Into the Woods is a
musicalMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with music and lyrics by
Stephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
and book by
James LapineJames Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated...
. It debuted in San Diego at the
Old Globe TheatreThe Old Globe is a professional theatre company located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons...
in 1986, and premiered on
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1987.
Bernadette PetersBernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
' performance as the Witch and
Joanna Gleason'sJoanna Gleason is a Canadian actress and singer. She is a Tony Award-winning musical theatre actress and has also had a number of notable film and TV roles.-Early life:...
portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim to the production during its original Broadway run.
Into the Woods won several
Tony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s, including
Best ScoreThe Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics...
,
Best BookThe Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible...
, and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), in a year dominated by
The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
. The musical has been produced many times, with a 1988 national tour, a 1990
West EndWest End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production, a 1991 television production, a 1997 tenth anniversary concert, a 2002 Broadway revival and a 2010 London revival. The musical intertwines the plots of several
Brothers GrimmThe Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
fairy taleA fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
s and follows them further to explore the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from the stories of
Little Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
,
Jack and the BeanstalkJack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
,
Rapunzel"Rapunzel" is a German fairy tale in the collection assembled by the Brothers Grimm, and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales. The Grimm Brothers' story is an adaptation of the fairy tale Persinette by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force originally published in 1698...
, and
Cinderella"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
, tied together by a more original story involving a
bakerA baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
and his wife and their quest to begin a family, most likely taken from the original story of Rapunzel by the
Brothers GrimmThe Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
. It also includes references to several other well-known tales.
Act I
The Narrator introduces four characters who each have a wish: Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's festival;
JackJack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
, a simple young man who wishes that his cow, Milky-White, would give milk; and the Baker and his Wife, who wish they could have a child. While
Little Red RidinghoodLittle Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
buys bread from the Baker to take to her grandmother's house, Jack's weary mother nags him into selling the cow, and Cinderella's stepmother and sisters tease her about wanting to attend the King's festival.
The Baker's neighbor, an ugly old Witch, reveals the source of the couple's infertility is a curse she placed on the Baker's line, after catching the Baker's father in her garden stealing "magic" beans. In addition to the curse, the Witch took the Baker's father's newborn child, Rapunzel ("Witch's Entrance"). The curse will be lifted if the Baker and his Wife can find the four ingredients that the Witch needs for a certain potion — "the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold", all before the chime of Midnight in three days' time. After the witch leaves, the Baker finds six of the "magic" beans in his father's old hunting jacket and endeavors to take them on his quest. All begin their journeys into the woods — Jack to sell his cow at the Market, Cinderella's family to the Festival, Cinderella to her mother's grave to ask for guidance, Red Ridinghood to her Grandmother's house, and the Baker, refusing his wife's help, to find the ingredients ("Prologue").
Cinderella visits her mother's grave and receives a beautiful gown and shoes from her mother's spirit ("Cinderella at the Grave"). Little Red Ridinghood meets a hungry wolf ("Hello, Little Girl"). The Baker meets his wife, who has followed him into the forest. The pair
conA confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
Jack into selling Milky-White ("I Guess This Is Goodbye") for five of the beans, telling Jack that they're magic. The Baker, who does not realize the beans' power, has qualms about being so dishonest, but his wife reasons that "Maybe They're Magic". When Little Red Ridinghood arrives at her grandmother's house, she is swallowed by the Wolf. The Baker slays the Wolf, pulling Little Red Ridinghood and her grandmother from the beast's innards, and Red rewards him with the red cape, boasting of her new experiences ("I Know Things Now"). Jack's mother angrily tosses the beans aside; they grow into a very high beanstalk. As Cinderella flees the festival, pursued by a prince and his steward, the Wife quizzes Cinderella on her time at the ball. Cinderella explains that it was a nice ball with "A Very Nice Prince". The Wife spots Cinderella's pure gold slippers as Cinderella starts to leave. The Wife turns her back to chase after Cinderella, inadvertently allowing Milky-White to run off, leaving the Wife both slipper-less and cow-less. The characters each state morals and credos as the First Midnight chimes ("First Midnight").
Jack describes his thrilling adventure after he returns from climbing the beanstalk ("Giants in the Sky"). He gives the Baker five gold pieces he stole from the giants to buy back his cow, and when the Baker hesitates, Jack climbs back up the beanstalk to find more. The Mysterious Man emerges and taunts the Baker, stealing the money. The Baker's wife confesses she has lost the cow, and she and the Baker split up to look for it. Cinderella's and Rapunzel's Princes, who are brothers, brag about their new-found loves ("Agony"). The Baker's wife takes note when Rapunzel's prince mentions that he is in love with a girl in a tower with hair as "yellow as corn." The Baker's Wife fools Rapunzel into letting down her hair and yanks out pieces. Meanwhile, The Mysterious Man gives Milky-White back to the Baker.
The Wife and Cinderella meet again, and the Wife makes a desperate grab for her shoes, almost succeeding before Cinderella flees. The Baker and his wife reunite, now with three of the four items. The Baker admits that they've had to work together to fulfill the quest ("It Takes Two"). Jack arrives with a hen that lays golden eggs and attempts to buy Milky-White back, but the cow suddenly keels over dead as midnight chimes. Again, the characters exchange morals ("Second Midnight"). The Witch discovers that the Prince has been visiting Rapunzel and begs Rapunzel to stay with her ("Stay with Me"). When she refuses, the Witch angrily cuts off Rapunzel's hair and banishes her to a desert. The Mysterious Man gives the Baker the money to buy another cow, and Jack, goaded by Little Red Ridinghood, who is now sporting a wolf skin cape and a knife for protection, returns once again to the Giant's home to steal a magical harp.
Cinderella's Prince spreads
pitchTar is modified pitch produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving wooden vessels against rot. The largest...
on the stairs of the castle to try to capture her. She escapes, but leaves one of her slippers "On the Steps of the Palace" as a clue to her identity. The Baker's Wife tries to trade her own shoes and the last bean for Cinderella's one slipper; Cinderella throws the bean aside, but trades shoes with the Baker's wife and flees. The Baker arrives with another cow, and they now have all four items. A great crash is heard and Jack's mother reports that a Giant has fallen from the beanstalk and is dead in her backyard. The Witch discovers that the new cow is not pure white — it is covered with flour. However, the Witch revives Milky-White, and the Baker and his Wife feed the items to her. Jack milks her, but no milk comes. The Baker's Wife reveals that the hair is Rapunzel's, and the Witch furiously explains that the magic will not work, because the Witch has already touched Rapunzel's hair. The Mysterious Man tells the Baker to feed the hair-like corn silk to the cow. Now Milky-White gives milk, which is the potion. The Witch reveals that the Mysterious Man is the Baker's father, but the Man dies before the Baker can talk to him. The curse is broken, and the Witch is restored to youth and beauty, which were lost when her magic beans were stolen.
Cinderella's Prince finds Cinderella, whose foot fits the slipper, and she becomes the Prince's bride. Rapunzel has borne twins, and she and her Prince are reunited. The Witch attempts to curse the couple, only to find that her powers have been lost. At Cinderella's wedding to the Prince, the stepsisters are blinded by birds as they try to win Cinderella's favor. Everyone but the Witch and the stepsisters congratulate themselves on being able to live happily "Ever After", though they fail to notice another beanstalk growing sky-high in the background.
