who would have thought back in 1987 that in 35 years we'd be giving fairy tale characters entrance applause fit for rock stars? The enthusiasm may be getting an assist from Broadway's critical mass of uninspired biomusicals, movie adaptations, and properties that trade on twee aphorisms-turned-marketing hashtags. (© Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade) ![]() ![]() The cast of Into the Woods on Broadway at the St. ![]()
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