INTO THE WOODS Reaction - Ep. 33 of Musicals I Know Nothing About

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  • Опубликовано: 10 фев 2022
  • Reacting to Into The Woods and finally understanding why people worship Sondheim. May I join the cult, please? PLEASE??
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    ❤ PATREON especially for you: / barbara2_0
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    Original video used for this reaction: • Into The Woods
    👀 UPCOMING REACTIONS - add your favourite shows: / barbara20is. .
    ***Copyright Disclaimer: none of the songs in this video belongs to me. This is a non-commercial video for entertainment purposes only.
    #IntoTheWoods #Sondheim #Reaction
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Комментарии • 628

  • @Barbara2.0
    @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +191

    Thought I would add some spice to this reaction and filmed when there was basically a hurricane outside so when you hear the wind blowning on the background of this video just know that it was all planned to recreate the atmosphere of the woods. You're welcome hahahaha
    Now, if you could play any character in Into The Woods, who would it be?

    • @emilywerner6870
      @emilywerner6870 2 года назад +15

      Probably either The Witch or Little Red, they are fun characters.

    • @chiara.i
      @chiara.i 2 года назад +11

      I'd either want to play Cinderella, the witch, or the baker's wife. So pretty much all of the female characters lol

    • @starbird6
      @starbird6 2 года назад +1

      the witch is my favorite character but i think i’m better suited to playing cinderella or the baker’s wife

    • @katiekeysmash1076
      @katiekeysmash1076 2 года назад +2

      Either Cinderella or Little Red, but I think Jack’s mom would be fun lol

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +1

      Fair enough, all amazing

  • @franziskasanders3943
    @franziskasanders3943 2 года назад +874

    I love that when the characters kill the narrator, they don‘t have a guide to tell them what to do anymore and plot armor is completely destroyed.

    • @beanofglory1051
      @beanofglory1051 2 года назад +109

      ! I never made the connection before between the narrator's death and the immediate loss of plot armor. Nice!

    • @composerbeef
      @composerbeef 2 года назад +148

      Also, as soon as the narrator dies the stories start getting muddled up. Like the Baker's Wife would never have had her moment with Cinderella's Prince if the Narrator had still been alive.

    • @j.r.cilliangreen4083
      @j.r.cilliangreen4083 2 года назад +52

      There is a beautiful video on how the music resolves in No One is Alone and tells the musics moral…
      And only when the Narrator dies can the Baker’s Wife get her actual wish…which wasn’t really a child after all…

    • @ten5h1
      @ten5h1 8 месяцев назад +7

      I just loved that whole interaction. “Maybe some people don’t like the way you are telling it!”

    • @Lemonade-Tree
      @Lemonade-Tree 2 месяца назад +1

      When I first watched Into The Woods live (at a highschool) when I was 13 I had a giant crush on the narrator- probably because there was a girl playing him and also had a really good voice and was wearing purple with a top hat and now I’m just ranting about pretty narrorater

  • @slax7991
    @slax7991 2 года назад +681

    In the scene with the Baker's Wife and the Prince, you really see the repercussions of the Narrator's death. Her line, "This is ridiculous, what am I doing here? I'm in the WRONG STORY!" If the Narrator was still there, she wouldn't have accidentally stumbled into the Prince's story. *chef's kiss* So happy that you are falling in love with Sondheim!

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +109

      Oh my God, I didn't even consider that!! I love it here 🤩 hahaha

    • @blotcho84
      @blotcho84 2 года назад +13

      Such a good catch! :D

    • @elphbwckd212
      @elphbwckd212 2 года назад +11

      I don't think that is true at all. Considering they are constantly crossing paths with stories they don't belong in throughout the entire show... That's a bit of a stretch.

    • @submersivemedia9995
      @submersivemedia9995 2 года назад +4

      @@elphbwckd212 no it isn't.

    • @jaycee330
      @jaycee330 2 года назад +6

      @@Barbara2.0 The "wrong story" line was actually from Joanna Gleason coming up with it.

  • @mythologyfan3696
    @mythologyfan3696 Год назад +68

    Barbara watching On the Steps of the Palace: This is definitely the most words per second
    Your Fault: Allow me to introduce myself

  • @beanofglory1051
    @beanofglory1051 2 года назад +384

    "Stay a child while you can be a child" always makes me teary, even knowing their horrible relationship.

    • @beanofglory1051
      @beanofglory1051 2 года назад +41

      Also, it makes me so happy to hear you say that this ruined the live-action movie for you XD I never saw it, just saw the trailers and some little excerpts, and blurrrrgh. I've been watching the stage version for two decades - ever since playing Milky White in a local production - and the glimpses I got of Disney's take on it made me not want to touch it with a ten foot beanpole.

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +43

      You played Milky White?? Legend!

    • @beanofglory1051
      @beanofglory1051 2 года назад +22

      @@Barbara2.0 tyty! My singing voice is a shy pile of meh, but I'm good at throwing myself into funny faces and movements. They cast me as MW after asking all of the kids to walk across the room like a cow.
      We were doing Into the Woods Jr which is only Act One - which, arrrrgh, you miss all of the plot payoffs and best songs! - so the MW character had enough consistent stage time to justify its role.
      Had a giant pink stretchy udder, and my hooves were toilet plunger ends. (I still have the hooves.) And MY GOD, could my Jack sing. I cow-swooned over his "I Guess This Is Goodbye Old Pal."

    • @RLucas3000
      @RLucas3000 2 года назад +3

      @@beanofglory1051 I didn’t know a Jr version existed, that’s pretty awesome! Giving Milky White a human was i think added when Sondheim took the role to the UK. i think there he also added “Our Little World” a first act duet for the Witch and Rapunzel

    • @beanofglory1051
      @beanofglory1051 2 года назад +12

      @@RLucas3000 I'm of mixed feelings about the Jr version - since it cuts the entire second act, we get none of the consequences and miss a lot of great songs. On the other hand, if I hadn't been in that production, I might never have sought out the full production.
      That's really cool re: the differences in the UK version! I need to look that up! I've never seen another production with a human MW.

  • @ohdeer-sabrina8132
    @ohdeer-sabrina8132 2 года назад +96

    In this whole musical I think the line that hit me the hardest was when Red goes "a wolf isn't the same" and the witch instantly replied with "ask a wolf's mother". Just because someone is different from you it doesn't mean they're less valuable.

  • @Denf0
    @Denf0 2 года назад +406

    Fun fact: the show has two double cast characters - Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf are played by the same guy, and the Baker's father and the Narrator are also the same guy. It's just written and performed so well that it's actually difficult to tell, even though they really aren't changing their voice at all between characters. It's also fascinating to consider the implications of double casting those two(/four) roles in particular, there's just so much to read into with this entire show - it truly is a masterpiece.

    • @bitexualthespian
      @bitexualthespian Год назад +45

      Granny, Cinderella's Mother and the Giant's Wife are usually tripled, too!

    • @wyverntark
      @wyverntark Год назад +26

      In particular I find this importantly resonant because when the Baker starts to tell the story to his son he echoes the words the narrator starts the prologue with, meaning he, as a father, is becoming the new narrator, mending the break caused by the death of the narrator.
      The great sin of the movie to me (besides the ones already mentioned in this video and all the other rants about how badly the movie mangled things) was setting the entire moral of the story (careful the tale you tell) as if it were a credits song. When I saw the movie version in the theater people were already getting up and leaving during what should arguably be the most important part of the show. I'm so grateful this version exists so anyone who wants to can have the same experience as Barbara.

    • @loubug9309
      @loubug9309 7 месяцев назад +1

      Also the stepsisters are usually Snow White and Sleeping Beauty in the end

    • @Robynhoodlum
      @Robynhoodlum 6 месяцев назад +6

      @@wyverntarkI think getting rid of the narrator and father was one of the worst moves because you don’t get that fourth wall break of the characters becoming responsible for their own actions. You also don’t get the Baker breaking his cycle in particular.

  • @coasterjudge
    @coasterjudge 2 года назад +96

    I love how you point out the Baker's Wife is such a cheater, but you still love the character. I think that really feeds into the theme of the show, that life is not as black and white as a fairy tale.

