*Into the Woods (stage version)* THIS IS HILARIOUS (First Time Watching) A musical
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- Опубликовано: 21 дек 2021
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James and Ninetailedbrush watch a ;pst reaction request!! Enjoy Into the Woods!
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Fun fact: Per script, the actor who's assigned to play Cinderella's prince is the same who plays the Wolf, and I honestly don't think it's just the usual theatrical routine, here. I think it's a meta way to symbolize the prince isn't trustful, either.
Two faces, still the same thing: a predator
Wait. You mean in EVERY production, its actually required to cast the actor for both the prince AND wolf?
That pretty sick, I was about to say "that's a stretch" but I read your comment slower and its actually pretty cool trivia.
@@ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777 The actors for Wolf/Prince and Narrator/Father are intended to be played by the same actors in the script, since they are parallels. Wolf/Prince for having insatiable appetite and predatory tendencies, and Narrator/Father as the guide and omniscient characters of the story (most importantly, it becomes full circle in the ending when the Baker then narrates the story to his own son). Most professional productions follow this, but not the school ones since they want to hand out more roles to the kids.
@@ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777 Intended by the authors - but not technically required by the licensing contract.
@@ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777
Also, Cinderella's mom, lil red's grandma, and the woman giant is also usually triple cast as the same actress
I love the way your both instantly GOT this musical. Just the little comments you made throughout watching like saying "none of them are good people" or "this seems like too happy of an ending for this show" like YES, you are so in tune to what Sondheim was trying to say! A lot of people get really angry about Act II and the way it undoes the happy endings of the first act, and I love that you were so open and ready to listen to everything the story had to say.
Yes love this comment. I was thinking the same thing
The prince falling into thorns/nettles and being blinded and then being cured by Rapunzel's tears is actually part of the original Rapunzel story!
yes it is😊 I grew up with that original story!
I have to say it always amazes me tho how well Disney‘s Tangled managed to also make something new out of the story but still tying back to the original
So was her having twins. It was interesting how close these stories were to the originals
They also referenced that in the Tangled series I believe.
@@govnorelven4036 they did! I don't think he went blind from falling into thorns, but she did heal him in a big way
@@govnorelven4036 yesss
It is commentary on family structure and parenting. The witch starts off singing "children SHOULD listen", when Rapunzel dies she sings "children WON'T listen" and at the end warns "careful the things you say, children WILL listen". It is one of the most intricate and incredible pieces of work out there. Beautifully written. I thoroughly enjoyed watching you react to it!
No More is a great commentary on how the mistakes that parents make will haunt a child for life, even after the parents' death.
the song “moments in the woods”… replace “woods” with “woulds” and the song is crystal clear. sondheim was a genius.
That's...honestly something I've never thought about before...but it makes too much damn sense now that I think about it. Well spotted, my friend!
THIS
My god that is genius and makes me love Sondheim even more
Oh wow. I've known this version of the musical beat-for-beat since I was a kid, and I know Sondheim was great with wordplay, and I still NEVER thought of this. Thanks for pointing it out!
Omg i never thought about it like that before!
Part of what Into The Woods is critiquing on is the very individualistic, self-centered morals of most fairy tales. The first act, all these characters pursue what they want with no regard for how their actions could affect others (exemplified by the "ends justify the beans" song). It's usual fairy tale behavior and they get their "happily ever after," but then in the second act we see the consequences of all those self-centered actions interacting with each other, resulting in a problem that they eventually realize must be tackled communally.
YES YOU GET IT
Soundheim was, without a doubt, one of the greatest wordsmiths in the entire history of Broadway! Such a great tribute for you to watch this after his passing.
yess🙏🏻😌
Agree with Madi on this! Thanks for watching. Also I like the movie version if you are so inclined-though I think a lot of fans of the show might disagree. And there are other filmed Sondheim stage shows-“Company” with Neal Patrick Harris for instance was filmed for PBS. “Company” was my gateway drug into my lifelong Sondheim addiction. Check it out!
Yeah, he was like Lin-Manuel Miranda but less in your face.
"While her withers wither with her" gets me everytime
@@bekfast_ i watched the whole video but why didn't i saw the part where the Witch blinded the Prince ? Can you tell me what's the timestamps so i can see ?
This musical is such a great allegory for life. Jack's song is about leaving home for the first time. Red riding hood and the wolf is about grooming and abuse. The Baker and his wife traveling through the woods has so many parallels to marriage and trying to build a life together. Rapunzel and the queen show toxic parental relationships. So many cool parallels
True ,Bernatte Peters is the ultimate Broadway queen lol
I love how you noticed the wolf being ripped, his mane, and his jacket but not the fact that the wolf is "anatomically correct". He's "anatomically correct" and is singing a song about "eating" a girl. Sondheim wanted it to harken back to what the tale of Little Red Riding Hood was originally about, to warn kids about stranger danger, but with a dark comedic twist.
A lot of thought and detail went into everything in this musical which is why it's one of his most well-known works.
Bernadette Peters plays the witch. She’s amazing in the role; nobody compares to her in my mind. She’s just amazing 🤩
The part was written specifically for her.
So excellent!
@@emattdat10 She was definitely Sondheim's muse for sure!
@@emattdat10 actually Betty Buckley was the original witch through all the workshops, until Broadway. She was offered the lead in THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, and took that over INTO THE WOODS. Stay With Me was written for Betty.
