Simply A Masterpiece

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Stephen Sondheim has written some of the most delightful melodies in Broadway history, and if you listen to each of his scores, you will pick up something different from each show. Even with his overtures or opening non-sung introductions, there is something fabulous to be heard. Take the openings of "Follies" and "A Little Night Music" which have such twists and turns that no other composer could have thought of and are delightful to the individual ear. Each of his shows, too, have a different theme, and even if somebody else wrote the book, it is always Sondheim whom you think of when watching those shows."Into the Woods" may not have been the first of the fairy tale shows, but unlike "Once Upon a Mattress" and "Cinderella", it is one that forces its audience to look way beyond the context of the story which they are being told. Each storyline here has characters that are forced to look at their plight with a need to change or at least make some alterations in their lives. In other words, this is a more serious version of "Fractured Fairy Tales", made famous on the "Bullwinkle" show, yet still having a tongue in its cheek that makes the lessons learned even more valuable.For this "American Playhouse" filming of the 1988 Broadway show, the original cast was reunited late in the show's run. At the time, movie musicals were pretty much a thing of the past, so there was probably no clue that a movie of this would ever be made, even though it certainly has been hinted at for decades. Bernadette Peters took essentially a secondary part and turned it into the diva role playing a witch with several different guises. Unlike the "Wicked" witch, she isn't green, and it isn't water which destroys her. But like that "wicked" witch, she is perhaps the wisest character here, knowing that there is definitely a difference between "nice" and being "good". She is the one character who provides the "truths", especially that we should all "be careful of the things you say".Chip Zien and Joanna Gleason are the prominent leads as the Baker and his wife, repeating their original roles (for which Gleason won a Tony) and truly provide the heart and soul of the story. Jack (and his beanstalk), a little girl with a red cape, a poor girl who lives among the cinders and an innocent maiden in a tower also provide their lessons, and some do not make it out of here alive. They also have to remember that "Ever After" isn't always "Happily Ever After", sung here with equal cynicism that Carol Burnett had sung about the same themes in "Mattress" years before.No matter how the new movie turns out (and I look forward to seeing it), this original production will always be around for everybody to see. Having seen the original national tour, the 2002 Broadway revival and a 2012 Central Park version which really did take you "Into the Woods", I have noticed all the changes, but the universal themes of isolation, abandonment, slavery, death, birth and betrayal all remain truthful to this day. A new Off Broadway revival opening soon also gives it a new look, making this the ever-changing show that will continue to mesmerize theater goers for decades to come. But as long as Sondheim's melodies remain and the themes don't change, this will continue to delight new audiences who have come back to the wonderful world of the musical theater which was almost as dead as Jack's giant when this first premiered.

I've loved this since i was a kid. the concept is great and so are the songs. Placiong together stories and characters for various fairy tales and creating something completely new to me is just genius. Some of the characters are hilarious and others are really believable such as the wolf and Prince charming. The songs are also brilliantly written and performed. One of the main strengths of this show was that everybody could act well and sing better. My personal favourites are the two songs done by the two princes 'Agony'. And of course the song sung by the Wolf when hes planning his evil idea for Red Riding Hood, 'that kind of scrumptious delectable feast twice in one day...there's no possible way...to describe how you feel...when your talking to your meal!!!'. Anyway back to the original point this show is amazing and really worth watching, and also don't write it off as a silly kids show because most of the jokes and quirky remarks are written for adults.

Into the Woods is a show that will make you appreciate and love Broadway. If you have ever seen this show done by anyone else and compared it to Broadway, You have a very long critic coming your way. This magical fairy tale will be one you will always remember and is as close to perfect as you can get in a show.

It was this show that first introduced me to the wonderful world of Sondheim, and, for that reason, it will always have a special place in my heart. In my opinion, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, and Sweeny Todd are Sondheim's greatest works, and three of the greatest musicals of our time. Bernadette Peters is the absolute queen of Sondheim shows, and this is one of her greatest roles. She is the definitive witch, and her performance sparkles with a huge spectrum of feelings and emotions. This is one of those shows that can make you laugh and cry almost instantaneously. Some of the standout songs include the hilarious 'Agony,' the heartfelt 'No One is Alone' and 'Children Will Listen,' and, my favourite, 'Your Fault/Last Midnight,' which, I think, is so easily applied, and makes such a huge statement about our materialistic society today. This is a must-have for any Sondheim or Bernadette fan. A brilliant show!