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +17

      Absolutely! Very well observed

  • @kristoferwilson6593
    @kristoferwilson6593 2 года назад +339

    FUN FACT: Think about woods being spelled “woulds” when listening to some / a lot of the show and it brings a whole new layer to the musical

    • @beanbrain6162
      @beanbrain6162 2 года назад +31

      Ohhhh my god
      Like 'Would be's'
      Like what could potentially be, or would certainly be
      That's genius

    • @maddiemaccheese8170
      @maddiemaccheese8170 2 года назад +15

      STOP YOU'RE RIGHT OH MY GOSH

    • @celestelalianna7276
      @celestelalianna7276 Год назад +5

      I NEVER REALIZED THIS

    • @yvans.73
      @yvans.73 9 месяцев назад +3

      This comment changed my life, thank you

    • @radmax
      @radmax 5 месяцев назад +6

      You just made Moments In The Woods finally make perfect sense. Like, I understood Baker’s Wife was struggling with the what-ifs of her life but I didn’t quite understand how lyrics like “stop prancing about woods” served as a metaphor… but “these are dangerous *woulds*”/“now I understand, and it’s time to leave the *woulds*”? Brilliant; can’t believe I didn’t catch it before.

  • @MermaidCore_
    @MermaidCore_ Год назад +38

    Fun fact: the singer in the tree, Cinderella’s mother, in the Disney movie was played by THIS Cinderella. ❤

  • @_Lolo_13
    @_Lolo_13 2 года назад +163

    Bernadette Peters as The Witch is iconic in all possible ways

  • @ajmalaika1287
    @ajmalaika1287 2 года назад +149

    Fav fun fact: people who were new to Sohndiem left after the first act because they thought that was the end but others who were familiar with Sweeny or Sunday knew that shit was gonna hit the fan in act 2

  • @allisonbergh4429
    @allisonbergh4429 2 года назад +260

    Regarding the Baker’s Wife cheating - remember the Prince was just that: a prince. She couldn’t have turned him down if she had wanted to, and her interactions with Cinderella made it very clear she’d been dreaming of that kind of thing her entire life. Not because she didn’t love her husband and child, or because she was inherently disloyal. But she was in the midst of chaotic and traumatic events, and the prince propositioning her in the woods would have felt downright surreal. Her death wasn’t punishment for succumbing to temptation, it just brought home the point that catastrophic events *don’t* pick and choose based on morality or anything else. Tragedy is indiscriminate.

    • @MarcyStevonshy
      @MarcyStevonshy Год назад +39

      When I first saw that scene in the movie theatre I was so visibly (and honestly verbally) outraged that my parents on the furthest side of our group were laughing at me lol. And I was admittedly happy she died cuz I DID see it as some kind of retribution for her cheating. Heck, seeing that scene in a local play brought me to tears (I cry when I’m angry, btw LOL).
      But this comment definitely helps humanize her in my mind, I never realized that even if she DID turn him down he wouldn’t have stopped anyway, and then she’d still be lost and would have died regardless. So… thank you for this. Also thanks for helping future me watching this show, as she won’t be crying out of anger again LOL

    • @iPyroNigma
      @iPyroNigma Год назад +39

      @@MarcyStevonshy Let alone the fact that the Prince literally plays... the Wolf. Which in a dark sense, he does the same to the Baker's Wife as he did to Red Riding Hood. He finds his prey in the woods.

    • @AriyaLauna
      @AriyaLauna Год назад +27

      @@MarcyStevonshy I always saw the scene as being just as problematic as Red Riding Hood and the wolf. The prince was just as relentless as the wolf, using distractions and forcing his narrative. In both scenes, Red and the wife wanted something that the wolf/prince saw and latched onto, and both were in a vulnerable position. Both Red and the wife certainly had choices and made the wrong ones, but both very human. The baker's wife really is one of the most incredible, 3D characters. Love her.

    • @GCWeber
      @GCWeber 8 месяцев назад +2

      I think the 2010 London production does a really good job of making the Prince seem more predatory in that scene

    • @user-kv2tj4du8p
      @user-kv2tj4du8p 6 месяцев назад

      well said.

  • @rixx46
    @rixx46 2 года назад +189

    My wonderful wife and I visited NYC to see the show years after the original cast had moved on. When we got to the theatre for the show, the names of the original cast were on the marquee. At the box office, I learned that for THAT ONE NIGHT all the originals were back to shoot the very performance you watched on the DVD! We had CENTRE ORCHESTRA SEATS. 😛 To cap off the magical night! SONDHEIM PERSONALLY INTRODUCED THE SHOW. To be in the same room with him - to breathe the same air - remains a treasured moment - AND we had a perfect copy of the show we saw. The first show we saw on Broadway was SUNDAY IN THE PARK… with the original cast. Two amazing Broadway experiences.

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +39

      WOW that's a lucky freaking day!!!

    • @singenstattatmen5096
      @singenstattatmen5096 Год назад +6

      *How* could you have so much luck?! Incredible! 🥲

    • @user-kv2tj4du8p
      @user-kv2tj4du8p 6 месяцев назад

      I love this story. I had seen the original cast when INTO THE WOODS first opened. but then when they decided to bring the entire original cast back for one week to film several performances before a live audience, I made sure I got there again. these folks were all just so good. it was a thrill to get to see them again. so glad you were able to see it as well. and yes to the original broadway production of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. that production was unbelievable. one of the greatest and most moving things I've ever seen. I feel blessed to have seen them both live.

    • @Robynhoodlum
      @Robynhoodlum 6 месяцев назад

      That’s awesome, but it wasn’t just one show. It actually took several shows to shoot. I’ve heard the Witch’s Transformation took an awkwardly long time because of the extra makeup she was wearing for the cameras.

  • @LilyBuggs1
    @LilyBuggs1 2 года назад +275

    I played Cinderella professionally and can confirm “on the steps” is one of the hardest songs I have ever performed haha it is so fast but so much fun!

    • @nudgificator
      @nudgificator 2 года назад +14

      I'd like to ask you a question on that if I may? I'm always curious to hear how people who've played Cinderella interpret "and you've learned something too, something you never knew" at the end of that song. It's always struck me that she doesn't learn what she truly wants until after she hears of the Prince's cheating, so I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on what your interpretation of her learned earlier.

    • @averynerdybookworm972
      @averynerdybookworm972 2 года назад +18

      @@nudgificator I’ve always taken it as her learning how to begin making choices, as she says herself choosing what to do, stay with the prince or go back home, is the first big thing she’s ever had to pick. And while in the end, her choice is not to choose, it’s still her first step in learning she is able to make these decisions just like anyone else. Her leaving the prince is her first decision, but she wouldn’t be able to do that without having chosen to leave him a clue in the first place. She doesn’t make choices until the second act but until her decision on the steps she hadn’t known that she was able to at all.

    • @connorbingham4764
      @connorbingham4764 Год назад +6

      That’s Sondheim for you, I’ve played Jack and by far was the most difficult song I’ve performed

    • @flarrfan
      @flarrfan 10 месяцев назад

      Listen to The Miller's Son from A Little Night Music and tell me that's not harder to sing than anything in Into the Woods...

    • @cjsmith1402
      @cjsmith1402 9 месяцев назад

      “on the steps…” is one of my all time favorite musical theater songs. It’s a dream of mine to be Cinderella in the first genderbent version of Into the Woods. ☺️

  • @thesingingthing
    @thesingingthing 2 года назад +276

    I love this musical so much! Fun Fact: The actress who played Cinderella and the actor who played The Wolf/Cinderella's Prince are married IRL!!

    • @beanofglory1051
      @beanofglory1051 2 года назад +16

      D'awwww. I did not know this!

    • @missgreenmouse7218
      @missgreenmouse7218 2 года назад +24

      @@beanofglory1051 Yeah, I think they first met in rehearsals for this show :P

  • @yeonsung30ryeo
    @yeonsung30ryeo 2 года назад +92

    It's criminal how they removed the narrator/dad in the movie because it meant cutting No More. That was the turning point for the Baker!
    I also watched the movie first and hated it so much. Years later, I saw this stage performance and couldn't believe how Disney was able to mess this masterpiece up. They could have adapted it word for word and it would have been awesome. It took more effort to make it bad.
    Bernadette Peters is just amazing. I'm always in awe whenever I watch her sing. Joanna Gleason's comedic acting is spot on!