Meryl Streep is better in my opinion
Red riding good was always a sexual metaphor, a moral tale for young girls about keeping their “basket of goodies” to themselves and not “straying from the path” not “consorting with wolves.” The red hood itself is a sign of her desirability. The song and wolf character is meant to be a creepy, to highlight the original intent of the story. That’s also why the wolf is “jacked” and has the leather jacket. He is a quintessential “bad boy” trying to lead Red astray and off the path.
My favorite description of Into The Woods is that it's "A morality tale ABOUT morality tales"--as in, it's an exploration of what it even is, what it even means, to be a morality tale, and how we are both shaped by the stories we hear and tell, but also how we shape those stories and can ultimately decide what lessons to take from them. It's been one of my favorite shows since I was ten years old, and I swear, even decades later and after what is dozens, if not hundreds of times revisiting it, I still always come away from it noticing, learning, or thinking something new.
Theatre magic: If you paint some types of fabric thinly enough, it looks normal when lit from the front and becomes see through to what is behind it when lit from behind!
Holy crap, i wondered how they did that! Thanks!
Its called a scrim. Its not the paint, its the fabric.
@@fightingfaerie Scrim is the best material but Ive used a few other types of fabric as well. Its mostly about how open the weave of the fabric is.
@@fabulousroy It's also what they used for The Stretching Room in every Haunted Mansion in nearly every Disney Park, to first give riders the impression of a ceiling on top while the lights are still on in the main room.
When the lights go out in the main room, the thunder effects from behind the scrim ceiling shine through to show the hanging corpse of the Ghost Host from the attic.
Then, after everything goes dark, the woman screams, and the body crashes, they simply turn the lights in the main room back on so the riders once more can only see the scrim ceiling covering up the attic, as if nothing happened!
@@michaelwilliamybarra2409 YOOOO DOPE!
my stage crew heart is going crazy rn
Sondheim was well known for leaning into the criticism that his songs weren't humm-able. Your thought about not being able to sing these in the shower is totally on point.
I take it as an invitation to a challenge rather than a deterant. Anything is hummable with enough practice and determination
I hum and sing plenty of them...
I hum and sing all of these songs all the time, idk what you're talking about xP
i sing all of the layers in all of this song on a near daily basis
Of course fans will hum them and sing them. But I take that as a compliment too. His work was complex and difficult to learn, not as easy to regurgitate as others.
Some important context for this show. It was written/produced during the height of the AIDs crisis in the 80s. People, particularly in New York, were dying left and right and no one knew why and the government was willfully refusing to treat it like a real problem because of who the majority victims were. Watch this show again knowing that the people making this show as well as the people sitting in the audience had this fresh horror on their minds every day, and you'll see that it is even deeper and more profound than a cursory viewing would lead you to believe.
I grew up with this show, but this is a context I never considered. I could use another look.
Act 2 resonates differently now. I'll be processing that for a while.
That gives No One is Alone even deeper meaning
I saw this with my terminally ill partner, who died a few months later. Sondhein said that the second act had nothing to do with the AIDS crisis ... he may have been attempting to free the show from being seen in that historical context ... but on this occasion, I'm not sure I believe him ... it certainly felt pretty emotional from where I was sitting.
I’m not sure how important that context is considering Sondheim has said it is not about AIDS. You can read it as being about the aids crisis but that is only one of many valid readings of the story
A Sondheim masterpiece, still gutted we lost him a few weeks back
Truly. RIP a legend.
Same here...
May his memory be a blessing.
I didn't know that! And while I read your comment, in the background they're singing "No more despair, or burdens to bear, out there in the yonder." So sad that he died. :(
OMG YES YES YES!!! Someone actually watching and reacting to the *theater* production, and NOT the film version??? Okay, just for that, Imma have to subscribe now.
And, if you'd care to add Sweeney Todd to this-- also the theater version with George Hearn and Angela Lansbury.....
And speaking of Sweeney Todd-- anyone else out there late in realizing that the actor playing Cinderella's Father here is Judge Turpin in the other??
@@StoryMing Thank god someone pointed that out! His name is Edmund Lyndeck by the way(and he also originated the role of Judge Turpin in the original Broadway production, too)!
It also should be noted that the actor playing Cinderella's mother, Little Red's Granny, and voices the Giant's wife, Merle Louise, was also the original Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd as well(a role that won her the "Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in A Musical")!
She's been well regarded for her performances in Sondheim musicals, including originating the role of Susan in Company, etc.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Louise
@@michaelwilliamybarra2409
If I hadn’t noticed the name in the credits one day, I don’t think I EVER would have made the connection...!
Also fun fact: *Victor Garber* originated the role of Anthony in the original Broadway cast.
@@StoryMing AND He also originated the role of John Wilkes Booth in the 1991 Off Broadway production(and cast recording) of Assassins as well!
@@StoryMing Also, I just remembered to add, he also stared with Nathan Lane in Wise Guys, the second iteration of Sondheim’s musical of the Misner Brothers, which would finally be called Road Show, and his second to very last musical in life and in his long and influential career in the musical theatre.
May his memory be a blessing.
Stephen Joshua Sondheim: March 22, 1930 to November 26, 2021
The wolf will forever creep me the heck out with its undertones and that costume detail 😖
He’s meant to represent carnal knowledge, hence the large codpiece.
It's no accident he and the prince are played by the same actor. The wolf is the same exact sort of predator the prince ends up being.
That is not a codpiece that is equipment.
@@carlotta4th Wait, what?
Omg I didn't make that connection - that's awesome
It seriously warms my heart to see two young guys exploring this kind of material. This is a GREAT, powerful, and moving show, and you guys rock for having taken it on for reaction. I would recommend, if you're up to it, doing the recorded LIVE version of "Sweeney Todd" with Angela Lansbury. It's completely different in tone than the Tim Burton film, and in my opinion vastly superior. First of all, though Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter put forth valiant efforts at the singing, neither one of them is particularly great at it, especially when compared to Angela Lansbury and George Hearn.
