Into The Woods

Back to the Woods

By Richard Ridge

Like a fine wine a musical can age and get better with time. That's what has happened to the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine magical Into The Woods which is returning to Broadway, opening April 30^th at The Broadhurst Theatre, following a critically acclaimed sold-out engagement at The Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles. This is a totally new production once again directed by Lapine. " It seemed like just the right time to revisit it," says an excited Lapine during a break from rehearsal. " We are not doing the same production that we did in the eighties. I have never gone back and redirected anything I have done. I enjoy the exploratory part of directing and not the recreating." Into The Woods features a totally new look by set designer Douglas W. Schmidt. "What we have when you come into the theatre is basically an empty stage and on it are three books, one of which says 'Jack And the Bean Stalk,' one that says 'The Baker and His Wife,' and one that says 'Cinderella,' and they are really big, big books." James Lapine points out. " The center book opens up. The inspiration for the visual look of the show are pop-up books. Our Narrator, (played by Sondheim alumni John McMartin) is very active in this production, bringing this story to life. It's a real treat and opportunity to come back and revisit the material. I am working with all new people."

Into The Woods intertwines several of the Grimm Brothers' most famous fairy tales including " Rapunzal," and " Little Red Riding Hood," with an original story of a Baker and his Wife, who in order to have a child, attempt to reverse a curse put on them and their family by a witch. The show originally opened on Broadway in 1987 and won Tony Awards including Best Score for Sondheim and Best Book for Lapine. Into The Woods is the most licensed Sondheim show for professional and amateur productions.

The most sought after role in the show is that of the Witch and it has been brilliantly cast with the beautiful Vanessa Williams. She was last seen on Broadway in Kiss Of The Spider Woman. It was to be a three-month engagement that turned into a remarkable nine. This former Miss. America and Grammy nominated recording star is simply thrilled. " I am actually working with James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim- which is a dream for any person who is in musical theatre. It's an honor to be working with the same original team that created the piece," Williams says. "James is wonderful in terms of his comedy and his direction. He is great about taking an actor's impulses and making them real and natural. He has a nice finesse of taking a fairytale which is basically unbelievable, and bringing a sense of reality to it. The day-to-day rehearsal process has been working through the scenes and putting it on its feet which we did immediately, and getting it into your bones."

Williams gets to sing some of the most beautiful songs ever written by Sondheim, including 'Children Will Listen' and 'The Last Midnight'. " When you deal with Sondheim's music it's very complex in terms of harmonies. It's very rewarding once you crack it. It's like once you crack the code then you unlock a bevy of things."

Into The Woods has always offered great opportunities for young actors. Lapine is thrilled to have fifteen year-old Molly V. Ephraim as Red Riding Hood and seventeen year-old Adam Wylie as Jack.

Wylie, who is best known from the television series Picket Fences, is making his Broadway debut. "It's a dream come true. Ever since I was four, when I started doing musical theatre, I always wanted to be on Broadway. I love the character of Jack. He isn't the brightest character. He loves his cow and his mom." Working on this show has been a surreal experience for Wylie. " James is one of the best directors. He tells you flat out what he wants and what he needs. Stephen Sondheim's lyrics are really self- explanatory. They are amazing."

Molly V. Ephraim is juggling both high school and the show at the same time. " The biggest challenge for me right now is pulling a good grade while I am learning the show," she notes. "I am very excited. This is my Broadway debut. It's really tough and very stressful but it's worth it." Ephraim is no stranger to Into The Woods. She did the show in Philadelphia two years ago. " This time around I am finding new things about the role. In the beginning she is a tough cookie, but towards the end she breaks down and sheds that side of her. This is a dream come true."

John Carrafa who created the musical staging for this season's Urinetown, is one of the Theater's most sought after choreographers. While working with Lapine on Dirty Blonde, he was asked to do Into The Woods. "It's the first revival that I have ever done. I swore I would never do a revival. But James said, ' Think about it and do your version'. He really wanted to bring movement to it. So my approach was to listen to it a thousand times, think about it a lot, and try to find what made me want to move in the piece, what excited me about it movement wise and how to, with the complexity of the sophistication of the lyrics, how to make the story clear through movement. The first month that I was working on it I had to get the original out of my mind. Working with Steve and James is working with the best. They're just so kind and great about sharing what they know about the incredible history of musical theatre."