    • @Arqane
      @Arqane Год назад +13

      I was the Narrator/Mysterious Man in our college production. We'd even get the grown men crying during that song. Though another interesting bit from our production. It was at a Christian college, and the top faculty (including the director) decided they didn't want to do the Baker's Wife's song because they thought it was about justifying doing bad things. We argued that it was one of the best lessons in the show to learn from, but they still refused to let us do it. Well, the entire cast and orchestra practiced it in secret and performed it on the last night, anyway. So much better to have all the songs in, as they're all important.

    • @loubug9309
      @loubug9309 7 месяцев назад +3

      Let’s be honest, if Disney did include the Baker’s dad and No More, James Corden could never pull off that emotional performance.

    • @itchiva
      @itchiva 4 месяца назад

      @@ArqaneThat’s cool to hear you guys ended up doing the Moments in the Woods at the last night 👍

    • @indianapeacock8919
      @indianapeacock8919 4 месяца назад

      It's interesting to see how Disney was able to do those things considering Sondheim was working on the film himself with Disney. There is a song they almost added specifically with the movie only called "She'll Be Back" sung by the Witch about Rapunzel. It's also more or less the "Children must listen (Reprise)"

  • @jaycee330
    @jaycee330 2 года назад +39

    28:09 Rap's death is the driving force for the rest of the Witch's songs, something that is missing from the movie.

  • @randoperson5190
    @randoperson5190 2 года назад +271

    In my opinion, the three major flaws of the movie is 1. The exclusion of the Narrator/Mysterious Man 2. Not killing Rapunzel and 3. The lessening of the characters flaws to make it more Disney. The line “you’re not good, you’re not bad, you’re just nice”, hits so much harder in the musical because of the fact that all the characters have more significant flaws and none of them are perfect. They’ve all done, really excluding Cinderella, something not perfect or deemed bad that makes them learn their lesson(s). Exchanging beans for a cow, trying to steal the cape from red, etc.
    Also both LRH and the Witch were in Tick Tick... Boom! LRH was in the focus group scene (along with the youngest of the Chers) and the Witch was in the Sunday scene.

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +34

      Totally agree with your points!

    • @fad23
      @fad23 2 года назад +26

      I consider the movie an entry point to discovering the musical. There are so many questions they needed to figure out in adaptation. At least it's entertaining on some level.

    • @katetoldness4220
      @katetoldness4220 2 года назад +58

      I disagree slightly. Cinderella is not blameless. She abdicated responsibility for her own life choices and left it up to others. She decided to play games with the prince rather than either make a clean break or stick around for an honest conversation.
      I think the lesson Cinderella comes away with is not to be passive and expect others to make things ok for her. Which is why at the end she makes a decision to stay with the baker and help him raise his child. It was her first deliberate choice to enter a relationship of any kind.

    • @Blazingstoke
      @Blazingstoke 2 года назад +30

      I would add 4. Not casting the same actor for the Wolf and Cinderella's Prince, thereby completely losing the parallels between "Hello Little Girl" and "Any Moment".

    • @rixx46
      @rixx46 2 года назад +10

      I missed the 2nd AGONY reprise

  • @Khemrikhara
    @Khemrikhara 2 года назад +115

    The writers stated on many occasions that the Bakers Wife does not die "as punishment," and I think it's a very simplistic way to look at a show that is so not black and white. If you think about it, her actions are certainly no where near the worst in the show, and worse characters get no comeuppance (stepmother? Steward? Princes?)

    • @melenatorr
      @melenatorr 2 года назад +35

      Oh, I agree! For example, both princes, who are irresponsible leaders; Cinderella's prince, who seduces the baker's wife and gets no comeuppance for that. The Baker's Wife is working within the fabric of the universe she lives in, and her role is so often to support and encourage her husband. She is among the more intelligent and self-aware of the characters, perhaps second only to the Witch, and she's played so wonderfully by Joanne Gleason, that it's impossible for me, at least, not to enjoy her. I do feel that she doesn't die because she gives in to a human weakness, which she understands, as "a moment". She might die arbitrarily. Or, she might be paying for the decisions she took in the first act.

    • @blazerheata6479
      @blazerheata6479 2 года назад +42

      It may be simple and a bit underwhelming but I like the theory of "She dies because some people just die." Especially with her line of "Sometimes people leave you in the woods." It could've been the result of an std from the fling or y'know being at the wrong place in the wrong time... like being just in the path of a nearsighted giant who had lost their glasses.

    • @nudgificator
      @nudgificator 2 года назад +20

      The fact that the Narrator ends Act 1 by saying "those who deserved to were certain to live a long and happy life" adds an interesting layer to that. Did the characters who don't survive not deserve to? Or was he wrong about it being so simple?
      There's a theory that the step family's lines at the end ("When going to hide" up to "and eat first") suggest they got lost on the way to the hidden kingdom and starved, so that could count as comeuppance if you subscribe to the idea.

    • @Potatoesop
      @Potatoesop Год назад +7

      @@nudgificator I think it’s more that the characters (read witch) got the narrator killed, which is when people started dying

    • @AriyaLauna
      @AriyaLauna Год назад +7

      Honestly, the baker's wife dies for the same reason everyone else dies: The story removes all of the characters who were leaders (good or bad) and guides and supports. The baker's wife was too good of a character, and Sondheim kicked the support and crutches out from under the feet from all of the 'new generation' type characters who needed to find their own way. So, yeah, the take that sometimes people just die because it happens winds up being the story take.

  • @butterflyslinky
    @butterflyslinky 2 года назад +144

    The only part of the movie I liked was "Agony" because seeing Chris Pine finally discover his inner Shatner was very satisfying. The play is perfection.

    • @jambulance
      @jambulance 2 года назад +29

      That scene was genuinely hilarious, but it was so out of place comedically with the rest of the film

    • @ericacreatesstuff
      @ericacreatesstuff Год назад +10

      Agreed! But can you imagine what the reprise would have been like if Disney had kept it in??? Ugh. The rest of the movie is obviously a hatchet job, but "Agony" was pure delight.

    • @tylerbranson2099
      @tylerbranson2099 Год назад +13

      ​@@ericacreatesstuff I kinda liked the visuals for "Steps of the Palace", "Know Things Now", and parts of "Giants in the Sky", felt like the movie actually took advantage of some of the opportunities it had as a film that the musical simply didn't have. Being able to have a flashback or pause time around a character while they sing an inner conflict or come to a conclusion definitely added to the scenes. Too bad the axed comedy, plot beats, and characters killed any good will those scenes earned towards the 'competence as an adaptation' score. I don't mind that they changed things, I do mind that they changed things and decided to put nothing in their place, or just downgraded them for PG ratings in the case of Rapunzel.

    • @cranberryrosebud
      @cranberryrosebud Год назад +5

      It's telling that Agony feels straight-up jarring in the movie, really goes to show how much of the humour's missing. I watched the movie with no knowledge of the source material, and was like, "the hell is this??" during Agony, but in the show it fits in perfectly (still think Chris Pine did a good job in the role).

    • @kawaii33366
      @kawaii33366 Год назад +4

      Agony was the most tonally correct from the play. They understood the assignment.

  • @ChrisAnthonyGiles
    @ChrisAnthonyGiles 2 года назад +26

    The little red/Wolf thing is suppose to be creepy. Sondheim based it on the original fairytale which is much more graphic and meant to teach kids not to talk to strangers.