I second this.
This this this! There's a pretty delightful version with Emma Thompson playing Mrs. Lovett, too (and Audra McDonald is in it!), but the Angela Lansbury version is marvelous.
okay... Yes, but...
My preference and recommendation for Sweeney Todd on film is actually "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street: In Concert" with George Hearn and Patti LuPone (with Davis Gaines and Neil Patrick Harris). The style is a bit more avant garde, but the singing is brilliant and I think it's the best interpretation of the characters out there. And it's probably easier to find a copy of it.
do you have a link to the angela lansbury recording?
I have experience with doing stage musicals and saying Depp and HBC weren't particularly great at singing is not really fair to be honest, they were able to play with emotions. Especially Depp who kept a pretty "darkened flat" voice all throughout the movie but still managed to perform the songs with either anger or heartbreak. That is not easy and he did it in a very subtil way, in my opinion. The duet with Alan Rickman delivered as well, it was beautiful.
And additionally Depp was a musician before being an actor and Sondheim said this was his favorite adaptation of his work.
!!! Thank you for watching the stage play. The movie took out all the humor. Also, I mean Beranette Peters...
The fact that y’all were just silent while the witch was singing Stay With Me to Rapunzel is exactly why I love that song so much
I’ve met Kim Crosby, the actress playing Cinderella several times. She got her start at the community theatre I currently am involved with, and within the past few years, she has even starred in some of their productions. Her husband, Robert Westenberg (The Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince), I have also met a few times. They are lovely people.
She has a wonderful voice!!
I toured Europe in a production of Oklahoma! with her father, Don Crosby, a retired dentist; what a sweet man.
Springfield Little Theatre?
@@Emilaria yeah! I've been doing stuff there for nearly a decade
@@alexknudsen7103 The first show I saw there was Rent in 2012. I'd love to be able to perform, but my work schedule makes it impossible. I really miss being involved with theatre.
YES!! This is the one to watch if you're gonna watch Into the Woods :) A dear friend of mine was in this original production, she played the witch's double when she transforms and Snow White in the bows. And yes, The Woods are a metaphor for life itself. There's so much symbolism in this show, it's worth a quick google search.
RIP Stephen Sondheim, the only celebrity death I've ever felt personally.
That's so cool
Bernadette Peters is just so amazing. I feel like I'm being bewitched whenever she sings and then I wake up from the spell once she's done lol. Also, trivia! The actors for Cinderella and her Prince actually got married after meeting through this production.
1:57:08 What I have grown up to think is that the woods are a metaphor for your superficial wants, not your actual needs. All the characters go into the woods to get the wish they think will make them happy. But by Act II, everyone is happy* but are still ultimately unfulfilled. So, in the chaos of the giant, everyone resorts to old habits and retreats to the woods as a space to 'solve' their problems when really, they're just running away from their problems.
That's interesting, though I think there's something else to it. I think the woods are a metaphor for life, which is supported in the themes of the songs (growing up, raising children, making good life choices). The best example is the the finale - "Sometimes people leave you, halfway through the wood" = the woods are a place you must go through not an action you take
Another Sondheim performance with Bernadette Peters (and Many Patinkin!) is Sunday in the Park with George. It's a tougher one for a lot of people to swallow, being kind of strange, a bit depressing, and very theme heavy, but the lyrics are pure poetry, and have more depth to them with every listen. If you're willing to watch something a bit more artsy, it's my favorite.
The music for Sunday in the park is also top tier Sondheim.
My go to Recs are Merrily We Roll Along and A Little Night Music
@@j.r.cilliangreen4083 merrily with Jenna Russell is really great
@@Setheth Agreed! That trio of "Finishing the Hat", "We Do Not Belong Together", and "Beautiful" is maybe one of my favorite back to back sets of songs in a musical ever. Lesson #8 is also just masterful.
@@doctor-aesthetic “beautiful” took a few listens for me to start loving but now it’s one of my favourite songs in the show. I love the piano throughout Sunday in the Park, for me it’s a quintessential Sondheim sound
I'm so happy that you guys reacted to the stage musical. It's a masterpiece and one of my favorite musicals. I wasn't a fan of the movie adaptation. Rest In Peace Sondheim.
Not to be pedantic but you don't generally say Rest in Peace with Jewish people like Sondheim - it's more appropriate to say "May their memory be a blessing". Hope this helps!
@@tandnmom100 Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I didn't know that.
Why did you not like the movie. It's almost the same.