Act II
Later all the characters seem happy but are, ironically, still wishing: The Baker and his Wife have their precious baby boy, but wish for more room; Jack and his mother are rich and well-fed, but Jack misses his kingdom in the sky; and Cinderella is living with her Prince Charming in the Palace, but is getting bored ("So Happy").
Suddenly, everyone is knocked over by an enormous crash, and enormous footprints have destroyed the Witch's garden, sparing only a few beans. The Baker and his Wife decide that they must tell the Royal Family, and they safely escort Little Red Ridinghood to her grandmother's house after her mother was killed by the Giant. Jack decides that he must slay the Giant and Cinderella learns from her bird friends that her mother's grave was disturbed and decides to investigate ("Into the Woods" Reprise). While everyone else is drawn back into the woods to deal with the new threats, the two Princes have grown bored with their marriages and now lust after two new princesses —
Snow White"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
and
Sleeping BeautySleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm is a classic fairytale involving a beautiful princess, enchantment, and a handsome prince...
("Agony" Reprise). Rapunzel becomes hysterical and flees.
The Baker, his Wife and Little Red Ridinghood get lost in the Woods and find the Witch, who brings news that their houses have been destroyed, and the Royal Family and the Steward, who reveal that the castle was set upon by the Giant. The Giant then appears; this Giant is a woman, the widow of the Giant that Jack killed by chopping down the beanstalk. The Giant's booming voice proclaims that she wants Jack's blood in revenge. To satisfy the Giantess,
everyone offers her the narratorThe fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
as a sacrifice, until they realize how lost they would be without him. Nevertheless, the Witch throws him into the Giant's arms and he is killed. Jack's mother finds the group and aggressively defends her son, angering the Giant's widow, and the Steward clubs Jack's mother to make her be quiet, inadvertently killing her. The Giantess leaves to search for Jack, and Rapunzel runs underneath the Giantess and is trampled, to the horror of the Witch and her Prince ("Witch's Lament").
The Witch declares she will find Jack and sacrifice him to the Giantess, and the Baker and his Wife decide they must find him first and split up to search. The Baker's Wife meets Cinderella's Prince, and he seduces the willing Wife ("Any Moment"). Meanwhile, the Baker discovers Cinderella at her mother's destroyed grave and convinces her to join their group for safety. The Prince, satisfied, leaves the Baker's Wife with a few platitudes, and she realizes her error and decides to return to her happy life with the Baker and their son ("Moments in the Woods") just moments before being accidentally crushed by the angry Giantess.
The Baker, Little Red Ridinghood, and Cinderella await the return of the Baker's Wife when The Witch drags in Jack. The Baker, grief-stricken when he learns of his wife's death, unwittingly agrees to give Jack to the Giantess, causing an argument. The characters first blame each other for their predicament, until finally they all decide to blame the Witch for growing the beans in the first place ("Your Fault"). Disgusted, the Witch curses them, throws away the rest of her magic beans, reactivating her mother's curse and making her vanish ("Last Midnight").
The grieving Baker flees but is visited by his father's spirit, who convinces him to face his responsibilities ("No More"). The Baker returns and helps plan to kill the Giantess, using Cinderella's bird friends to peck out the Giant's eyes at an area smeared with pitch, where Jack and the Baker can finally deliver a fatal blow. Cinderella confronts her unfaithful Prince, and they tearfully separate. Little Red returns with the news that her grandmother has been killed by the Giantess. The Baker tells Jack that his mother is dead. Jack vows to kill the steward in revenge, until the Baker convinces him that killing the steward will not benefit anyone. Cinderella comforts Little Red and tries to answer her qualms that killing the giant makes them no better than she is, while the Baker explains to Jack his inability to say what is really morally correct ("No One Is Alone").
The four remaining characters slay the Giant, and each of the previously deceased characters returns to describe the lesson they learned. The survivors plan to rebuild their lives together, and The Baker's Wife returns (in the form of a spirit) to give her husband one final lesson:
Tell their child the story of the Woods; actions have consequences — even for future generations. The Baker begins to tell the story as the Witch appears, with the final moral:
Be careful what you pass on to your children ("Children Will Listen"). All join in on a last reprise of the title song, surmising that we all must venture Into the Woods, but never to forget the past ("Finale"). Cinderella ends with: "I wish..."
Original Broadway production
Into the Woods premiered at the
Old Globe TheatreThe Old Globe is a professional theatre company located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons...
in San Diego, California, on December 4, 1986 and ran for 50 performances under the direction of James Lapine. Many of the performers from that production were in the Broadway cast. John Cunningham, who played the Narrator, Wolf and Steward, was replaced by
Tom AldredgeThomas Ernest "Tom" Aldredge was an American television, film and stage actor.-Life and career:Aldredge was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of Lucienne Juliet and W. J. Aldredge, a colonel in the United States Army Air Corps...
, who played the Narrator and Mysterious Man. LuAnne Ponce, who played Little Red Ridinghood, was replaced by
Danielle FerlandDanielle Ferland is an American actress and singer.-Career:Ferland attended Bunnell High School in Stratford, CT from 1983–1987 and attended New York University....
.
Ellen FoleyEllen Foley is an American singer and actress, who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the sitcom Night Court. In music, she has released three solo albums but is best known for her collaborations with the singer Meat Loaf.- Early life and career :Foley was born in St....
, the Witch, was replaced by
Bernadette PetersBernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
.
The musical opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on November 5, 1987, and closed on September 3, 1989 after 764 performances. It starred
Bernadette PetersBernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
,
Joanna GleasonJoanna Gleason is a Canadian actress and singer. She is a Tony Award-winning musical theatre actress and has also had a number of notable film and TV roles.-Early life:...
,
Chip ZienChip Zien is an American actor. He is best known for playing the lead role of the Baker in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim...
,
Kim CrosbyKim Crosby is an American singer and actress, primarily on the stage and in concerts. She was the original Cinderella in the Sondheim-Lapine musical Into the Woods, where she met her now-husband Robert Westenberg. The couple married on June 19, 1991. She currently lives in Springfield, Missouri...
,
Ben WrightBen Wright is best known for originating the role of "Jack" in the Tony Award winning musical, Into the Woods. Wright's professional acting career started with George C. Wolfe's Off-Broadway production of Paradise at Playwrights Horizons...
,
Danielle FerlandDanielle Ferland is an American actress and singer.-Career:Ferland attended Bunnell High School in Stratford, CT from 1983–1987 and attended New York University....
,
Chuck WagnerChuck Wagner is an American actor, Director, Musical Theatre Historian, and Teacher.-Education and early career:Wagner was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Hartsville, Tennessee. He attended public school in Gallatin, TN...
,
Merle LouiseMerle Louise is an American actress, best known for appearing in four Stephen Sondheim musicals, most famously as "The Beggar Woman" in Sweeney Todd.-Broadway and Sondheim:...
,
Tom AldredgeThomas Ernest "Tom" Aldredge was an American television, film and stage actor.-Life and career:Aldredge was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of Lucienne Juliet and W. J. Aldredge, a colonel in the United States Army Air Corps...
, and
Robert WestenbergRobert Westenberg is an American musical theatre actor and acting teacher. He married actress and singer Kim Crosby on June 19, 1991, and the couple now have three children.-Early Life:...
. The musical was directed by James Lapine, with musical staging by
Lar LubovitchLar Lubovitch is an American choreographer and founded his own dance company, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company in 1968. Based in New York City, he and the company have toured worldwide....
, settings by
Tony StraigesTony Straiges is a scenic designer for the stage and ballet. He has designed the sets for some 17 Broadway musicals, plays and specials...