  • @ladyshar42
    @ladyshar42 2 года назад +40

    I think you hit on the biggest reason the movie didn't work. They took it all too seriously. The show is hilarious. It's campy, its sad, its everything in between. I also really miss Agony Pt. 2, lol

  • @musicalslyricsbr4420
    @musicalslyricsbr4420 2 года назад +152

    2:04 RIGHT???? In the movie always felt like they were saying "Child abuse lol isn't it funny?" while in the musical is way more justified since Jack is so much older, his mother loves him but she sees is past the time he grew up and became independent
    16:09 THE QUEEN HERSELF BERNADETTE PETERS! I LOVE THAT WOMAN SO MUCH!!! HER VOICE IS A GIFT FROM THE GODS
    22:19 Disney (probably): Let's assign comedic actors to our comedy musical and then take out all of the comedy!
    35:15 It wasn't in the movie, most likely cause James Corden is a mediocre singer at best and could never do this song justice
    45:29 yeeessss! i love the double casting in this show! My personal favorite is the Narrator/The baker's Father, because it foreshadows how the Baker tells the story to his child at the end, continuing the cycle

    • @ChrisAnthonyGiles
      @ChrisAnthonyGiles 2 года назад +9

      Corden is a decent singer! But you don't need to be a talented singer to sing Sondheim anyway. The best performances come from people who could ACT the hell out of his songs! (cough cough... Elaine Stritch)

    • @allisonbergh4429
      @allisonbergh4429 2 года назад +13

      They did the same thing with the movie of Sweeney Todd, making Toby an actual child instead of a somewhat dim-witted young man. It changes the feel a lot, and I don’t like it

    • @shouldbewritig
      @shouldbewritig Год назад +5

      They said they cut No More because they didn’t want to do too many slow songs in a row and drag the movie on 🙄

  • @franziskasanders3943
    @franziskasanders3943 2 года назад +126

    As a German I love this representation of the Grimms Tales. I grew up on the far more violent versions shown here than the Disney movies. That Sondheim can still make this sometimes gory story funny is amazing!

    • @mapanzer
      @mapanzer 2 года назад +5

      Fellow German here. Please don't forget that James Lapine wrote the book, including the decision to go with the Grimms' versions of the fairy tales. Sondheim wrote "only" the songs.

  • @KiraAotsuki
    @KiraAotsuki Год назад +36

    Cutting the Bakers father and ESPECIALLY the song No More was the film's death sentence in my eyes. I would argue that is one of the most important songs in the show.
    But I am very glad to have discovered this reaction it's a brilliant stage performance

    • @abbycolquhoun7025
      @abbycolquhoun7025 8 месяцев назад +2

      YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!! I have been saying that for ages, it’s the same for Rapunzels death for me to, giving her a happy ending gets rid of a main theme of the show, same with the mysterious man/bakers father and no more, it’s crazy honestly

    • @loubug9309
      @loubug9309 7 месяцев назад +2

      But we all know James Corden could never pull off that emotion performance that this song is.

  • @museumgirl9
    @museumgirl9 2 года назад +26

    35:58 Exactly
    Disney basically did a Junior production of Into The Woods which cuts the show off at the knees.
    There’s a reason this cast recording is held up as THE production of this show.

  • @starbird6
    @starbird6 2 года назад +147

    the witch was played by the incredible Bernadette Peters!! you might enjoy her performance in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s adaptation of Cinderella (the 1997 one, not the 1957 one. i love Julie Andrews, but the earlier one is not nearly as humorous as the later one and also does not contain Bernadette Peters, so…)
    also, while i doubt this was what Sondheim intended, i like to read “On the Steps of the Palace” with a queer narrative. mentions of “what if he knew who you are when you know that you’re not what he thinks that he wants” and “where you’re safe, out of sight, and yourself, but where everything’s wrong; or where everything’s right, but you know that you’ll never belong” resonate with me very strongly with themes of coming to terms with one’s identity and coming out of the closet. there’s a lot more in that song to work with, too, but those feel the most notable to me. just thought you’d enjoy :)

    • @fad23
      @fad23 2 года назад +6

      Bernadette Peters was one of my earliest childhood crushes.

    • @emilywerner6870
      @emilywerner6870 2 года назад +5

      Whitney Houston is ALSO in the 1997 version of Cinderella. Another perfect cast!

    • @beanofglory1051
      @beanofglory1051 2 года назад +7

      OH HELL YES please watch Cinderella 1997 with Brandy and Whitney and Bernadette it's amazeballs! I love Julie Andrews so much but I'm sorry, her version can't hold a candle to what Brandy & Co gave us. It's the perfect mix of goofy and lovely and heartfelt.

    • @stellasdoesstuff
      @stellasdoesstuff 2 года назад +8

      I read Cinderella's character as a whole in Into the Woods as a queer narrative. There's something very not-straight about Cinderella during A Very Nice Prince when she keeps going on and on about how beautiful the night and the ball were, but the Baker's Wife is the one who keeps bringing up, "and the prince?" because Cinderella just truely didn't care about him. In her own words, he's just "nice for a prince, I guess."

    • @beanofglory1051
      @beanofglory1051 2 года назад +5

      @@stellasdoesstuff For sure! She was mostly disinterested. Her whole "to marry or not" analysis was an evaluation of her likely future, choices, and acceptance-of-self or lack thereof - nothing about feelings for Prince Charming-Not-Sincere apart from "vaguely flattered" by maybe being what a prince would envision.

  • @Leo-Galaxy
    @Leo-Galaxy 2 года назад +42

    I think the reason why they didn't kill off Rapunzel in the movie is because of Tangled's Rapunzel. They're obviously not the same character, but Disney probably didn't want the kids to see a Disney princess get killed as it would probably be too much for some of them, which I can understand. But that being said, they still should've come up with some idea to replace that in order to not diminish the witch's character.

  • @snakesnoteyes
    @snakesnoteyes 2 года назад +50

    Thanks for a great reaction. Your point about the smaller orchestra being important to emphasizing the lyrics was excellent.
    The channel, Sideways, has an absolutely masterful exploration of the musical themes of this that I absolutely recommend for anyone who loves the show.

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +6

      Thank you, lovely 🥰

    • @Alirosa937
      @Alirosa937 Год назад +7

      Agree completely Sideways has an amazing video on this musical!

    • @snakesnoteyes
      @snakesnoteyes Год назад +8

      @@Alirosa937 Sideways is always solid

  • @oscargill423
    @oscargill423 2 года назад +20

    I just realised that this show constantly breaks one of the fundamental rules of visual media: show, don't tell. And yet it's still great. The messages, though explicit, are so smoothly incorporated into the songs, they're such powerful messages, and there's a lot of them. Could this be how you can tell and not show?

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +13

      I believe it's all about the genre. Fairytales are supposed to be the stories our parents tell, right? So they dive into it to make sure the audience is not just seeing, but literally being told a story.

    • @oscargill423
      @oscargill423 2 года назад +5

      @@Barbara2.0 That's a good point! Plus the fact that it's a musical and you're allowed to have more creative stylistic liberty I suppose.

  • @fightscrimewhilesleeping4024
    @fightscrimewhilesleeping4024 2 года назад +46

    "Now that I've had some time to think, I'm even angrier" Honestly, very much The Mood when it comes to movie lol. Like, I didn't exactly LIKE it when I first watched, as I was such a big fan of the stage show, but my feeling was mostly "meh" than anything. But the more I thought about it the more I realized just HOW MUCH and HOW BADLY they had fucked things up, especially when it came to The Witch's storyline. It genuinely Gets Worse the more you think about it lol.
    Anyway, this was also the show that first made ME fall in love with Sondheim (I was 10, when I watched this stage recording for the first time, and been hooked ever since haha) and MY immediate next step was the stage recording of Sunday In The Park With George: also music written by Sondheim, also script book by James Lapine (Sondheim is of course brilliant, but musical book writers are the unsung heroes of the industry, and Lapine is one of the best. Sondheim would be the first to admit how much Lapine's dialogue made the shows what they are), also starring Bernadette Peters. It's a very different show, but if Woods started my love, then Sunday solidified it, so if you're not familiar, I definitely recommend checking that out too.

  • @shiekahfan01
    @shiekahfan01 Год назад +4

    So fun fact about the original wolf costume, the leggings were anatomically correct meaning there were very large profound bits between the legs, to better show he was a predator both as an animal and as a despicable person. The laughter from the audience overcame the show so the costume department continuously made the bits smaller and smaller till it was just a ballet dance belt bulge with no semblance of bits.

  • @jennifermorris6848
    @jennifermorris6848 Год назад +9

    So thrilled to see a person reacting to the stage version.