On the universality of the show, Williams a mother of four, comments, "Times are tough, with grief and sadness and change. I think the lyrics speak for themselves and also everyone needs the relief, too. Even though there are some intense messages it's also a great show to bring children to."

"Working on this has been sheer panic," John McMartin, who is playing the Narrator, laughs. "Only because I introduce all the various elements of the story, and then you worry about Sondheim's music. There is underscoring all the way through. I have to come in at a certain time with dialogue so it takes awhile to get secure with it."

The challenge for McMartin is, "Knowing when to come on and off because the Narrator also plays the Mysterious Man and timing my entrances and exits to Steve's music. This is my first time working with James Lapine and it has been a real pleasure. He is very easy to work with, and working with Steve again is just great." McMartin, who appeared in the original Broadway production of Follies, as well as A Little Night Music, is a Sondheim veteran of over thirty years.

"Stephen (De Rosa, who plays The Baker) has amused me on numerous occasions in the theatre," says Lapine. "James Lapine is extraordinary," DeRosa comments. "He is an amazing director. He understands actors and he is generous and funny and he is really smart. It's just a great musical to be working on right now It's just a timeless message." DeRosa explains.

Kerry O'Malley, one of the theatre's shining new talents plays the Baker's Wife. "The role is so rich and brave. She has everything she wants except a child, and will do anything to get one. There are so many things to explore. She's rye and funny and smart and no nonsense. But she also has these flights of fancy. I love Stephen DeRosa. We are having a great time together. Working with Sondheim has been thrilling and terrifying at the same time." Lapine and Sondheim are old friends and have worked together with great success before, including the musical Passion. "I love Steve personally," Lapine says.

"He is a wonderful collaborator. He gives you such respect as a writer, and so wants to honor your work, it makes for a very generous time working together."

"We did it on Broadway back in 1987, and it's a real treat to have the opportunity to come back and revisit the material," Lapine avers. " Since it closed on Broadway, Into The Woods has had a big life. It's very large in stock and amateur. There have been two London West End productions, the Munich Opera House repertory, and I have seen productions all over the world. It's the kind of show that stands up to being revisited."

"This is an astonishing honor to have my first musical be by Sondheim," reflects Mary Louise Burke. "I love Jack's mother because she is so feisty and earthy. I love playing the affection and the frustration at the same time. This is wonderful and amazing for me. It's like going to another country. Everyone has been so good to me, and patient and encouraging. I am just loving it. It is beyond my wildest dreams and it is gorgeous."

"I play Cinderella's Prince and I play the Wolf that ends up with Little Red Riding Hood's Granny (as his) meal, says Gregg Edelman. "It's a great piece. It's been really easy, because everybody really wants to be here, and that's great because then you start from a really relaxed place and silly stuff can happen. The prince is still forming because Robert Westenberg (who

originated the role in the original production) was so brilliant and I am still trying to shake him out of my head. Were all having a wonderful time. It's been easier because Into The Woods is not being written from scratch. When we did Passion, there were a lot of changes going on. It was a wonderful story, but it was a very delicate one that had to be crafted as we went along. This time it's a little more out there. We sort of know what the piece is and it's more easy-going."

"On Broadway you get to do it all," Vanessa Williams proclaims. "You sing, you dance, you act. You have a live audience there and you can make it different every night. It's also a challenge because you can't fake it."

"I have seen productions all over the world," Lapine notes. "What has been really fun about (this show) is that there is a junior version of Into The Woods that is produced regularly now in elementary schools. It's a big school favorite. I found as the years grew, people coming up to me saying, 'Gee, I wish I could see it, I never got to see it'. It seemed like just the right time to revisit it and bring it back. The response has been great. Just personally from letters and articles about the show. We are very excited about it."