@@kassiogomes8498 The movie isn't bad; I enjoyed the lighting, costumes, and cinematography. I don't think it's a good adaptation. Into The Woods (the stage musical) is practically a dark comedy and the film took out all of the humor. Jack's mother is a lot harsher in the movie. Cutting the narrator's character messes with the story in a way because all of the stories really bleed into each other in the musical after his death. "This is ridiculous. What am I doing here? I'm in the wrong story," The Baker's Wife sang. Cutting out the Agony (reprise) from the film made the Baker’s Wife cheating on her husband with the prince come out of nowhere. It seemed so rushed; there wasn’t a good lead-up. Also, since Rapunzel didn't die in the film, the Witch loses a lot of character depth. Since Rapunzel is still alive, it makes less sense than the Witch just gives up. In the musical, you understand why she gives up because she lost not only her powers but the only person in the world that mattered to her. Therefore the song “Witch’s lament” isn’t as powerful. She failed to protect her daughter and watched her die in the musical. It takes out all of the nuances from her character arch. Cutting the song No More and the Baker's father was detrimental to the Baker's character arch. It almost brushes past him, abandoning his child. It is not as impactful or emotional. Because they cut out those critical parts, the film's message about how parenting significantly affects children isn’t as strong. I didn’t like how they slowed down the music in the song “Your Fault” because that song is supposed to be fast to show how everything is going into chaos. Instead of the characters taking accountability for their actions in the story, they point fingers, and blame each other. I did like the change in the film where it was an earthquake when the giant came down and not a great wind. That made more sense. Because the movie cut out a lot of the humor and the most moving parts, the film feels like it drags on. I understand that adaptations require changes, especially from stage to screen, but the changes here negatively impacted character arcs and the messaging of the story. I highly recommend the RUclips video “Disney's Into The Woods - How NOT To Adapt a Movie,” by Snugboy because it really explains why this adaptation doesn’t work as a whole and about the technicalities of the story and music. ruclips.net/video/87HsPiNbvcA/видео.html
@@alexl.7668 I saw that video and for me it seems like a bunch of BS to make Disney a villain as it is trend to gain views these days. As you can see no other video in that channel has that much views. Bad Disney = money.
Films with physical narrators don't work. If the narrator is in the screen he is a character and no longer a narrator, this part isn't adaptable. And we know that the stories are bleeding into each other from the first scene because this musical is known as the musical that unites several fairy tales into one story, we watch the musical because we want to know how the stories are together. So the phrase "I'm in the wrong story" makes total sense.
The songs are slowed down so we can understand what they are saying, that importante you know? And I don't think that is bad. Even with a slower music the scene is still chaotic because they are blaming everyone at the same time desperately, but the difference it's that we can know understand the blaming.
The baker's wife making out with the prince didn't come out of nowhere. She has a song where she is constantly sing about how she wants to know about the price and everything time she saw the price she was visibility happy and interested in him. Emily played this part perfectly.
There is no reason for Rapunzel to die. First: in the movie her prince truly loves her, he isnt chasing other girl, so she isn't unhappy with him, like in the stage version. Second: there is a very powerful scene where she clearly says she doesn't want anything do to with the witch anymore. She cut ties with her and runs away, the witch is clearly devasted and knows she will never recover the love of the daughter. For the witch, she is dead.
The original creators of the music wrote and produced this movie. People only complain because everything has to be exactly as it was, or it doesn't work.
I can't believe no one's commented that Cinderella's Prince (Richard White) is the voice of Gaston in the original animated Beauty and the Beast.
THAT makes sense!!
That’s Robert Westenberg not Richard White
I love this musical sm! Fun Fact: the actor who played Cinderella's Prince/The Wolf and the actress who played Cinderella are married irl!!
They met on this show and fell in love...a true fairy tale.
Imagine being 13 years old. Going to NYC for the first time to see this. Getting to the theater and seeing miles of flat green fabric stretched out from the top of this theater, and next to that was a fan bigger than you are. Told by someone from the theater that that fan you were staring at was two stories tall and blew up the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloons, and that this would look really different when you got back later for the show. Getting back for the show and seeing two GIANT inflatable green legs with black shoes coming out of the top of the theater stretching all the way down to the ground.. and then going INTO the theater and seeing the Witch, Bernadette Peters (a Sondheim legendary performer) blow your face off, and this show just knocking you flat on your butt. This is the stuff that us theater kids don't know we're made of. And Sondheim is an unqualified genius.
I'm honestly so overjoyed to see someone reacting to this. I never thought I'd see someone do this. This is one of my favorite musicals...I even got to be Jack at my high school (and my sister got to be the witch so she got to have fun scaring me on stage)! There's a lot of good lessons, a lot of fantastic songs, and a LOT of memorable characters. And, of course, it was brought to life by the brilliant mind of the late Stephen Sondheim.
I'm glad you got to watch this. I'm curious if you'll watch more Broadway recordings in the future...and I'll also highly recommend watching the ones you can.
YES!!! I was so disappointed with Disney's movie adaptation. This proshot will always be my fave
I feel like the movie adaptation both suffered and gained a lot from being a film. As a film, it was able to do a lot with the scenes where it was usually just a character singing about something they just did (See Steps of the Palace, Parts of Giants in the Sky (miffed they didn't do it with the whole song, but oh well), I Know Things Now, and even Agony (the singing isn't as good as the original, the Princes' acting is spot on)) but unfortunately, a lot of the dialogue heavy songs suffered massively from the cast not being as well trained. They were actors first and foremost, and while most of them could sing pretty well (and some couldn't, but we're not gonna bring up the overuse of autotune that the star-studded cast needed), they didn't have the experience of a group of actors who perform in musical theatre like this. Biggest example here is Your Fault, everything is just so much slower in the movie version because the movie cast can't perform the number with the same intensity as the musical theatre cast. Of course, another problem is the movie came out at a time when 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes was the ideal timeframe for a movie, meaning if they wanted to show both acts of the play in the movie they'd need to cut corners, and even entire songs, from the production.
I feel like in the current environment, with movies now being given a longer runtime and musicals being seen as less of a faux-pass (half of the criticism the movie received when it came out was for having TOO MUCH music) it would be able to be made much closer to the original, even if some of the magic would be lost now that Soundheim wouldn't be there to help them along and give oversight. Then again, it would be hard to do the original justice even with everything going great, so who knows, maybe we should just accept that we'll always have the original, even if any recreations end up falling flat in comparison.