  • @user-js3xr9ly2v
    @user-js3xr9ly2v 9 месяцев назад +5

    I love the play so much more than the movie. And Joanna Gleason, as the Baker’s wife in the play, is absolute perfection in the role

  • @deborahlepage1789
    @deborahlepage1789 Год назад +4

    The Narrator was KILLED.
    He says straight out during the play that without him there things could become confused and that they NEEDED him, otherwise they wouldn't know how it was supposed to be told.
    The Baker's Wife Sings that she was in the Wrong Story, and that only became a danger After The Narrator was killed

  • @thatcher6923
    @thatcher6923 Год назад +7

    I’ve always really enjoyed the Baker’s Wife, especially her final song before she dies. I honestly think the way she was written was ahead of its time, simply because she’s very multi-layered.
    She felt so human. She clearly loved her family, but the show constantly hints that she’s always wanted more. She loved the adventure of the woods (this is shown a lot in It Takes Two as well), and that fantasy went away from her when she cheated. Her realization that her current life is what she actually wants makes her death very sad for me. At the moment she realizes to appreciate what she has and not try and make compromises, she dies, unable to truly live her life. While I think that punishing her for cheating with death is very fairy tale of them, I genuinely don’t think that’s what they were going for.
    I also think that her final scene contrasts very well with when the baker abandons everyone. It shows how opposite they truly are. The Baker’s Wife realizes her guilt and decides to move forward (showing off her courage for the last time), while the Baker runs away (finally learning the lesson that’s been building since the beginning.

  • @kokitrees7394
    @kokitrees7394 2 года назад +14

    If you think about it as the "woulds" it gives a whole new meaning to the song. Of course, you can think of what would have been if you had done something, or what would be if you had just been in a different situation, but you have to just live your life, you can't always live in the "woulds"

  • @christinaaruffo9534
    @christinaaruffo9534 2 года назад +43

    The world of Sondheim is strange and beautiful. Sweeney Todd is horror, Merrily We Roll Along is backwards, A Little Night Music is farce set to waltzes, Company is the most 70's thing ever recorded, and Assassins is morally confusing but in a good way. Good luck on your expedition!

    • @ginonovanta
      @ginonovanta Год назад +2

      And Sunday in the Park with George almost smashes the separation between art and author

  • @mackenziearnold7391
    @mackenziearnold7391 2 года назад +9

    Man, the first 3 minutes of you coming to a slow realisation that the whole shows supposed to be comedic and satirical (contrary to the film)... SO VALIDATING!

    • @mackenziearnold7391
      @mackenziearnold7391 2 года назад +2

      Also, Highly recomend watching Sideways' video on into the woods P.S. I really like your top.

  • @katetoldness4220
    @katetoldness4220 2 года назад +89

    Welcome to the Sondheim cult!
    The actress playing the Witch is the great Bernadette Peters. You will also find her in another of Sondheim's shows, Sunday in the Park with George in which she plays a young woman in the first act and someone's grandma in the second. If you decide to review this musical, fair warning. Have tissues handy. It tugs the heartstrings even more than Woods.
    The Bernadette Peters Sunday in the Park with George also stars Mandy Patinkin as the lead. If you've never heard him sing, do yourself a favor. He is brilliant.

    • @CV-Moore
      @CV-Moore 2 года назад +8

      Bernadette Peters is an icon. I love her. Actually going to one of her concerts in April.

    • @deannanewman7965
      @deannanewman7965 2 года назад +6

      I love bernadette Peter's and many patinkin....sunday in the park with george is one of my all time favorite musicals 💕 the soundtrack is an everyday listen

    • @tomsautocadstudio6446
      @tomsautocadstudio6446 2 года назад +1

      streep knocked it out of the park with last midnight though.

    • @jeandiatasmith4512
      @jeandiatasmith4512 2 года назад +4

      ......and everyone's favorite android, Brent Spiner.

    • @jjjones8609
      @jjjones8609 2 года назад +4

      @@CV-Moore Peters is the first lady of Broadway.

  • @ericjanssen394
    @ericjanssen394 2 года назад +25

    Technically, Stephen Sondheim AND director Harold Prince is the reason people worship Sondheim, if you can get a hold of the 80's stage-concert version of "Sweeney Todd".
    This was director James Lapine, who also gave us "Sunday in the Park With George", and while still good, you can see the difference.

  • @ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777
    @ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777 10 месяцев назад +7

    Loved your reaction when the Narrator twist happened, its such an iconic moment. Your reaction was like seeing someone see colors for the first time and it was amazing ❤

  • @DrummerMiles
    @DrummerMiles 2 года назад +15

    you're so right that disney not having cinderella die is unforgivable, but arguably the bigger sin is stripping the baker of his resolution as a character. "No More" is such an important and heartfelt part of this story. Him and his father having this "sins of the father" moment is so powerful, it's unbelievable to me that anyone thought it should be removed. Why even do the show if you don't want to have the same emotional resonance?

  • @alfiejones2249
    @alfiejones2249 Год назад +3

    What’s so sad about Rapunzels story line is how when she had to choose between the witch and her prince and I think that’s the moment Rapunzel realised she would never be happy weather it was with the prince or the witch

  • @JenniferHahnel
    @JenniferHahnel 2 года назад +19

    BERNADETTE PETERS!! Oh my goodness she is amazing. She was the voice of Sophie in the 1997 Anastasia movie and Rita in the original run of Animaniacs. She is an absolute legend

  • @FMAkers-jq2kh
    @FMAkers-jq2kh 2 года назад +27

    The Disney movie is pretty bad overall, but it does have one great in-joke: At one point, there's a wide-shot of the woods at night, with the Prince's castle in the distance - and you can hear an orchestra playing at the Prince's Ball, and the orchestra is playing the overture of Sondheim's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC :)

  • @fad23
    @fad23 2 года назад +39

    Time to pull out the OBC videos of Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George! Also might be fun to watch the 2006 revival of Company.

    • @calebjmelendez
      @calebjmelendez 2 года назад

      Where can one find the Sweeney Todd OBC?

    • @flarrfan
      @flarrfan 2 года назад

      @@calebjmelendez I like this concert performance: ruclips.net/video/9Z-nIwAuh9g/видео.html

    • @horrorhistory7342
      @horrorhistory7342 2 года назад +1

      Also assassins!!! My personal favorite is the 2004 version, and there is a subtitled version on RUclips.

    • @QuikVidGuy
      @QuikVidGuy 2 года назад

      @@calebjmelendez I found it at the library

    • @eggynack
      @eggynack 2 года назад +2

      ​@@calebjmelendez You can rent the George Hearn version on Amazon Prime. Having grown up listening to Len Cariou, the original Sweeney, I'd say Hearn is at least as good. You also still get Lansbury as Lovett, the only person I'd ever want in the role. A number of the other castings are different as well, but the only one that I was noticeably not so into was Betsy Joslyn as Johanna She plays the role a lot more crazed than Sarah Rice, and, I dunno, just not a fan of the direction. Either way, well worth a watch in my opinion.

  • @eirikastokes9652
    @eirikastokes9652 2 года назад +12

    Truly the biggest mistake Disney made in adapting this to film was trying to strike a balance between the darkness of the stage version and "Disney wholesomeness". They let you see Rapunzel and her prince ride away and it's IMPLIED that they die on their way but, exactly as you said, The Witch not seeing her die invalidates SO much of her depth. It takes her from misguided mother honestly trying her best who is devastated by her daughter's death to kind of just an abusive overly-controlling mother.

  • @booluther
    @booluther 2 года назад +36

    You should react to the 2011 filmed version of Company with Neil Patrick Harris if you want another Sondheim. The whole production is on RUclips

    • @yoyoeldas
      @yoyoeldas 2 года назад +13

      Or the 2006 Raúl Esparza version. I personally can't choose which one I like better, or which one is best to recommend for first watch!

    • @ConnorN22
      @ConnorN22 2 года назад

      I love the 2006 production!