, lighting by
Richard NelsonRichard Nelson was an American theatrical lighting designer.Born in New York City, Nelson studied at the High School of the Performing Arts and began his career off-Broadway in 1955. He made his Broadway debut with The Caucasian Chalk Circle in 1966...
, and costumes by
Ann Hould-WardAnn Hould-Ward is an American costume designer, primarily for the theatre and dance. She has designed the costumes for 19 Broadway productions . She won the 1994 Tony Award for Beauty and the Beast....
(based on original concepts by
Patricia ZipprodtPatricia Zipprodt was an American costume designer. She was known for her technique of painting fabrics and thoroughly researching a project's subject matter, especially when it was a period piece...
and Ann Hould-Ward). The original production won the 1988
New York Drama Critics' CircleThe New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 24 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization was founded in 1935 at the Algonquin Hotel by a group that included Brooks Atkinson, Walter Winchell, and Robert Benchley...
Award and the
Drama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Best Musical, and the
original cast recordingA cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording, as the name implies, features the voices of the show's original cast...
won a
Grammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
. Joanna Gleason won the
Tony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Actress in a Musical, and James Lapine (book) and Stephen Sondheim (original score) also won the Tony Award.
Peters left the show after five months due to prior commitments and was replaced by
Phylicia RashadPhylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
, who was later replaced by
Nancy Dussault. In 1989,
Betsy JoslynBetsy Joslyn is a Broadway musical and dramatic actress and soprano. Joslyn is best known for her Broadway work, including the original production of Sweeney Todd. She appeared in the ensemble of the original Broadway production and eventually took over the ingenue role of Johanna from Sarah Rice...
took over for Ms. Dussault, then left to join the national tour, and
Ellen FoleyEllen Foley is an American singer and actress, who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the sitcom Night Court. In music, she has released three solo albums but is best known for her collaborations with the singer Meat Loaf.- Early life and career :Foley was born in St....
returned to the role of the Witch at the end of the run.
Tenth Anniversary benefit performances of this production were held on November 9, 1997 at
The Broadway TheatreThe Broadway Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1681 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan....
(New York), with the original cast.
The original production was taped in May 1989 and was broadcast on U.S. public television on March 20, 1991. This version has since been released on DVD.
1988 U.S. tour
The United States tour began on November 22, 1988 with
Cleo LaineDame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
playing the Witch, replaced by
Betsy JoslynBetsy Joslyn is a Broadway musical and dramatic actress and soprano. Joslyn is best known for her Broadway work, including the original production of Sweeney Todd. She appeared in the ensemble of the original Broadway production and eventually took over the ingenue role of Johanna from Sarah Rice...
in May 1989. Rex Robbins played the Narrator and Mysterious Man,
Charlotte RaeCharlotte Rae is a prolific American character actress of stage, comedienne, singer and dancer, who in her six decades of television is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life...
played Jack's Mother, and the Princes were played by
Chuck WagnerChuck Wagner is an American actor, Director, Musical Theatre Historian, and Teacher.-Education and early career:Wagner was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Hartsville, Tennessee. He attended public school in Gallatin, TN...
and
Douglas Sills-Life and career:Born in Detroit, Michigan, he grew up in the suburb of Franklin, where he was friends with both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Sills attended Cranbrook School, from which he graduated in 1978, and the University of Michigan where he majored in music...
. The tour played cities around the country, such as
Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
,
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
,
AtlantaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
.
Original London production
The original London production opened on September 25, 1990 at the
Phoenix TheatreThe Phoenix Theatre is a West End theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located on Charing Cross Road . The entrance is in Phoenix Street....
and closed on February 23, 1991 after 197 performances. It was directed by Richard Jones, choreographed by
Anthony Van LaastAnthony Van Laast is a choreographer, mainly for the stage, concerts, television and film. His works have appeared in the West End and on Broadway.-Career:Van Laast was born in Sussex, UK...
, and produced by
David MirvishDavid Mirvish, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian art collector, art dealer, theatre producer and son of the late "Honest" Ed Mirvish, Toronto discount department store-owner and artist Anne Lazare Macklin....
, with costumes by
Sue BlaneSusan Margret Blane is best known for her costume designs for both The Rocky Horror Show and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.-Life and career:...
and
orchestrationOrchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
s by
Jonathan TunickJonathan Tunick is an American orchestrator, musical director, and composer, one of twelve people to have won all four major American show business awards: the Tony, Oscar, Emmy and Grammy. He has also worked with all of the other eleven people. His principal instrument is the clarinet...
. It starred
Clive CarterClive Carter is a British actor and singer.Carter studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His West End theatre credits include Someone Like You with Petula Clark, A Man for All Seasons with Martin Shaw, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Brendan Fraser and Ned Beatty, We Will Rock You, I...
(Wolf, Cinderella's Prince), who was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award, and
Imelda StauntonImelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
as the Baker's Wife, who won an Olivier Award for her performance.
Julia McKenzieJulia McKenzie is an English actress, singer, and theatre director. She is best-known for her performance in Fresh Fields, but to current television audiences, she is best known for her role as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple...
played the Witch, and
Nicholas ParsonsNicholas Parsons OBE is a British actor and radio and television presenter.-Early life:...
the Narrator. Some story aspects and one song that were cut from the original production were added to the London production. The song "Our Little World" was added. This song was a duet sung between the Witch and Rapunzel giving further insight into the care the Witch has for her self-proclaimed daughter and the desire Rapunzel has to see the world outside of her tower.
1998 London revival
A new intimate production of the show opened (billed as the first
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
revival) at the
Donmar WarehouseDonmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
on 16 November 1998, closing on 13 February 1999. This revival was directed by
John CrowleyJohn Crowley is an American author of fantasy, science fiction and mainstream fiction. He studied at Indiana University and has a second career as a documentary film writer...
and designed by his brother,
Bob CrowleyBob Crowley is a theatre director, scenic and costume designer.Born in Cork, Ireland, he is the brother of director John Crowley...
. The cast included Clare Burt as the Witch,
Nick HolderNick Holder is an underground hip-hop and house music deejay and producer from Toronto, Canada.Holder began DJing in the early 1980s, and soon became influenced by the Detroit techno scene and DJs such as Derrick May and Carl Craig....
as the Baker,
Sophie ThompsonSophie Thompson is an award-winning English actress, best known for playing Stella Crawford in EastEnders.-Early life:...
as the Baker's Wife,
Jenna RussellJenna Russell is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company...
as Cinderella,
Sheridan SmithSheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
as Little Red Ridinghood and Frank Middlemass as the Narrator/Mysterious Man.Russell later appeared as the Baker's Wife in the 2010
Regent's ParkRegent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
production. Thompson won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance, while the production itself was nominated for Outstanding Musical Production.
2002 Broadway revival
A revival opened at the
Ahmanson TheatreThe Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that comprise the Los Angeles Music Center.Through the generosity of philanthropist Robert H. Ahmanson, construction began on March 9, 1962. The theatre opened on April 12, 1967 with a production of More Stately Mansions starring Ingrid Bergman,...
in Los Angeles, running from February 1, 2002 to March 24, 2002. This production was directed and choreographed, with the same principal cast, which later ran on Broadway.
The 2002 Broadway revival, directed by
James LapineJames Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated...
and choreographed by
John CarrafaJohn Carrafa is a dancer and choreographer. He has been nominated for the Tony Award twice.Carrafa graduated from Bates College in 1976. He performed with the Twyla Tharp Company for ten years after graduation....
