To purchase the DVD of the original Broadway production of INTO THE WOODS, click on the image above.
The new Kansas City Repertory Theatre production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods, directed by venezuelan director Moisés Kaufman, best known for writing The Laramie Project with other members of Tectonic Theater Project, opens tonight for a run through October 4.
The cast includes a mix of actors from New York musical theatre and Kansas City natives, featuring Euan Morton (Narrator), Lauren Worsham (Cinderella), KC Comeaux (Jack), Brynn O’Malley (Baker’s Wife), Zachary Prince (Baker), Katie Kalahurka (Florinda), Katie Karel (Lucinda), Melinda MacDonald (Cinderella’s Stepmother), Kip Niven (Mysterious Man/Cinderella’s Father), Claybourne Elder (Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince), Michele Ragusa (Witch), Tina Stafford (Jack’s Mother/Cinderella’s Mother/Granny/Voice of Giant), Dana Steingold (Little Red Riding Hood), Lauren Braton (Rapunzel), Patrick DuLaney (Steward/Boy’s Father), Zackary Hoar (Boy) and Brandon Sollenberger (Rapunzel’s Prince).
With choreography is by Daniel Pelzig, the show will also feature extensive puppetry created by Kansas City’s puppet master Paul Mesner. Here is a video clip of Kaufman talking about the production:
Musical Cyberspace 
Actually, that is precisely the point. This show is being marketed as an unconventional take on the show, highly original and, based off of the press materials, it seems that audiences should expect the most thrilling staging of a musical since Hal Prince’s original production of Follies.
But the addenda to the materials – the photos and video clips – tell a different story, as does the word of mouth and even the generally glowing reviews. (See the reviews here, by the way: The Kansas City Star, KC Confidential and KC Infozine.) While the performances wildly enthusiastic notices and the design team generally gets its dues, the one who draws criticism – if in fact his work on the show is discussed in any detail at all – is Moisés Kaufman. Actually it’s really only the KC Confidential review that offers anything more than the most cursory of mentions to the direction itself:
I don’t think it sounds like Kaufman’s so-called “inventive” concept works that well, nor do I think that the concept seems all that inventive to begin with. That’s what I said at the start and that’s still the way I feel about it. Only now, having read more negative reactions than positive to Kaufman’s choices I feel somewhat vindicated in my reaction towards this production.
Meanwhile, the choices of what’s included and what’s not seem rather odd. There seems to be an inconsistent mix of original and revival as well as some other changes, like:
Some people have said they find it hard to believe that MTI – not to mention Sondheim and Lapine – approved of this mixing and matching, and I tend to concur with that opinion – although logic dictates that, as such a high profile production, the correct permissions must have been obtained somehow.
Just for the record, the MTI libretto of Into the Woods offers the Two Wolf “Hello Little Girl”, “Our Little World”, the alternate “On the Steps of the Palace”, and the alternate “Last Midnight” (basically all the changes from the last revival) as optional material. So MTI is giving the option of mixing and matching, it is up to the director to decide what version he wants to use.
So technically, aside from giving the last “I wish” to the little boy (which I think is a poor choice), they aren’t breaking any rules.
All right, I guess that accounts for it then. Still, I can’t think why anyone would want to use any of the changes from the revival. They are deplorable. And the reallocation of the final line really just shows how Kaufman has to force his concept onto the material to make it work.
OK, here’s what I should have written then:
I saw this last weekend. I enjoyed it.
The end.
Did anyone else see that child get flown in out of nowhere to sing the final “I Wish?”
First off, no one was making anything into a big deal. And, yeah, so the Wolverine lookalike wasn’t distracting, but what did it add? It seems pointless, and like they added a joke just to add a joke.
This show is amazing! Easily topping The Lion King, In the Heights, Legally Blonde, Curtains, and Wicked.
Granted I have never seen Into the Woods prior to seeing this show on Thursday morning. I had never even picked up the CD, so I can’t really compare it to anything.
The whole story line of the little boy sounds like it’s the biggest change in Kaufman’s version. The show starts in the little boy’s bedroom. His father picks out a book from the armoire and shuts the doors. He opens the book and says, “Once upon a time.” The narrator comes up out of the floor (more like “flying” out of the floor and begins singing. Almost all the characters then enter through the boy’s bedroom, through the armoire, under the bed, etc. The room then sinks into the stage about half way through the first song. And the entire stage is the little boys bedroom about 3 or 4 times human size. The things most interesting to myself was the toys laying around the room then became larger versions used in the story. (i.e. Cinderella’s coach.)
The acting was incredible, likewise the singing.
One of the things mentioned in some of the reviews was the professionalism. These actors and crew did not miss ANYTHING. This show could have not been more on cue. It was worth seeing for that reason alone.
A couple extra things were added here and there, the witch rapped a line in the first song (something the audience full of teenagers who I saw it with really enjoyed.) After the giant was killed in the 2nd act, the little boy rolled a giant (very lifelike) eyeball across the stage. Cute, but a little creepy.
Also the flying of the little boy at the end was a sort of magical way to end the show. He was so precious. And the finale pose with him in the air was neat.
Overall – better than any of the reviews. If you have some money to spend – get there.
REALLY?
Also, the witch is supposed to rap.
It will definitely be one of my top favorites.
On the 2002 Revival Cast Recording, the witch didn’t rap.