  • @anantkerur557
    @anantkerur557 2 года назад +37

    YAYY I have been LOOKING FORWARD to this!!
    In my opinion, the stage musical is such a wonderful execution of ideas, and what one can do with the idea of fairy tales, which the movie,,,,,,doesn't really divulge into?
    Also the stage version is so much funnier istg
    There are these two amazing videos, one by Sideways, and one by Snugboy, talking about what makes the musical work (and the movie,,,,not really work)
    Oh, also there's a whole conversation piece with Sondheim and Lapine about how they made the musical, definitely worth a watch!
    Fun fact! Joanna Gleason (Baker's wife) won a Tony for her performance!
    Also the witch is played by Bernadette Peters, an absolutely breathtaking actress! (And yes, she's the same actress throughout)
    Another fun fact, Chip Zien (the Baker) played Mendel in the original Broadway production of Falsettos (1992ish)
    "This definitely shows the most words per second I've ever seen"
    Getting Married Today: allow me to introduce myself
    Also all those moments u were like "I don't remember this being there!" It wasn't. And we were robbed (yes, I'm very salty about it)
    Sideways' video: ruclips.net/video/9b6OEjF4s1M/видео.html
    Snugboy's video: ruclips.net/video/87HsPiNbvcA/видео.html
    Conversation piece w/ Sondheim: ruclips.net/video/NUN_MTChn5M/видео.html

    • @franziskasanders3943
      @franziskasanders3943 2 года назад +9

      I love Sideways‘s video about Into the woods (right behind his Cats essay)!

    • @anantkerur557
      @anantkerur557 2 года назад +7

      @@franziskasanders3943 ill be honest, I've watched both of those WAY more times than I'd like to admit
      Especially since the Cats video is an hour and a half long asdfhsfgs

    • @kiraalldredge48
      @kiraalldredge48 2 года назад +5

      I love Sideways!!

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +9

      Amaaaazing! I'm gonna go watch those videos NOW

    • @blazerheata6479
      @blazerheata6479 2 года назад +4

      sideways is awesome, bless his soul and brain after that cats review haha

  • @funk411
    @funk411 2 года назад +22

    I totally agree with you! The stage version is infinitely better. Disney ruined it.

  • @a.n.9800
    @a.n.9800 9 месяцев назад +3

    Your points about how changing the outcome for Rapunzel’s character alters the witch’s story really made me think. Sometimes I get worried that the deuteragonist in a story I’m working on doesn’t have enough of his own narrative and only exists to be a device in the narrative of the protagonist, but your analysis made me realize that being able to recognize whose narratives each character influences (and how) is important, whether the story explores each of their individual narratives or focuses on only one.

  • @FMAkers-jq2kh
    @FMAkers-jq2kh 2 года назад +2

    In an earlier version of the show, there was another song for the Narrator titled "Interesting Questions", which he sings right as the others get the idea to feed him to the Giant (it was replaced by his "Now, it's interesting to note the moral issue..." bit). The lyrics were meant to be nattering, pompous chatter that is interrupted only when he is thrown to sacrifice, but it has some pretty interesting lines:
    "A fundamental issue,
    One of many that arise.
    Does morality reflect what others wish you?
    And is 'moral' always wise?
    In tales like these
    One often sees
    How crisis can be instructive,
    Even perhaps a bit seductive.
    Part of the process of becoming self-reliant.
    But who do you feed to the Giant?
    These are interesting questions,
    Fundamental issues,
    Archetypal figures.
    You. Me.
    Problematic choices.
    Difficult decisions.
    Life. Death.
    Right. Wrong.
    Fairy tales:
    What we feel,
    Not what we do.
    Fairy tales:
    Not what's real,
    Only what's true.
    These are universal struggles
    Basic confrontations,
    Natural transitions.
    Guilt. Growth.
    Patterns of behavior,
    Mutual adjustments.
    Hopes. Needs.
    Fears. Dreams.
    Fairy tales.
    These are parables
    Drawn from the myths of our -
    (And they push him into the path of the Giant.)

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад

      Wow that's so cool! Thanks for sharing :D

  • @emilywerner6870
    @emilywerner6870 2 года назад +22

    I am so happy that you enjoyed Into the Woods!! Definitely one of Sondheim’s best productions, he does so well representing human nature in the most bizarre but relatable scenarios. He and James Lapine (who wrote the book for the musical) also worked on Sunday in the Park with George together that includes Jack’s Mother, Cinderella’s Prince and the talented Bernadette Peters (the Witch) in the cast!!
    Always enjoy your videos, Barbara 🤗

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +3

      Thank you, Ems! Always enjoy reading your comments :)

    • @michaelwilliamybarra2409
      @michaelwilliamybarra2409 2 года назад

      Also including Danielle Ferland(Little Red RiddingHood), who alternated with other two child actors in the OBC of Sunday as Louise(she doesn't play Louise in the proshot, but she may be one of the bathing boys in the first of George's paintings onstage(the one subjected to having "No Life"), and is also possibly on the cast recording as Louise)!

  • @connorbingham4764
    @connorbingham4764 2 года назад +11

    I played jack in my high school and it was so much fun. Most shows didn't allow me and my friends to be in much scenes together as most shows have different main characters in different parts however this show allowed me and my friends to do so many scenes together which made the rehearsal process so much fun. YOur fault is definitely the coolest song for theatre kids to do. IT made us feel so professional. Anoter show you might like is Bright Star.

  • @ddmaul
    @ddmaul 2 года назад +9

    If you want to see another theatrical take on this show, check out the 2010 London revival. It's much darker overall, but the Witch/Rapunzel is even more layered and complex and nuanced. They wrote a new song for them. And it was staged outdoors, essentially in the woods. A very different, but breathtaking, interpretation of the work.

  • @saiyasha848
    @saiyasha848 2 года назад +5

    I can forgive a lot, but the cutting of "Agony reprise" in the movie was such a gigantic mistake. It's the whole _point_ of the pribces! They don't actually love these women, They just want the conquest.

  • @GCWeber
    @GCWeber 8 месяцев назад +3

    I'm over a year late I know but seriously at some point if you ever get the chance, check out the 2010 production at the Regent's Park Open Air Theater, it's just absolutely fantastic, this show is so suited to an open air setting and the production team really made the most of it, not to mention the phenomenal cast (and yes there's a pro-shoot)

  • @QuikVidGuy
    @QuikVidGuy 2 года назад +10

    there's small sections from A Very Nice Prince, Stay With Me, and the Stay With Me reprise that only appear on the cast album, as well as a small verse from Children Will Listen that is included in Bernadette Peters' live performance
    they're only a few seconds each but they add a lot to the emotional depth and specificity

  • @thomasbender2036
    @thomasbender2036 2 года назад +3

    I just realised what one of the posters in the background is - a collage of Lauren Lopez! Black Friday, Trail to Oregon, Firebringer, Starship, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals, and A Very Potter Musical. Nice

  • @kitsunechibiko
    @kitsunechibiko 2 года назад +26

    You should definitely keep the Sondheim train going with Company 2007. You think this is dark, twisted, and loquacious? Company can show us all a thing or two. And it has the be the 2007 one with Raul Esparza.

    • @corvus1374
      @corvus1374 2 года назад +4

      It's weird that they make all of the characters play musical instruments, but all is forgiven when Esparza sings Being Alive.

  • @taratravia9464
    @taratravia9464 2 года назад +16

    Impossible to choose a favorite Sondheim, but this is likely the one I’d choose if I was forced (although, A Little Night Music is also high….). Loved your reaction. The Disney version doesn’t “get” this at all and it is so much better performed live. The actors in the original
    cast are all incredible. Chip Zein and Joanna Gleason, and of course, Bernadette Peters and Robert Westerberger are iconic. So glad you got to see it in this form. I saw it on Broadway as a kid and was obsessed. Sondheim
    is a deep; deep well.

  • @bryantkeller9278
    @bryantkeller9278 2 года назад +5

    You are a delight and I'm impressed with your understanding and appreciation of the writing, composing and staging.

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад

      That means a lot, Bryant. Thank you! And so glad you enjoyed the video 😊

  • @drtruth8
    @drtruth8 2 года назад +8

    Thank you! Thank you for watching the original! I’m so glad you understood it!

  • @elsie8757
    @elsie8757 2 года назад +2

    Pretty sure Disney's reasoning for not killing Rapunzel in the movie began and ended with "We're DISNEY, we can't make a movie where a fairytale princess dies! Especially a princess that's part of our lineup! It's not like people will understand that this is a completely different continuity from Tangled!"

  • @QueenErikaTheSongful
    @QueenErikaTheSongful 2 года назад +8

    35:10 Unfortunately, that's not you blocking the song out. They cut the WHOLE NUMBER from the movie! It's literally one of the most important moments in the show and they replace it with like 20 or so seconds of dialogue and a sort of ghost(?) thing of his dad.