Know this is super late, but regarding Cinderella's mother in the tree: there's a material used in theater called "scrim" (not sure on spelling.) It can be painted and when lit from the front is solid, but when lit from the back is transparent. It's used for a lot of haunted paintings and stuff like that. Very neat!
They did the same thing for how they showed Little Red's Granny's house(funny, since both scenes involve the same actor, Merle Louise[best known for originating the roles of Susan in Company and The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd], who plays both Cinderella's Mother and Little Red's Granny, and ALSO voices the Giantess in Act Two), later on.
Also Fun Fact, this technique is ALSO how the Disney Parks achieved the effect with the ceiling for The Stretching Room in The Haunted Mansion.
The ceiling at the top of the room is a scrim that keeps everything behind it covered so long as the room the riders are in is lit.
When the room starts to "stretch" and after the Ghost Host announces "his way" of getting out of the room, the lights in the room go off, allowing the thunder and lighting on the other side of the scrim to light up and show the attic with the ghost host's body hanging from the rafters.
Then, after everything goes dark, and we hear a woman's scream and the crash of bones, the light's in the stretching room slowly glow back on, which once more covers up the front of the scrim once more as if nothing with the ceiling happened!
I was in third row centre when this was being filmed over my left shoulder, I got to shake Sondheim's hand and have a few (gushy), words with him ... also Bernadette Peters and some others of the cast ... a very memorable evening.
What was this production like live? How did it compare to the recording? Breaks my heart there’s never been a replica production to my knowledge
@@shoshanabeanshat8220 The recorded performance gave a very good representation of the onstage production. I don't see why a replica production is needed when you can view the original or one of the many other excellent productions ... my favourite was a live performance (unfortunately not recorded), of the Sydney Theatre Company production with its ingenious multiple revolve, brighter colours and equally good performances to the original, which was a bit dreary in comparison to the Sydney version despite the wonderful performances of the Broadway. version.
@@fringelilyfringelily391 A replica version would be cool to capture the scale in a way a screen just can’t. Updated technology would be nice, of course, but the original design was gorgeous
Oh, aren’t you the lucky one?
This is my favorite musical, and I loved watching you react to it. I used to call it "a fairytale for grownups." Even in the first act, when they're just following the traditional fairytale stories, there's still so much imperfection in these characters, like you said. I particularly love the co-dependent relationship between Rapunzel and her mother, the witch. So relatable and real. Anyway, thank you for letting me watch with you and sorta kinda watch through your eyes as newcomers to this work of art.
Into The Woods perfectly captures what happens *After* Happily Ever After.
This one is always timeless for me- playing Jack in Highschool had a profound impact on me as an actor and a person.
Stephen Sondheim was SO far ahead of his time with the sheer wit, life lessons, poignant character development and incredible wordplay of this musical.
Top 5 musicals of all time for me-
Thank you for allowing us to enjoy this with you.
Agreed! I played Little Red at my community theater when I was in middle school years ago and Into The Woods remains one of my favorite shows I've ever been in. Sondheim was a genius and Into The Woods is among his best works.
I was Little Red in a production done in formal concert format (think the anniversary Les Miz productions.) Despite being in my 30's at the time, I made it work lol. I can relate to what you said about the experience. I believe every performer or theatre tech person should leap at the chance to do at least one Sondheim show in their careers, should the opportunity come up. I just found out about a production coming up this summer with auditions in a few weeks. Hoping for a shot at the Bakers Wife, a bucket-list role for me! 🙂
@@HIEEE2112 I too have been Little Red; one of the most fun roles ever! 😀
@@margarethughes6542 That’s amazing! Break a leg at your audition! 🙌🙌
Bernadette Peters as the Witch is a cultural reset. Iconic!. This musical is definitley one of my favourites.
לול אני לא הישראלית היחידה פה. וכנ"ל, מחזמר מדהים!
I played Rapunzel in this in college! This music is sooo hard! Definitely in my top 5 musicals though 💕
No kidding! I did "On The Steps of the Palace" for a performance class once in college. I consider myself to be pretty good, but I was so lost when I first started rehearsing it with accompaniment. No melody line, coming in at what feels like an awkward spot... I basically had to figure out where to come in, and then just sing the song while ignoring the music. 😂 Really easy to get thrown off.
Sondheim’s music is challenging to sing. especially “(Not) Getting Married Today”.
@@bookwoman53 Amy is also a dream role 💕 been practicing that song for years 😓
The hard cut from First Midnight to Giants in the Sky has always given me shivers. It’s so goddamn good
Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street are my favorite Sondheim musicals.
While the 2014 film version of this wasn’t perfect, I fully believe the songs/music would’ve been butchered in the worst way possible if Sondheim himself hadn’t been involved.
I really liked the movie version. I think they did a great job!😊
They needed a way bigger or way smaller budget. But I'm glad it exists
I just can't believe they cut Rapunzel's death. I'm sure Sondheim just shrugged it off as Hollywood's inevitable effect on his show, but to me it permanently mars the movie -- Rapunzel's death is WHY the Witch is so angry -- it drives the entire final act of the show! And echoes the way death drives so many of the characters (including the Giant).
This musical is so fantastic on so many levels. You could watch it and study it in many ways. The woods are a metaphor for life. There are lots of lessons in the show. I'm sure many papers have been written about this show and the messages within it.
Bernadette really started this show off with a bang lol. What a superstar. 🤩
Omg YESSSSSS, I can't believe someone actually reacted to this - and the WHOLE THING?????? 😭💖💖💖
I've heard that in early productions, they had to stage people by the doors at the end of the first half to keep them from leaving thinking it was over.
