Into the Woods (15 Mar. 1991)

In this Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim, several fairy tale characters learn the hard way that the 'Happily Ever After' they sought isn't necessarily so happy after all.

Director:

James Lapine

Writer:

James Lapine (book)

Stars:

Bernadette Peters, Chip Zien, Joanna Gleason

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Bernadette Peters	...	The Witch
Chip Zien	...	Baker
Joanna Gleason	...	Baker's wife
Tom Aldredge	...	Narrator / Mysterious Man
Robert Westenberg	...	Wolf / Cinderella's Prince
Kim Crosby	...	Cinderella
Danielle Ferland	...	Little Red Riding Hood
Ben Wright	...	Jack
Barbara Bryne	...	Jack's mother
Merle Louise	...	Grandmother / Cinderella's Mother / Giant
Chuck Wagner	...	Rapunzel's Prince
Pamela Winslow	...	Rapunzel
Philip Hoffman	...	Steward
Lauren Mitchell	...	Lucinda
Kay McClelland	...	Florinda

Storyline

A childless baker and his wife cannot have a child until they follow the bidding of the witch next door to get a cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold. Good thing, then that they've got neighbors named Jack, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella to help them before (and after) Happily Ever After.

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Plot Keywords:

baker | giant | cow | cinderella | witch | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1991 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Martin Beck Theatre, 302 W. 45th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brandman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

153 min 153 min (VHS)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original Broadway production of "Into the Woods" opened at the Martin Beck Theater in New York on November 5, 1987, ran for 765 performances and won the 1988 Tony Awards for the Best Book and Score. The original Broadway cast is virtually intact for this filmed production which included Joanna Gleason, the winner of the 1988 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Robert Westenberg, the nominee for the 1988 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

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Quotes

Cinderella's Prince: [Prince is "looking" for the giant, and the Baker's Wife is looking for Jack] Anything can happen in the woods... May I kiss you?
[Baker's Wife gasps]
Cinderella's Prince: Any moment we could be crushed!
The Bakers Wife: Uh...
Cinderella's Prince: Don't feel rushed.
[He kisses her, she pulls away for just a moment to look at the audience]
The Bakers Wife: This is ridicuous, what am I doing here, I'm in the wrong story!
[goes back to kiss him again]

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Connections

Referenced in The Nostalgia Teen: The Rugrats Movie (2011)

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Soundtracks

"It Takes Two"
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Sung by Joanna Gleason and Chip Zien

User Reviews

not necessarily appropriate for children...

My wife and I have enjoyed the soundtrack and associated book form of this musical for years. Alas, we were never able to enjoy it on broadway. We knew there was a bit of innuendo involved but that it was fairly out of the range of our 8 year old daughter. However, when we rented the DVD of this live performance, my eyebrows were raised quite quickly when Red Riding Hood comes upon the Wolf. The Wolf is, how should I say, amazingly anatomically correct for a man, let alone a wolf. The tone of the whole play really isn't for kids but the rest of it seems okay. My daughter enjoyed the music and made comments about the crude special effects. But the parents understand that the effects are just for effect and that the real power of this musical is in the story. It tugs just a little harder than one would expect at the heartstrings. I was amazed at the number of real tears shed by the cast...and that emotion is just a real today as a decaded ago. Oh. And Bernadette...best witch ever.