  • @RedKat2019
    @RedKat2019 2 года назад +3

    The reason you don't remember the song between the Baker and his father ("No More" which is my favorite song in Act II) is because it didn't happen. They didn't have the father (the character of the 'mysterious man') in the movie at all. I was so mad they cut that song!

    • @flarrfan
      @flarrfan 2 года назад +1

      I loved seeing Chip Zien again a couple years ago for the early pandemic Zoom celebration of Sondheim's 90th birthday, singing No More with a short opening about the composer and him. Also a favorite of mine...along with Children Will Listen. ruclips.net/video/A92wZIvEUAw/видео.html

    • @flarrfan
      @flarrfan 2 года назад +1

      This whole Take Me to the World introduced me to a number of other great songs I'd never heard. It's worth the full 2 and a half hours of listening. Leave it running for a great medley of two of my favorite songs by Josh Groban...

  • @saiyasha848
    @saiyasha848 2 года назад +4

    I think what you said in the beginning is exactly it. The Movie played so much straight that was funny in the musical and it just robs it of it's satirical feeling.

  • @romancenovelfreak
    @romancenovelfreak Год назад +2

    was watching Sideways take on this musical and he said someone described the stage production in comparison to the Disney version as Shrek but without the jokes and that has to be the most accurate way to describe what happened in the transition from stage to screen
    Also you asked who played the Witch and it's Bernadette Peters, she also played the evil stepmother in Roger and Hammerstein's 1997 Cinderella and Lily St Regis in 1982's Annie. I highly recommend watching both musicals if you haven't seen them yet

  • @RedKat2019
    @RedKat2019 2 года назад +3

    There's brilliant double casting in the show! Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf are the same guy, and the Narrator and the Mysterious Man/Baker's Father are the same guy

  • @N_Garamond
    @N_Garamond 2 года назад +4

    one thing cannot be understated and which you did of course talk about is is the virtuosity of the live singing and how that affects the storytelling. I just think the thrill of their performances live, with all of them being such masters of whatever type of singing they're doing, is so important.

  • @felixettos
    @felixettos 2 года назад +7

    Haven't scrolled down enough to see if anyone's mentioned it but
    1. The witch is played by Bernadette Peters and she's an absolute icon, she's been in other Sondheim musicals too
    2. The Baker is played by Chip Zien who played Mendel in the original cast of Falsettos (and Marvin in the first part of the Marvin trilogy which is kind of a prequel to Falsettos and the freakin Howard the duck movie but that's a very different story) and J may have an unhealthy obsession with him but it's certainly not as bad as my obsession with Andrew Rannells

  • @kkaaiittlliinn
    @kkaaiittlliinn 2 года назад +3

    i’m so happy you’ve reacted to my top three musicals now!!! falsettos, into the woods and legally blonde are the best of the best

  • @lydia1634
    @lydia1634 8 месяцев назад +1

    You made a comment about the show needing lots of technical factors is actually not how it often gets played. I did this show at a 100 seat community theater, essentially a black box. We had "wood fairies" who took off the baker's table and Cinderella's fireplace, dangled the birds on sticks, and brought out Cinderella's dress. We did have a simple trapdoor (just a janky slide to the storage basement) and a small smoke machine. Our Milky White was made out of painted 2x4s on wheels. We had no Giant's foot or beanstalk. Our tower was rolled on from the side. We did have some color changing LEDs to add flavor to our black and white tree silhouette background/the moon. And it really, really worked. It was such a good production. The cast was amazing. We had super deep conversations on the regular about how we were interpreting our characters and the many, many layers on the plot. This show already relies so much on imagination and suspension of disbelief, it's really suited to a stripped down set.
    And yes, learning all the words is hard. On the Steps of the Palace is actually ok (I played Cinderella). The hard ones are the Into the Woods sections, because you sing them 3 different times and the words are all different and very fast and unison. Also, the end of Act 1 and act 2 where they do the 'though it's fearful' section is soooo tricky. Hardest part to learn and keep straight.

  • @bel410la
    @bel410la 6 месяцев назад +1

    I always like the last song before it speeds up and goes into into the woods again, the line that the Witch says "Be careful what you say, children will listen, so be careful when you say, listen to me." The way she sings it is so beautiful.

  • @eirikastokes9652
    @eirikastokes9652 Год назад +2

    I'm coming back to leave ANOTHER comment and say that not only does Disney butcher the Witch by not letting Rapunzel die, by also not including rhe Mysterious Man/Baker's Father, they've even further butchered the theme of how parents affect their children by not giving the Baker that moment where he and his dad finally understand each other, but he chooses to stay while his dad leaves again. It's a huge moment for the Baker where he actively chooses not to repeat the mistake he hated his father for.

  • @bobmilnikel3994
    @bobmilnikel3994 2 года назад +3

    YT sent me this video because I'm a Sondheim nut, and it warms my heart more than I can say to see that you *get it*! Thanks for sharing the joy of discovery with all of us!

  • @lyndonjames8607
    @lyndonjames8607 11 месяцев назад +2

    Just found this and your channel.
    I’m so happy you got to discover the emotional (& symbolic) heart of the show by watching this. Disney, clearly (to me), is in the Disney Princess business and was too chicken to kill off Rapunzel in one of their movies. But it totally tears at the internal fabric of the show. (You’re SO right in your analysis of what the witch’s role and perspective is in this and how it disappears without experiencing her as a full-fledged, 3-dimensional character.) Similarly, not having the narrator/father role play out its part neuters the the whole meaning dimension of the show regarding both the joy and limitations on what we learn or inherit as children from elders and can pass on in turn.
    Bottom line - when movie producers sit down to adapt Broadway musicals they need to:
    1) Not second guess the audience. Trying to simplify or dumb down the musical by tossing musical numbers or elements almost always destroys what made the musical special and work in the first place,
    2) Give the parts to musical theatre people who can actually do the job rather than to more “bankable” stars who are just dipping their toes (back) in,
    3) Stop coaching these singers, who can actually sing the music, to “under-sing” in order to heighten the naturalism/realism. STOP APOLOGIZING FOR MAKING A MOVIE MUSICAL; it’s a “MOVIE MUSICAL”! Stop trying to cover that up for the audiences. Those who don’t like or “get” musicals never come on board by reducing the amount of singing or singing characters; at the end they’re always in a “this was O.K., but why do they have to have singing in this” space afterwards. They rarely appreciate the “sacrifice” the producers made to make the movie musical less offensive and more palatable to their expectations regarding realism. It doesn’t work and guts the deeper commentary on, and interplay within, the show’s material that makes the show THAT show. So, most importantly - saying it again,
    4) Trust the audience members! Give them more credit. Allow them to stretch to eat “the whole burger” and discover appreciation for why & how it’s a burger rather than some stripped down burger patty offered in a slimmed down, “heart conscious” fast food “wrap”.

  • @Agent160FTW
    @Agent160FTW 2 года назад +5

    I love that you're reacting to this production because I adore it and it's probably why Into the Woods is probably my favorite musical. Agony reprise alone is probably my favorite thing in the world because I love the whole part about upsetting dwarves for reasons I can't even explain. Also I think Joanna Gleason as the Baker's Wife is so brilliant that I feel almost in love with her when she sings her big song in act 2 because she acts it so well, I don't know if that makes sense. Sondheim is magic

  • @karinasharma3632
    @karinasharma3632 Год назад +2

    everything about this musical is so superior. the comedy and plays on words along with the seriousness and messages make this such a complex version of classic fairy tales. moment of appreciation for the entire cast but for ✨bernadette peters✨

  • @genie_inabottle7691
    @genie_inabottle7691 2 года назад +5

    This was thoroughly enjoyable as I grew up on this play and it really helped inform my own moral compass. Bernadette Peters is a goddess and I was so estatic that she recently appeared on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist-- You should most definately watch Sunday in the Park with George because the Sondheim music is incredibly beautiful and Bernadette is top notch. I was VERY fortunate to see most of this cast do a reunion of highlights with Sondheim and Lapine on stage, it was and incredible experience!!! I also learned that the prince and Cinderella are actually married owed to this show so they actually had a happily ever after! I'm happy to see that you saw the film first but still saw the glaringly bad choices the film made which was such an unfortunate mishap! It made me feel vindicated in how I felt about the movie...especially Rapunzel, it literally neuters the Witch and makes her seem like a crazy old hag. Glad you LOVED it!