While the stage version is of course superior to the movie, I do really enjoy the duo with Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen, they're hilarious xD
..but they dropped the Agony encore which is not only funnier and more risqué that the first version, but it also contains important plot points. Disney did not seem to understand that this is very much adult entertainment.
@@fringelilyfringelily391 wich is?
Dark themes than many children would find baffling or disturbing.
@@fringelilyfringelily391 sondheim himself was involved in the project. If he didn't have a problem I don't understand why would you guys be so upset about a reprise missing.
@@kassiogomes8498 agony reprise is more important than the agony itself. why? because the main morale of this story is 1) there is no happily ever after, 2) we are all morally ambiguous, 3) we cannot wish our problems away and it will bite us later if we dont learn to make choices. agony reprise is done to show all of the three morale. in fact the first agony is laid out to facilitate the agony reprise.
"Is there gonna be a big bad wolf?"
*uncomfortable laugh...* lol
One thing you. might not know, Cinderella’s Prince’s actor also played the big bad wolf.
Thank you so much for reacting to the original 80's cast & one of Sondheim's finest works. If you plan to continue watching the stage performances you may want to add Sweeney Todd to your list with the original cast of Angela Lansbury & Len Cariou.
The filmed stage version of SWEENEY TODD has George Hearn, not Len Cariou, but it's FANTASTIC. I really hope you react to it as well!!!!
I'm only halfway through watching this reaction and loving it so much. This is a wonderful musical. I've been quoting this show forever. :D
To try and keep this bare bones...
In classical theatre there is a device / trope called the Greenwood. The play starts with people in their lives, with some sort of dilemma or malcontent, and then the characters go into the woods for some reason. Once in the greenwood, the rules are somewhat changed or suspended, and events that would not normally happen do. People can face choices and challenges. In the wood people change when they go through the woods. Afterwards they return as better, stronger people, with either their problems resolved or the ability/knowledge/wealth to resolve them. Into the Woods follows this pattern (as do several Shakespeare plays, most obviously... one that I won't say the name of since you may get around to watching it or one of the movies based off it but follows the pattern so closely that while modern audiences may not get the meaning entirely but it would have been glaringly obvious to the audience of his time).
Even modern movies follow this pattern quite often. Think of how many movies start with characters at home or otherwise in a safe or static location, then go through a journey in a suddenly chaotic time and/or location, then come out better people. This covers movies like Polar Express (Greenwood is the train), Die Hard (Greenwood is the Nakatomi Building), to even Home Alone (in an interesting twist, the Greenwood is the empty home). And those are just ones you've reacted to in the last two weeks. Modern uses of the Greenwood storytelling (rather than the Hero's Journey, which tends to be longer [think Lord of the Rings or Shang Chi or any given Star Wars Movie, with multiple locations and beats to the character interaction / growth at each step) can be various, but they definitely exist.
Also, you know, the monomyth.
"They could do each other's tasks" - I have known and loved this musical for 25 years and *never* thought of that!
I've thought that too but it would be completely out of their nature. They are simply so self-centered it wouldn't even occur to them to help each other. Plus it wasn't actually the maidens they wanted, but the challenges they presented. 🙂
Ahh crazy you two reacted to a stage musical! Was really enjoying to watch this version of the play along with you again after quite a long time!
I love the metaphor of life that they were able to create with „the woods“ and by using these classic fairytales.
It’s a brilliant idea because everyone knows these fairytales- not only children but adults as well.
When you watch this through a children’s eyes you of course still notice the main moral of the story which might would be : „maybe you should think first before you wish for something because it may not always lead to a happy end“, but as an adult you also catch on to some sort of the darker meanings behind some scenes.
Especially with the wolf and red riding hood there was a lot of subtext and you could think that this scene transferred to r** for example which becomes quite clear when you listen to some of the lyrics („and he showed me things many beautiful things that I’ve never known before(..) and he made me feel excited, well excited and scared(..) )
or the relationship between Rapunzel and The Witch which in a way even seems to be a lovely one but actually is somewhat on a toxic base because The Witch is projecting her anxiety on Rapunzel because she knows how the world actually is and how it will treat you when you don’t live up to its expectations.. and since the relationship with her mother wasn’t the best apparently she just wanted to do it better but by trying so hard to do the „right“ thing she ended up pushing her away even further.
In general all the criticism on society that was presented all over the storyline; that people are always greedy willing to do and sacrifice everything to get what *they* want without thinking about others really and what the consequences might be and always trying to give someone else the blame for their mistakes. Only when it’s too late they will finally start thinking but there always has to happen something terrible first as some sort of wake up call..
also the criticism on these classic fairytales is done brilliantly by maybe making people realize that „not all the stories we tell our children are actually valuable for them“ and that we „should think first before telling them a story because children will listen“
for example for Cinderella that of course would be why would you trust someone you’ve only just met and only danced with for 3 nights? Why would you marry someone like this? Just because he’s charming? You cannot possibly know someone really and where their morals lie.
Really interesting concept and very good story.
Maybe you two could do the movie version as well at one time and compare these two versions? 😊
Anyways merry christmas to both of you and enjoy the holidays 🎄 🎁
I've watched this version with the original cast more than a dozen times over the past 20 years. "You are Not Alone" still makes me tear up. My mother is now 83 and dad is 86. I fear the day they will leave me halfway through the wood.... To me, the wood is a metaphor for life.
So glad you watched the stage play rather than the movie. This is the way to watch a Broadway musical imo.
This is so awesome! So few people react to/review filmed stage productions. But there's so many great ones!