, began previews on April 13, 2002 and opened April 30, 2002 at the
Broadhurst TheatreThe Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
, closing on December 29 after a run of 18 previews and 279 regular performances. It starred
Vanessa L. WilliamsVanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
as the Witch, the recorded voice of
Judi DenchDame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
as the Giant, and cast including
John McMartinJohn McMartin is an American actor of stage, film and television.-Early life and career:McMartin was born in Warsaw, Indiana and raised in Minnesota. He attended college in Illinois and New York. He made his off-Broadway debut in Little Mary Sunshine in 1959, playing opposite Eileen Brennan...
(Narrator),
Stephen DeRosaStephen DeRosa is an American television and theatre actor.-Education:He attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., as an undergraduate, and graduated from the Yale School of Drama in New Haven, Connecticut, with an Master of Fine Arts in 1995.-Career:Although DeRosa's career has...
(the Baker),
Gregg EdelmanGregg Edelman is an American movie, television and theatre actor.Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Lil' Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee Grahn, and was trained at Northwestern University...
(Cinderella's Prince/Wolf),
Christopher SieberChristopher Sieber is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Kevin Burke in Two of a Kind starring Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen and Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. Christopher studied acting and musical comedy at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City...
(Rapunzel's Prince/Wolf),
Molly EphraimMolly Ephraim is an American actress who has appeared in films, on television and in Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatre productions. She is best known for playing the role of Wendy Greenhut in the 2008 film College Road Trip, and the daughter, Ali, in Paranormal Activity 2...
(Little Red Ridinghood), and
Laura BenantiLaura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:...
(Cinderella).
The plot was retooled, with a subplot added involving a cameo appearance of the
Three Little PigsThree Little Pigs is a fairy tale featuring anthropomorphic animals. Printed versions date back to the 1840s, but the story itself is thought to be much older...
restored from the earlier San Diego production.
Other changes included the addition of the song "Our Little World," a duet between the Witch and Rapunzel that was part of the London production; Jack's cow was a puppet with a live performer,
Chad KimballChad Kimball is a Tony Nominated American theater actor. Kimball was raised in Seattle, Washington and graduated from Boston Conservatory with a BFA in acting in 1999. After moving to New York, he was hired for the Broadway musical, The Civil War, joining the show 3 weeks before it closed...
, inside who dances; "The Last Midnight" was sung by the Witch as a menacing lullaby to the Baker's baby held hostage. There were two Wolves rather than only one, sung by the two performers who also play the Princes, symbolic of their insatiable appetites.
The revival won the Tony Awards for the
Best Revival of a MusicalThe Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical has been awarded since 1994. Before that time, both plays and musicals were considered together for the Tony Award for Best Revival....
and Best Lighting Design. This Broadway revival wardrobe is on display at the Costume World Broadway Collection in South Florida.
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, 2010
The Olivier Award winning
Regent’s Park Open Air TheatreRegent's Park Open Air Theatre, in the City of Westminster, London, is a permanent venue with an annual sixteen-week summer season. It was founded in 1932 by Sydney Carroll and Robert Atkins.-The theatre:...
production, directed by Timothy Sheader and Choreographed by Liam Steel, ran for a six week limited season from 6 August to 11 September 2010. The cast included
Hannah WaddinghamHannah Waddingham is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her contribution to West End theatre, particularly her original performance in Spamalot and in A Little Night Music...
as the Witch,
Jenna RussellJenna Russell is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company...
as the Baker’s wife,
Helen DallimoreHelen Dallimore is an Australian actress, known for originating the role of Glinda in the West End production of Wicked.-Background:...
as Cinderella, and
Judi DenchDame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
as the recorded voice of the Giant.
Gareth ValentineGareth Valentine is a British composer, conductor and musical director. He has worked extensively in London's West End on musical productions and also conducted both the BBC Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra...
was the Musical Director. The musical was performed outdoors in a wooded area. Whilst the book remained mostly unchanged, the subtext of the plot was dramatically altered by casting the role of the
NarratorA narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
as a young school boy lost in the woods following a family argument – a device used to further illustrate the musical’s themes of
parentingParenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
and
adolescenceAdolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
.
The production opened to wide critical acclaim, much of the press commenting on the effectiveness of the open air setting. The
Telegraph reviewer, for example, wrote: "It is an inspired idea to stage this show in the magical, sylvan surroundings of Regent’s Park, and designer Soutra Gilmour has come up with a marvellously rickety, adventure playground of a set, all ladders, stairs and elevated walkways, with Rapunzel discovered high up in a tree." The
New York Times reviewer commented: "The natural environment makes for something genuinely haunting and mysterious as night falls on the audience..."
SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
attended twice, reportedly extremely pleased with the production. The production also won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.
Other productions
1998 Melbourne Theatre Company production
This production played from 17 January 1998 to 21 February 1998 at the Playhouse, Victorian Arts Centre. It starred
Rhonda BurchmoreRhonda Suzanne Burchmore is an Australian entertainer.Born in Sydney, Rhonda has been performing since the age of two, trained in singing, acting and dancing and was awarded a scholarship to the University of New England where she majored in Theatre Arts.She became internationally known for her...
,
John McTernanJohn McTernan is a British Labour member, political strategist and commentator. He is currently a columnist for The Scotsman and blogs for the Daily Telegraph.-Career:...
,
Gina RileyGina Riley is an Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian.Riley became a popular television performer in the sketch shows Fast Forward, its successor Full Frontal, Big Girl's Blouse and Something Stupid. In the latter she was also a producer and writer...
,
Lisa McCuneLisa McCune , is a four-time Gold Logie Award winning Australian actress, best known for her role as Senior Constable Maggie Doyle in Blue Heelers, and as Lt...
,
Peter CarrollPeter James Carroll is a modern occultist, author, cofounder of the Illuminates of Thanateros, and practitioner of chaos magic theory.-Biography:...
, Anthony Weigh, Tamsin Carroll and
Robert GrubbRobert Grubb is an Australian actor. He studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art , where he graduated in 1978.Grubb played the role of Dr. Geoffrey Standish in the popular series The Flying Doctors...
.
2007 Royal Opera House production
A revival at the
Royal Opera HouseThe Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
's Linbury Studio in
Covent GardenCovent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
had a limited run from June 14 through June 30, 2007. This is the second Sondheim musical to be staged by the company, following 2003's
Sweeney ToddSweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond....
. This production featured Beverley Klein (Witch), Clive Rowe (Baker), and Gary Waldhorn (Narrator).
2007 Catalan production
Boscos endins was the
CatalanCatalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
adaptation by Joan Vives with the collaboration of Joan Lluís Bozzo. It was first presented by the Theatre Company
Dagoll DagomDagoll Dagom is a Catalan theatre company founded in 1974, mostly dedicated to musical theater. They have performed around 5,000 times in Europe and South America...
in
GironaGirona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
at the Festival Temporada Alta on November 22, 2007, and in January it was held at Teatre Victòria, in
Avinguda del Paral·lelAvinguda del Paral·lel is one of the main streets of the city of Barcelona, dividing Ciutat Vella, Eixample and Sants-Montjuïc districts. It receives this name because it is parallel to the Equator...
,
BarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
2009/10 London Production
In December 2009 the show was presented at the Bloomsbury Theatre London by the UCLU Musical Theatre Society in a brand new production. Produced by Alicia Bennett and directed by Dom O'Hanlon the show was personally supported by
Stephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
and praised for its new interpretation. The production was selected to be performed as part of the Sunday Times National Student Drama Festival 2010 in Scarborough, featuring the original cast and orchestra at the Spa Theatre, Scarborough in April 2010.