  • @peter_pansexual6243
    @peter_pansexual6243 2 года назад +3

    The actress who played Mother Gothel in Tangled also played the Witch in a different production of Into the Woods

  • @rosemarykurtz5845
    @rosemarykurtz5845 10 месяцев назад +2

    Loved your video! I'm currently rehearsing as Jack's Mother. This will be my third production in the role. Sondheim's brilliance never gets old, does it? Fun fact: How did Rapunzel get her name? Remember in the Witch's song, she mentions the Baker was "Rooting through my rutabaga, Raiding my arugula, Ripping up my rampion, my champion..." Other names for rampion are ramps and -- Rapunzel. Love it!

  • @TabbyQ.9563
    @TabbyQ.9563 Год назад +1

    Cow falls over.
    "How did they do that?"
    Pistons in two of the feet are activated remotely. A peg is pushed out which makes the cow tilt and fall. Practical effects are fun.

  • @nickthedreamer4434
    @nickthedreamer4434 10 месяцев назад +1

    Honestly one of my favorite shows I've ever gotten to be a part of (I got to be Jack in a high school production where my sister was the witch). I even got to grow up with this rendition available to watch on a DVD that my parents have since they're big musical theater people as well (they even direct and music direct shows at our community theater). This musical will live forever in my heart.

  • @ruffboimags
    @ruffboimags 10 месяцев назад +1

    It's criminal how dirty Disney did this delightful show. Like it's dark, but it doesn't linger on the darkness, it laughs at it.

  • @FeaturingRob
    @FeaturingRob 2 года назад +5

    The cast for the screen adaptation was a pretty good...but the problems with it were beyond them. All of the Sondheim fanatics, myself included, watched it and wondered where the humor was, where the proper tone was, what happened to certain characters and songs, and why we got a substandard film out of a wonderful stage show.
    Joanna Gleeson (The Baker's Wife) won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Robert Westenberg (The Wolf/Cinderella's Price) was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but lost. It also won Best Score for Stephen Sondheim and Best Book for James Lapine. The year the musical premiered on Broadway was the same year that was dominated by Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera'.
    35:01 - This was cut from the film, this song...which for me is part of the spiritual and emotional backbone of The Baker and the show itself. 'No More' is my favorite song in the show...maybe because I lost my father at a young age, and I needed the kind of closure this song offers The Baker.
    If you have any plans to see 'Tick, Tick...BOOM!'...a few 'Into The Woods' cast members show up...Bernadette Peters, the legend who played The Witch, is in the number 'Sunday', and in a focus group scene a now middle aged Danielle Ferland (Little Red Riding Hood) has a very funny scene with Andrew Garfield and a few others.
    A funny behind the scenes factoid...Kim Crosby (Cinderella) met her real-life prince charming during the rehearsal and run of the show...she married Robert Westenberg who played her Prince Charming in the show. They have been married since 1991 and had three children.
    Now...you must see 'Sunday in the Park With George' (also with Bernadette Peters, with a book by James Lapine), 'Passion' (another Sondheim/Lapine show with the Narrator actor Tom Aldredge in a supporting role), 'Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' (with Angela Lansbury and George Hearn)...all of which are videotaped from stage productions, all Sondheim gems!

  • @geaj
    @geaj 2 года назад +2

    The actress playing Little Red Riding Hood most recently appeared on the advertising survey panel that Jonathan Larson went to work for in the movie Tick, Tick...Boom.

    • @allisonbergh4429
      @allisonbergh4429 2 года назад +1

      I almost cried as soon as I saw her. So many brilliant cameos in that movie 🥰

  • @nathanswanson1040
    @nathanswanson1040 Год назад +1

    I got to see this cast on Broadway when I was eight years old. It changed my world, and has a special place in my heart. It was fun seeing you react to the show and loving it. If you haven’t already, you should also do a reaction video of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George which also stars Bernadette Peters (the witch in this production). Definitely take some time to stream Bernadette Peters singing Sondheim. She’s considered one of his top interpreters.

  • @opal817
    @opal817 2 года назад +3

    I'm amazed you were able to deconstruct it with so much depth on your first viewing (well, second counting the movie, but that doesn't count :P) I've seen it tens of times and listened to the cast recording hundreds of times and I still learned things from your reaction. I hope you react to every Sondheim show! especially ones which have already have proshots. He's truly unparalleled.

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +2

      Thank you! I want as much Sondheim as possible now, so you can definitely expect more reactions ;)

  • @miranda4073
    @miranda4073 9 месяцев назад +1

    12:45 SERIOUSLY, singing songs like this is an athletic achievement. Never been in better vocal shape than when I was preparing a Sondheim set for my senior recital (although I also ended up injuring my voice from practicing too much oops)
    Now you've got to listen to the 2022 revival recording! Bernadette Peters is iconic as the witch, but Patina Miller gives the character new life. Sara Bareilles and Brian D'Arcy James really get the lighthearted comedy as the Baker and the Baker's Wife. And I could listen to Cole Thompson sing forever, his voice is so lovely. And Annie Golden is just Annie Golden, no one else can be her. I was lucky to get to see it live on Broadway, and it was fantastic.

  • @fusionman29
    @fusionman29 2 года назад +3

    This is the show that made me fall in love with musical theater. We did the first act only version when I was in middle school what must have been around 15 years ago now and then I saw the recording you watched and I grew obsessed. I love this show and it made me who I am today.
    There’s an amazing performance of this done outside in Central Park and it’s just beautiful.

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  2 года назад +3

      I think it made me fall in love with musical theatre all over again too, so I get the feeling 🥰

  • @katybeard
    @katybeard Год назад +2

    I loved seeing you react to this! I just recently got cast as Cinderella in a production!

    • @Barbara2.0
      @Barbara2.0  Год назад

      That's amazing! Congratulations!

  • @NmDPlm31
    @NmDPlm31 2 года назад +5

    Yes, Sondheim is an absolute genius. Welcome to the club. As for the witch, that was the amazing Bernadette Peters. And you mentioned that you thought you saw Red, aka Danielle Ferland, in a movie. She has been in a handful of things. Most recently she had a small appearance in the Netflix hit Tick Tick BOOM as a woman in an ad agency brainstorming session. Bernadette Peters also has a cameo in that. And Chip Zein and Joanna Gleason (the baker and the baker’s wife) were intended to be in it as well but COVID issues kept them from participating. Even Sondheim had a vocal appearance by recording a voice message for the film (and he is portrayed in the film by Bradley Whitford). Last bit - Joanna Gleason won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Actress (Musical) for her performance as the baker’s wife. Definitely dip into more Sondheim. Especially Company, Sunday In The Park With George, and Sweeney Todd. I’d even argue that you should listen to Assassins, which is highly underrated in his body of work.

  • @ParsonNathaniel
    @ParsonNathaniel Год назад +2

    I didn't read all the comments, so someone has probably already told you: Rapunzel wasn't killed in the movie because TANGLED had already come out making Rapunzel a Disney princess. They couldn't kill off a new princess, especially since parents took their kids to see it.

  • @barbraarchives5604
    @barbraarchives5604 2 года назад +2

    It was such a pleasure to watch your reactions. I agree with your Broadway vs. movie version observations.

  • @denisefromdc1796
    @denisefromdc1796 2 года назад +2

    I'm doing this show with a high school right now. I appreciate it more each day. Love your video. You're absolutely right about Rapunzel's death. The witch has no motivation in the latter part of the show without it.

  • @LadyGreensleeves33
    @LadyGreensleeves33 2 года назад +19

    For some reason Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd both got the humour zapped out of them in their film interpretations. I think the best representation is honestly just listening to A Little Priest in any live version of Sweeney and then watching the movie. And its like -- all the jokes, gone. lol

  • @krazy_kate13
    @krazy_kate13 Год назад

    This is my favorite show on film ever and watching your reactions brought me such joy I can't even !♡♡♡