The wolf is actually dressed like that because he’s supposed to symbolize a man who’s a “predator” and “hunts” for gullible young girls. When you watch the song in that context, it’s even creepier!
is that why the wolf costume is anatomically correct?
@@pupalex3412 yes.
This was fun, especially since we got to see your full reaction. With its themes of tragedy and hope, it does seem a fitting tribute in the wake of Sondheim's death. Sondheim was a pioneer in allowing professionally-shot videos of his shows to be made. Before he started doing it, I think it was always assumed that allowing a video of the stage show would dilute the value of the screen rights. Several important Sondheim shows remain neither filmed nor videoed, but in additiion to the more recent movies, *West Side Story* (1961), *Gypsy* (1962), *A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to rhe Forum* (1966), and *A Little Night Music* (1977), which contains Sondheim's biggest hit song, "Send in the Clowns," became films. Among the proshot videos not already mentioned in this comments section is *Pacific Overtures* (1976), a fascinating oddity about the opening of Japan to the West, recorded (in English) with the original Broadway cast for Japanese TV.
I grew up with this filmed stage version of Into the Woods. It's my all time favorite musical.
My all-time favorite musical
I'm pretty sure the wolf and Cinderella's prince were played by the same actor in this production, which I think is a really interesting way of juxtaposing his encounter with the baker's wife in Act 2.
They are indeed, and that's exactly why. They're both constantly hunting to appease their respective appetites.
OMGGGGGG I LOVE YOU GUYS SOOO MUCH, I didn't see this come up on Patreon this is a total surprise.
My first sondhiem show, my fav songs are children will silence, the opening and agony
fav line: I was raised to be charming, not sincere
The repeating melodies and how they are used in different songs for magic, danger and tension, sideways gushes about more professionally than I can but I LOVE THIS SHOW
Hey guys,
I'm very glad that you decided to react to this. It's not very often that youtubers react to musical movies, let alone recorded musical performances. This is especially special as you've reacted to one of composer Stephen Sondheim's greatest works, who passed away nearly a month before this reaction(RIP).
Keep making this great content, and I IMPLORE YOU to keep reacting to more musicals. As a lover of musical theatre myself, it's very rare to watch other people react, comment and appreciate musical shows that can be just as entertaining, moving, and inspiring as movies. Thanks for this and best of luck with all your future projects.
This musical is so funny and profound. It says so much about life through fracturing fairy tales and Sondheims amazing lyrics and music.
I think it's brilliant on "Moments in the Woods" that you can understand it as "Moments in the 'woulds'". Listen to it again thinking about it, it's amazing!
Bernadette Peters, the actress who plays the witch, also plays the wicked step-mother in Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella staring Brandy. A reaction to that would be great!
So stoked to see someone reacting to this! It's my favorite Broadway show (and yer girl played the Baker's Wife in high school, lul).
All of the Versions you see here are the original grimm versions (until the intermission). Blinding, Tears healing, cut off limbs, filling the wolfs belly with stones (though that is actually "The seven little goats" instead of Red Riding Hood) but, uh, yeah. The Grimm brother did not fuck around.
I think the reason that Into the Woods is the most approachable of all of Sondheim's works is because of its themes of parenting and childhood. Act One is about growing (I think best exemplified in Jack's song Giants in the Sky and Red's song I Know Things Now) but Act Two is about growing UP. In most musicals, Act 2, being the denouement, has maybe one or two beautiful songs but they don't really compare favorably well with Act 1. Into the Woods is one of the few musicals where Act 2, I feel, is superior to Act 1 (Act 1 is more fun but Act 2 is breathtaking).
In the Regency Park staging of Into the Woods, I was able to find it here on RUclips, they lean much more heavily in the parenting/family-theme of the play and it's quite magical. If you like this musical, do yourself a favor and watch it. It's not better than this one (in a lot of ways, I actually prefer this one) but it gives you a whole new appreciation for it.
Spot on about the woods being a metaphor. Watch it a second time and you’ll catch so much you missed the first time. Thanks for doing this brilliant play!
I cannot be the only one who sees that thing dangling between the wolf's legs 😳
1:39:05 in fact, the giant is synonymous to lighting! Earlier on in act 1 the steward dismisses the giant falling as 'A lighting bolt from a far off kingdom'
Fun fact about lightening; it does strike the same place twice :3
You are right about it being based heavily on the versions collected by the Brothers Grimm. Also with the interpretation of it as metaphor for growing up and dealing with life and also as commenting on fairy tales. It was inspired by Bruno Bettelheim’s book “The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales.”
In the first part of the book, Bettelheim presents his views on the psychological and social functions of such stories in the development of children and our growth.
I grew up with this version as a kid an absolutely love it. The 2nd half, everybody getting bumped off is so funny while still bein extremely touching
omg i never thought i would see anybody on youtube reacting to this, much less people i actually personally watch 😩💖
For people in the comments and the live chat who apologise to anyone who likes the movie better than this for liking this more... I'm almost certain there are zero people out there who like the movie more than this. There's no way. This is funnier, more meaningful and more cohesive... most importantly, it sets out what it was meant to do. The same cannot really be said for the movie.
its like movie sucked out all the things that make it a Sondheim show if you get what i mean.
I was on the crew when we did this show in college and fell in love with it. Re-watching it now, I'm picking up on so much more than before. There are so many great metaphors in this show. The Witch, to me, seems to represent mother nature getting angry at humanity for ripping up her garden, the earth, and lashes out with natural disaster or "curses". Her character is pragmatic and represents the physical world that can't and won't tolerate human excuses for the damage we do to the earth. The consequences are the consequences. That hits home even more so now. Also, the giants seem to be a representation of war or conflict. When devastation happens and people die because of the choices we make, we often spend all our time pointing fingers instead of cooperating to find a new way to move forward. I love the ending song about "children will listen" because we pass down all our beliefs, habits, and traditions to future generations that will continue to struggle to move past those things until we have paradigm shifts within ourselves and open our selves up to the notion of exploring and understanding.