2011 Singapore production
The 2011 Singapore production presented by Dream Academy ran from 29 July to 7 August 2011. Directed by
Glen GoeiGlen Goei is one of Singapore's leading film and theatre directors. His broad ranging body of work embraces the full gamut of performing and visual arts from film, theatre, musicals, large scale shows, World Expos, dance, music to architectural design.Glen Goei was the Artistic Director of Mu-Lan...
, it featured Ria Jones (Witch),
Adrian PangAdrian Pang is a Singaporean Chinese actor who trained at the ARTTS International in Bubwith, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Born in Malacca, Malaysia, he was educated at Anglo-Chinese School, Singapore, and in the United Kingdom. Although he studied law at Keele University, he has not...
(Baker),
Selena TanSelena Tan is an actress and the owner of Dream Academy, most notable as one of the famous Dim Sum Dollies. Tan started acting at age 14. She was educated at Fairfield Medthodist Secondary School and graduated with a law degree from National University of Singapore.-Movies and TV appearances:*...
(Baker's Wife), Sebastian Tan (Jack), Emma Yong (Cinderella), Denise Tan (Little Red Riding Hood) and
Lim Kay SiuKay Siu Lim or Lim Kay Siu is a Singaporean character actor who has appeared in several Asian films, notably TV films since the 1980s. His bald head and sinister demeanour in film and TV has made him an ideal villain...
(narrator)
2011 Santa Ana production
The Mysterium Theater presented the production directed by Marla Ladd ran from August 18 to September 24.
Junior version
The musical has been adapted into a child-friendly version for use by schools, with the second act completely removed, as well as certain elements from the first. The show is shortened from the original 3-plus hours to fit in a 60 to 80 minute range, and the music transposed into keys that more easily fit young voices.
Film
In October 1994, a reading of a screenplay (written by
Lowell GanzLowell Ganz is an American screenwriter, television writer, and television producer. He is the long-time writing partner of Babaloo Mandel.-Life and career:...
and
Babaloo MandelMarc "Babaloo" Mandel is an American writer. His writing credits include the television series Happy Days and the movie Night Shift. He is the long-time writing partner of Lowell Ganz. Mandel was born in New York City, the son of a taxi driver...
) was held at the home of director
Penny MarshallPenny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
, with a cast that included
Robin WilliamsRobin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
as The Baker,
Goldie HawnGoldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
as The Baker's Wife,
CherCher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
as The Witch,
Danny DeVitoDaniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
as The Giant,
Steve MartinStephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
as The Wolf, and
Roseanne BarrRoseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
as Jack's Mother. In late 1995,
Daily Variety reported that Jim Henson Prods. and Storyline Entertainment would be producing the movie, with director
Rob MinkoffRobert R. "Rob" Minkoff is an American filmmaker. He is known for directing the Academy Award–winning animated feature The Lion King ....
. In January 1997,
Daily Variety reported that the projected film was put in "turnaround" by
Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, still with director Rob Minkoff; that two new songs were written by Sondheim for the film; and that
Billy CrystalWilliam Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
,
Meg RyanMargaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
and
Susan SarandonSusan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
were in talks to star. However, more recent information about Storyline's upcoming projects no longer count the film among them.
Casting history
The principal casts of notable productions of
Into the Woods
| Role | Original Broadway production
1987 | London production
1990 | Broadway revival
2002 | London revival
2007 | Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production
2010 |
| Narrator |
Tom Aldredge Thomas Ernest "Tom" Aldredge was an American television, film and stage actor.-Life and career:Aldredge was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of Lucienne Juliet and W. J. Aldredge, a colonel in the United States Army Air Corps...
|
Nicholas Parsons Nicholas Parsons OBE is a British actor and radio and television presenter.-Early life:...
|
John McMartin John McMartin is an American actor of stage, film and television.-Early life and career:McMartin was born in Warsaw, Indiana and raised in Minnesota. He attended college in Illinois and New York. He made his off-Broadway debut in Little Mary Sunshine in 1959, playing opposite Eileen Brennan...
|
Gary Waldhorn Gary Waldhorn is a veteran English actor, known for his role as David Horton in the sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, but who has also had a notable television and theatre career.-Theatre:...
|
Ethan Beer, Eddie Manning, Joshua Swinney |
| Cinderella |
Kim Crosby Kim Crosby is an American singer and actress, primarily on the stage and in concerts. She was the original Cinderella in the Sondheim-Lapine musical Into the Woods, where she met her now-husband Robert Westenberg. The couple married on June 19, 1991. She currently lives in Springfield, Missouri...
|
Jacqui Dankworth Jacqui Dankworth is a British jazz singer. She is the daughter of the jazz musician, arranger and composer Sir John Dankworth and the singer Dame Cleo Laine.-Career:...
|
Laura BenantiLaura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:...
|
Gillian Kirkpatrick |
Helen Dallimore Helen Dallimore is an Australian actress, known for originating the role of Glinda in the West End production of Wicked.-Background:...
|
| Jack |
Ben Wright Ben Wright is best known for originating the role of "Jack" in the Tony Award winning musical, Into the Woods. Wright's professional acting career started with George C. Wolfe's Off-Broadway production of Paradise at Playwrights Horizons...
|
Richard Dempsey Richard Dempsey is an English actor.- Biography :Dempsey's first role was at the age of 15, when he was cast as Peter Pevensie, the lead role in the BBC's adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1988. The following year, he appeared in the adaptation of Prince Caspian...
|
Adam Wylie Adam Augustus Wylie is an American television and motion picture actor, as well as a Broadway musical performer and a former Crayola spokesman.-Early life:...
|
Peter Caulfield |
Ben Stott |
| Baker |
Chip Zien Chip Zien is an American actor. He is best known for playing the lead role of the Baker in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim...
|
Ian Bartholomew Ian Bartholomew is an English actor who has worked widely in both theatre and television.In television Bartholomew's work has ranged from The Darling Buds of May, Rumpole of the Bailey, Minder, and more recently, Making Waves and Spooks....
|
Stephen DeRosa Stephen DeRosa is an American television and theatre actor.-Education:He attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., as an undergraduate, and graduated from the Yale School of Drama in New Haven, Connecticut, with an Master of Fine Arts in 1995.-Career:Although DeRosa's career has...
|
Clive Rowe Clive Rowe is a British actor, probably best known for his role as "Duke" in BBC Children's drama The Story of Tracy Beaker. Rowe grew up in Shaw, Lancashire, in the parish of East Crompton and attended St. James Primary School...
|
Mark Hadfield |
| Baker's Wife |
Joanna Gleason Joanna Gleason is a Canadian actress and singer. She is a Tony Award-winning musical theatre actress and has also had a number of notable film and TV roles.-Early life:...
|
Imelda Staunton Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
|
Kerry O'Malley |
Anna Francolini Anna Francolini is an English actress of the stage and screen. She was born in Chertsey, Surrey and studied theatre at the University of Warwick...
|
Jenna Russell Jenna Russell is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company...
|
| Cinderella's Stepmother |
Joy Franz Joy Franz is an American actress who is best known for her work within the theatre. She notably portrayed the role of Susan in the original 1972 West End production of Stephen Sondheim's Company and the role of Cinderella's Stepmother in the original 1987 Broadway production of Sondheim's Into the...
|
Ann Howard |
Pamela Myers Pamela Myers is an American actress who made her Broadway debut as Marta in Stephen Sondheim's musical Company. For this role, in which she introduced the show-stopping number, "Another Hundred People," she was nominated at the 1971 Tony awards for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical...
|
Elizabeth Brice |
Gaye Brown |
| Florinda |
Kay McClelland |
Elizabeth Brice |
Tracy Nicole Chapman |
Louise Bowden |
Amy Ellen Richardson |
| Lucinda |
Lauren Mitchell |
Liza Sadovy |
Amanda Naughton |
Lara Pulver Lara Pulver is an English actress who has received nominations for the 2008 Laurence Olivier Awards and 'Whatsonstage' Theatregoers Choice Awards.-Career:...
|
Amy Griffiths |
| Jack's Mother |
Barbara Bryne Barbara Bryne is a British-born American-based stage, film and television actress. Onstage she has appeared in comedy, dramatic and musical productions...
|
Patsy RowlandsPatsy Rowlands was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, as Betty in the popular ITV Thames sitcom Bless This House, and as Alice Meredith in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Hallelujah!.-Early years:She was born in Palmers Green, London and attended a...
|
Marylouise Burke |
Anne Reid Anne Reid, MBE is a BAFTA Award-nominated English film and television actress from Newcastle upon Tyne, best known for her roles as Valerie Tatlock in Coronation Street and Jean in dinnerladies....
|
Marilyn Cutts |
| Little Red Ridinghood |
Danielle FerlandDanielle Ferland is an American actress and singer.-Career:Ferland attended Bunnell High School in Stratford, CT from 1983–1987 and attended New York University....
|
Tessa Burbridge |
Molly Ephraim Molly Ephraim is an American actress who has appeared in films, on television and in Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatre productions. She is best known for playing the role of Wendy Greenhut in the 2008 film College Road Trip, and the daughter, Ali, in Paranormal Activity 2...
|
Suzanne Toase |
Beverly Rudd |
| Witch |
Bernadette PetersBernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
|
Julia McKenzie Julia McKenzie is an English actress, singer, and theatre director. She is best-known for her performance in Fresh Fields, but to current television audiences, she is best known for her role as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple...
|
Vanessa L. Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
|
Beverly Klein |
Hannah Waddingham Hannah Waddingham is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her contribution to West End theatre, particularly her original performance in Spamalot and in A Little Night Music...
|
| Cinderella's Father |
Edmund Lyndeck Edmund Lyndeck is an American character actor and musical theatre performer.Lyndeck, a former college professor, spent well over a dozen years in stock and regional theater roles before making his Broadway debut in the original production of 1776. After originating the role of John Witherspoon,...
|
John Rogan John Rogan is an Irish actor who has appeared in many films and TV programmes over the past thirty years. Rogan was born and educated in Waterford, Ireland and was best known as a stage actor in many productions ranging from Shakespearean plays to musicals and contemporary drama...
|
Dennis Kelly |
Martin Nelson |
| Cinderella's Mother |
Merle Louise Merle Louise is an American actress, best known for appearing in four Stephen Sondheim musicals, most famously as "The Beggar Woman" in Sweeney Todd.-Broadway and Sondheim:...
|
Eunice Gayson Eunice Gayson is a British actress best known for playing Sylvia Trench, James Bond's girlfriend in the first two Bond films...
|
Laura BenantiLaura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:...
|
Gemma Wardle |
Gemma Wardle |
| Mysterious Man |
Tom Aldredge Thomas Ernest "Tom" Aldredge was an American television, film and stage actor.-Life and career:Aldredge was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of Lucienne Juliet and W. J. Aldredge, a colonel in the United States Army Air Corps...
|
John Rogan John Rogan is an Irish actor who has appeared in many films and TV programmes over the past thirty years. Rogan was born and educated in Waterford, Ireland and was best known as a stage actor in many productions ranging from Shakespearean plays to musicals and contemporary drama...
|
John McMartin John McMartin is an American actor of stage, film and television.-Early life and career:McMartin was born in Warsaw, Indiana and raised in Minnesota. He attended college in Illinois and New York. He made his off-Broadway debut in Little Mary Sunshine in 1959, playing opposite Eileen Brennan...
|
Martin Nelson |
Billy Boyle |
| Wolf |
Robert Westenberg Robert Westenberg is an American musical theatre actor and acting teacher. He married actress and singer Kim Crosby on June 19, 1991, and the couple now have three children.-Early Life:...
|
Clive Carter Clive Carter is a British actor and singer.Carter studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His West End theatre credits include Someone Like You with Petula Clark, A Man for All Seasons with Martin Shaw, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Brendan Fraser and Ned Beatty, We Will Rock You, I...
|
Gregg EdelmanGregg Edelman is an American movie, television and theatre actor.Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Lil' Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee Grahn, and was trained at Northwestern University...
&
Christopher SieberChristopher Sieber is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Kevin Burke in Two of a Kind starring Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen and Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. Christopher studied acting and musical comedy at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City...
|
Nicholas Garrett Nick Garrett is an English bass-baritone. He was a member of the vocal ensemble, The Swingle Singers, and the original bass-baritone in the opera band Amici Forever.-Biography:Garrett was born in London and taught himself to play the piano at age seven...
|
Michael Xavier |
| Rapunzel |
Pamela Winslow Pamela Winslow is an actress who appeared in film and television roles in the early 1990s. She was the original Rapunzel in the Sondheim-Lapine musical, Into the Woods.-Early Life:...
|
Mary Lincoln |
Melissa Dye |
Christina Haldane |
Alice Fearn |
| Rapunzel's Prince |
Chuck Wagner Chuck Wagner is an American actor, Director, Musical Theatre Historian, and Teacher.-Education and early career:Wagner was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Hartsville, Tennessee. He attended public school in Gallatin, TN...
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Mark Tinkler |
Christopher Sieber Christopher Sieber is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Kevin Burke in Two of a Kind starring Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen and Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. Christopher studied acting and musical comedy at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City...
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Nic Greenshields |
Simon Thomas |
| Grandmother |
Merle Louise Merle Louise is an American actress, best known for appearing in four Stephen Sondheim musicals, most famously as "The Beggar Woman" in Sweeney Todd.-Broadway and Sondheim:...
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Eunice Gayson Eunice Gayson is a British actress best known for playing Sylvia Trench, James Bond's girlfriend in the first two Bond films...
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Pamela Myers Pamela Myers is an American actress who made her Broadway debut as Marta in Stephen Sondheim's musical Company. For this role, in which she introduced the show-stopping number, "Another Hundred People," she was nominated at the 1971 Tony awards for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical...
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Linda Hibberd |
Valda Aviks |
| Cinderella's Prince |
Robert Westenberg Robert Westenberg is an American musical theatre actor and acting teacher. He married actress and singer Kim Crosby on June 19, 1991, and the couple now have three children.-Early Life:...
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Clive Carter |
Gregg EdelmanGregg Edelman is an American movie, television and theatre actor.Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Lil' Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee Grahn, and was trained at Northwestern University...
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Nicholas Garrett Nick Garrett is an English bass-baritone. He was a member of the vocal ensemble, The Swingle Singers, and the original bass-baritone in the opera band Amici Forever.-Biography:Garrett was born in London and taught himself to play the piano at age seven...
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Michael Xavier |
| Steward |
Philip Hoffman |
Peter Ledbury |
Trent Armand Kendall |
Byron Watson |
Mark Goldthorp |
| Giant |
Merle Louise Merle Louise is an American actress, best known for appearing in four Stephen Sondheim musicals, most famously as "The Beggar Woman" in Sweeney Todd.-Broadway and Sondheim:...