It brought me so much joy to see that you guys reacted to this!! Sondheim was a true genius and this show is timeless
Also, if you’re looking for another Sondheim filmed musical watch, check out the version of Sweeney Todd with Angela Lansbury and George Hearn - another Sondheim masterpiece!
If you guys are interested in more about this the channel Sideways has a great video about the music of this show. I high key recommend it anyone who enjoys Into the Woods.
Bernadette Peters is a goddamn goddess of theater
It is such a wonderful play! Another really good one from Sondheim is Sunday in the Park with George. Bernadette Peters who played the Witch is also featured as the female lead. If you wanted to do another play reaction that one is excellent. Also, the original Sweeney Todd with Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovette. Mind you there is also a great concert version available with Patti Lupone as Lovette.
Pity there is no really good pro-shoot of Assassins.
This is one of my favorite musicals. There is nothing quite like live theater. The actors who played Cinderella and her Prince got married. Another one of my favorites is Little Shop of Horrors. Please react to the 1986 movie (the directors cut) starring Rick Moranis. Thank you.
OMG yes! My favorite movie adaptation of a musical! No one does Audrey II like Levi Stubbs!
This was such a wonderful surprise! I’m so glad you guys reacted to the filmed Broadway performance. Into the Woods holds such a special place in my heart. Watching it along with you made me feel like I was watching it for the first time again.
I'm music directing a production of this that goes up next month, so somehow RUclips knows!
I didn't think I'd end up watching all of it just now, but it's been a while since I've seen this production and it was very interesting to see a fresh reaction to the show. I was younger the first time I saw this, and I was so entranced by the score that I probably didn't pay enough attention to the words!
Fun fact: Kim Crosby (who played Cinderella) and Robert Westenberg (who played her Prince) eventually got married in 1991 and had 3 children!
This is one of my favorite musicals. I cried the first time I watched it. this is one of the best stage recordings
The warning is Be careful what you wish for-you just might get your wish. And your wish nay NOT be what you want. The woods are a metaphor for life.
Whoever requested this, THANK YOUUUUU
I can't believe you react to this play, the whole thing. That makes me so happy. It's one of my favorites. Thank you!!
At my mom's community theater production of this, Cinderella's prince had long blond hair that Rupunzel's prince pulled on during Agony lmao
SO happy they reacted to the live stage version! Makes me hopeful they’ll react to the live taping of Phantom of the Opera from 2011!
Thank you for reacting! It's my fav musical and it's always a joy to see someone enjoying it
I LOVED watching this show along with you! It's long been one of my favourites. Thankyou for doing this.
Thanks for having this vid. It is great to have another generation be able to appreciate this show with the original cast. May many more people learn to love it thanks to you. You can't ever top this cast.
You guys really are the best reactors out there holy sh*t
If yall be doing live stage musicals, 10/10 would recommend Cats. The actual musical is waaaay better than the movie they made 😎👌🏽 even tho it don't make sense, at least it's far more beautiful as a theatrical production
So cool that YT let you put the whole thing up. It would have been a pain to edit otherwise because the speaking is song in so much of it. I have loved this since college when one of my best friends introduced me to it (90's). And I love Bernadette Peters (the witch)! I normally am not keen on watching reactors react to the whole thing of something but this one did not bother me :)
For more Bernadette Peters - may I recommend The Jerk (with Steve Martin).
For more fairy tell type stuff - may I recommend the movie The Brothers Grimm with Heath Ledger and Matt Damon (it would be a good fantasy adventure for October and was directed by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame).
If you want to add TV shows to your lists - Once Upon a Time has great writing and I also loved Grimm. Both TV shows have their own take on fairy tales and fables.
It's up but I'm glad to watch it as there's no telling if it will stay up.
i played the witch in my high school production.. and to this day... one of the most taxing rolls i've ever done
I'm so excited to see this, this was my favorite musical as a kid! It gave me such a new perspective on fairy tale characters and everyone blaming the witch when they all lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want but sure, SHE'S the bad guy.🤣
This is my first time seeing a video of yours and I loved your reaction to Into the Woods. You were right on the money about it being satire but not really in that it became profound and sincere towards the end when Act 2 reveals the actual lesson(s) the show is teaching it’s mostly adult and jaded audience. There is so much to take in with this musical and there’s so much that applies to adult life.
I love this play and even more so this version of it. I think it's awesome you guys caught onto the moral themes behind this play and really there are so many to count. As someone who mostly grew up on "Fairy Tales" and media just in general I was one of those that grew into believing to reach for your dreams and skies the limit. However it's very true that reality won't always give you a path to take. And obstacles and challenges will be in your way for certain. Sometimes people don't get their happy endings. It really is a deep story and the more you watch it the more you'll understand it's various contexts. My favorite scene is when they start to blame each other and the witch sings her final song. It gave me chills when I first watched it. I'm glad you both seemed to enjoy it! Also Bernadette Peters is my fave! She was so good as the witch!
It’s so cool to see people watching and reacting to the stage version of this! I’ve loved this for ages, ever since I watched this version get aired on PBS as a kid.
Joanna Gleason (The Baker’s Wife) is my favorite actor in this too, her version of “Moments in the Woods” is straight up my favorite song in the musical.