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Eunice Gayson Eunice Gayson is a British actress best known for playing Sylvia Trench, James Bond's girlfriend in the first two Bond films...
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Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
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Linda Hibberd |
Judi Dench (pre-recorded voice) |
| Snow White |
Jean Louisa Kelly Jean Louisa Kelly is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her long-running role as Kim Warner on the television sitcom Yes, Dear.-Career:...
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Megan Kelly |
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Sophie Caton |
| Sleeping Beauty |
Maureen Davis |
Kate Arneil |
Jennifer Malenke |
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| Milky White |
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Chad KimballChad Kimball is a Tony Nominated American theater actor. Kimball was raised in Seattle, Washington and graduated from Boston Conservatory with a BFA in acting in 1999. After moving to New York, he was hired for the Broadway musical, The Civil War, joining the show 3 weeks before it closed...
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| Harp |
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Sophie Caton |
Musical numbers
Act I
- "Act One Prologue: Into the Woods" – Narrator, company (the Act One Prologue is divided into nine parts which are often viewed as individual songs)
- "Cinderella at the Grave" – Cinderella, Cinderella's Mother
- "Hello, Little Girl" – Wolf, Little Red Ridinghood (with a second wolf and the three little pigs added in the 2002 revival)
- "I Guess This Is Goodbye" – Jack
- "Maybe They're Magic" – Baker, Baker's Wife
- "Our Little World" – Witch, Rapunzel (added during the original London production)
- "Maybe They're Magic (reprise)" - Baker
- "I Know Things Now" – Little Red Ridinghood
- "A Very Nice Prince" – Cinderella, Baker's Wife
- "First Midnight" – Company
- "Giants in the Sky" – Jack
- "Agony" – Cinderella's Prince, Rapunzel's Prince
- "A Very Nice Prince (reprise)" – Cinderella, Baker's Wife
- "It Takes Two" – Baker, Baker's Wife
- "Second Midnight" – Company
- "Stay With Me" – Rapunzel, Witch
- "On the Steps of the Palace" – Cinderella (with Jack and Little Red Ridinghood in 2002 revival)
- "Act One Finale: Ever After" – company (the Act One Finale is divided into seven parts which are often viewed as individual songs
Act II
- "Act Two Prologue: So Happy" – Narrator, company (the Act Two Prolougue is divided into nine parts which are often viewed as individual songs)
- "Agony" (reprise) – Cinderella's Prince, Rapunzel's Prince
- "Witch's Lament" – Witch
- "Any Moment" – Cinderella's Prince, Baker's Wife
- "Any Moment (reprise)" - Cinderella's Prince, Baker's wife
- "Moments in the Woods" – Baker's Wife
- "Your Fault" – Jack, Baker, Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood, Witch
- "Last Midnight" – Witch
- "No More" – Baker, Mysterious Man
- "No One Is Alone (part 1)" – Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood
- "No One Is Alone (part 2)" - Cinderella, Baker, Little Red Ridinghood, Jack
- "Act Two Finale: Children Will Listen" – Company (the finale is divided into five parts which are often viewed as individual songs)
Analysis of book and music
In most productions of
Into the Woods, including the original Broadway production, several parts are doubled. Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf, who share the characteristic of being unable to control their appetites, are played by the same actor. Similarly, the Narrator and the Mysterious Man, who share the characteristic of commenting on the story while avoiding any personal involvement or responsibility, are played by the same actor. Granny and Cinderella's Mother, whose characters are both matriarchal characters in the story, are also typically played by the same person, who also gives voice to the nurturing but later murderous Giant's Wife.
The show covers multiple themes: growing up, parents and children, accepting responsibility, morality, and finally, wish fulfillment and its consequences. William A. Henry III wrote that the play's "basic insight ... is at heart, most fairy tales are about the loving yet embattled relationship between parents and children. Almost everything that goes wrong — which is to say, almost everything that can — arises from a failure of parental or filial duty, despite the best intentions." Stephen Holden writes that the themes of the show include parent-child relationships and the individual's responsibility to the community. The witch isn't just a scowling old hag, but a key symbol of moral ambivalence. James Lapine said that the most unpleasant person (the Witch) would have the truest things to say and the "nicer" people would be less honest. In the Witch's words: "I'm not good; I'm not nice; I'm just right."
The score is also notable in Sondheim's output, because of its intricate reworking and development of small musical motifs. In particular, the opening words, "I wish", are set to the interval of a rising major second and this small unit is both repeated and developed throughout the show, just as Lapine's book explores the consequences of self-interest and "wishing." The dialogue in the show is characterized by the heavy use of
syncopatedIn music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
speech. In many instances, the characters' lines are delivered with a fixed beat that follows natural speech rhythms, but is also purposely composed in eighth, sixteenth, and quarter note rhythms as part of a spoken song. Like many Sondheim/Lapine productions, the songs contain thought-process narrative, where characters converse or think aloud.
Sondheim drew on parts of his troubled childhood when writing the show. In 1987, he told
TimeTime is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine that the "father uncomfortable with babies [was] his father, and [the] mother who regrets having had children [was] his mother."
The music is scored for 1 Flute/Piccolo, 1 Clarinet (A and Bb), 1 Bassoon, 2 Horns, 1 Trumpet, 2 Violins, 2 violas, 1 Cello, 1 Bass, 1 Piano, 1 Synthesizer, Percussions and a Piano-Conductor.
Original Broadway production
| Year |
Award Ceremony |
Category |
Nominee |
Result |
| 1988 |
Tony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
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Best Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack...
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| Best Original Score The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics...
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Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
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| Best Book of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible...
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James Lapine James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated...
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| Best Direction of a Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. Prior to 1960, category for direction included plays and musicals.-1950s:Note: this category was for both dramatic and musical productions...
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| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical |
Joanna Gleason Joanna Gleason is a Canadian actress and singer. She is a Tony Award-winning musical theatre actress and has also had a number of notable film and TV roles.-Early life:...
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| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been presented since 1947...
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Robert Westenberg Robert Westenberg is an American musical theatre actor and acting teacher. He married actress and singer Kim Crosby on June 19, 1991, and the couple now have three children.-Early Life:...
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| Best Choreography -1940s:* 1947: Agnes de Mille – Brigadoon / Michael Kidd – Finian's Rainbow* 1948: Jerome Robbins – High Button Shoes* 1949: Gower Champion – Lend An Ear-1950s:* 1950: Helen Tamiris – Touch and Go* 1951: Michael Kidd – Guys and Dolls...
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Lar Lubovitch Lar Lubovitch is an American choreographer and founded his own dance company, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company in 1968. Based in New York City, he and the company have toured worldwide....
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| Best Scenic Design |
Tony Straiges Tony Straiges is a scenic designer for the stage and ballet. He has designed the sets for some 17 Broadway musicals, plays and specials...
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| Best Costume Design These are the winners and nominees for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. The award was first presented in 1947 and included both plays and musicals...
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Ann Hould-Ward Ann Hould-Ward is an American costume designer, primarily for the theatre and dance. She has designed the costumes for 19 Broadway productions . She won the 1994 Tony Award for Beauty and the Beast....
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| Best Lighting Design This is a list of the winners of the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a play or musical, first presented in 1970. In 2005 the category was divided with each genre represented separately.-1970s:* 1970: Jo Mielziner – Child's Play...
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Richard Nelson Richard Nelson may refer to:* Richard Nelson , anthropologist and writer* Richard Nelson , Episcopal bishop in America...
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| Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
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Outstanding Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since. Before the 21st Drama Desk Awards, acting awards were given without making distinctions between roles in straight dramas as opposed to musicals, nor were there...
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| Outstanding Music The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee comprising New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
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Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
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| Outstanding Lyrics The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
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| Outstanding Book of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee which comprises New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
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James Lapine James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated...
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| Outstanding Director of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical was first awarded at the 1974–1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...
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| Outstanding Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...
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Bernadette PetersBernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
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| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...
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Robert Westenberg Robert Westenberg is an American musical theatre actor and acting teacher. He married actress and singer Kim Crosby on June 19, 1991, and the couple now have three children.-Early Life:...
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| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical was first awarded in the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has subsequently been awarded every year. In the 1993-1994 Drama Desk Awards the award was given under the name of Outstanding Supporting Actress - Musical...
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Joanna Gleason Joanna Gleason is a Canadian actress and singer. She is a Tony Award-winning musical theatre actress and has also had a number of notable film and TV roles.-Early life:...
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Danielle FerlandDanielle Ferland is an American actress and singer.-Career:Ferland attended Bunnell High School in Stratford, CT from 1983–1987 and attended New York University....
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| Outstanding Set Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee composed of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
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Tony Straiges Tony Straiges is a scenic designer for the stage and ballet. He has designed the sets for some 17 Broadway musicals, plays and specials...
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| Outstanding Costume Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
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Ann Hould-Ward Ann Hould-Ward is an American costume designer, primarily for the theatre and dance. She has designed the costumes for 19 Broadway productions . She won the 1994 Tony Award for Beauty and the Beast....
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| Outstanding Lighting Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
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Richard Nelson Richard Nelson may refer to:* Richard Nelson , anthropologist and writer* Richard Nelson , Episcopal bishop in America...
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| Outstanding Orchestrations The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
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Jonathan Tunick Jonathan Tunick is an American orchestrator, musical director, and composer, one of twelve people to have won all four major American show business awards: the Tony, Oscar, Emmy and Grammy. He has also worked with all of the other eleven people. His principal instrument is the clarinet...
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Original London production
| Year |
Award Ceremony |
Category |
Nominee |
Result |
| 1991 |
Laurence Olivier Award |
Best New Musical |
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| Best Director of a Musical The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director of a Musical was introduced in 1991 and later withdrawn in 1995.-Award winners:* 1991: Richard Jones – Into the Woods** Charles Augins – Five Guys Named Moe** Ian Judge – Show Boat...
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Richard Jones -Artists and entertainers:* F. Richard Jones , American filmmaker* Dick Clair , born Richard Jones, American producer, actor and TV writer* Richard Jones , British bass guitarist...
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| Best Actor in a Musical |
Ian Bartholomew Ian Bartholomew is an English actor who has worked widely in both theatre and television.In television Bartholomew's work has ranged from The Darling Buds of May, Rumpole of the Bailey, Minder, and more recently, Making Waves and Spooks....
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| Best Actress in a Musical |
Imelda Staunton Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
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| Julia McKenzie Julia McKenzie is an English actress, singer, and theatre director. She is best-known for her performance in Fresh Fields, but to current television audiences, she is best known for her role as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple...
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| Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical |
Clive Carter Clive Carter is a British actor and singer.Carter studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His West End theatre credits include Someone Like You with Petula Clark, A Man for All Seasons with Martin Shaw, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Brendan Fraser and Ned Beatty, We Will Rock You, I...
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| Best Costume Design |
Sue Blane Susan Margret Blane is best known for her costume designs for both The Rocky Horror Show and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.-Life and career:...
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1999 London revival
| Year |
Award Ceremony |
Category |
Nominee |
Result |
| 1999 |
Laurence Olivier Award |
Outstanding Musical Production |
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| Best Actress in a Musical |
Sophie Thompson Sophie Thompson is an award-winning English actress, best known for playing Stella Crawford in EastEnders.-Early life:...
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2002 Broadway revival
| Year |
Award Ceremony |
Category |
Nominee |
Result |
| 2002 |
Tony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
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Best Revival of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical has been awarded since 1994. Before that time, both plays and musicals were considered together for the Tony Award for Best Revival....
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| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival...
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John McMartin John McMartin is an American actor of stage, film and television.-Early life and career:McMartin was born in Warsaw, Indiana and raised in Minnesota. He attended college in Illinois and New York. He made his off-Broadway debut in Little Mary Sunshine in 1959, playing opposite Eileen Brennan...
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| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical |
Vanessa L. Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
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| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been presented since 1947...
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Greg Edelman |
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| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of the Tony Award for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. The award, introduced in 1950, was previously named as Best Performance by a Featured or Supporting Actress in a Musical until 1976....
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Laura BenantiLaura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:...
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| Best Direction of a Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. Prior to 1960, category for direction included plays and musicals.-1950s:Note: this category was for both dramatic and musical productions...
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James Lapine James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated...
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| Best Choreography -1940s:* 1947: Agnes de Mille – Brigadoon / Michael Kidd – Finian's Rainbow* 1948: Jerome Robbins – High Button Shoes* 1949: Gower Champion – Lend An Ear-1950s:* 1950: Helen Tamiris – Touch and Go* 1951: Michael Kidd – Guys and Dolls...
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John Carrafa John Carrafa is a dancer and choreographer. He has been nominated for the Tony Award twice.Carrafa graduated from Bates College in 1976. He performed with the Twyla Tharp Company for ten years after graduation....
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| Best Scenic Design |
Douglas W. Schmidt |
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| Best Costume Design These are the winners and nominees for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. The award was first presented in 1947 and included both plays and musicals...
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Susan Hilferty Susan Hilferty is an American costume designer for theatre, opera, and film. She received the 2001 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Costume Design....
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| Best Lighting Design This is a list of the winners of the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a play or musical, first presented in 1970. In 2005 the category was divided with each genre represented separately.-1970s:* 1970: Jo Mielziner – Child's Play...
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Brian MacDevitt Brian MacDevitt is a lighting designer for theatrical productions. He has worked extensively on Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as touring, Regional theatre, and Industrial productions....
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| Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
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Outstanding Revival of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical was first awarded at the 1994 Drama Desk Awards.-1990s:* 1994: She Loves Me** Carousel** Damn Yankees** My Fair Lady* 1996: The King and I** I Do! I Do!...
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| Outstanding Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...
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Laura BenantiLaura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:...
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| Vanessa L. Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
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| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...
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Greg Edelman |
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| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical was first awarded in the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has subsequently been awarded every year. In the 1993-1994 Drama Desk Awards the award was given under the name of Outstanding Supporting Actress - Musical...
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Kerry O'Malley |
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| Outstanding Director of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical was first awarded at the 1974–1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...
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James Lapine James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated...
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| Outstanding Set Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee composed of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
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Douglas W. Schmidt |
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| Outstanding Costume Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
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Susan Hilferty Susan Hilferty is an American costume designer for theatre, opera, and film. She received the 2001 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Costume Design....
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| Outstanding Sound Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors. It honors the sound designers of productions staged on Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and for legitimate not-for-profit theaters, all...
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Dan Moses Schreier |
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2011 London revival
| Year |
Award Ceremony |
Category |
Nominee |
Result |
| 2011 |
Laurence Olivier Award |
Best Musical Revival |
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| Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical |
Michael Xavier |
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External links