Into the Woods (2002 Broadway Revival Cast)

Not a terrible recording (The London Cast) but nothing outshines the original!


" you're not good, you're not bad- you're just NICE!"   December 6, 2002
thouh it come in a great box set complete with a nice booklet with fantastic color photos and complete lyrics, the recording itself is not al that good! Ms. Williams is a great witch but not as good as Bernadette's in the OBC. the other principals are
also good but mostly, not as good as the obc. the vocals are great but it sometimes lacks the wit and humor of the play that's found in the Original Broadway Cast (OBC). if you want another recording of this great and wonderful show, except for the OBC, try the london cast. the bonus there is-that the director is not James Lapine (who directed both b'way productions) which give a different look on this classic show. (the london cast is great- except for Jack's mother but most of the others are great!!!_).
plus, bothe london cast and this cast have a new song "our little world" which is a wonderful duet for witch and rapunzel- this song is not featured in the obc- as it was written for the london production.
so this is a great recording but not as good as OBC. a collector's item for Broadway cast fanatics after they have the OBC already. Have fun! (and have the OBC and London cast!)


"...the light is good, I have no fear [cuz I'm so good]"   December 2, 2002
 1 out of 5 found this review helpful

This past April I saw "Into the Woods" on Broadway. Just recently being a "broadway enthusiast" I had heard (mostly) good things about Sondheim (who I didn't know at all) and Lapine's fairytale musical (with a supposedly darker second act). When I left the theater I was dazzled by the awesome magical forests and storybook houses in the show, however, something wasn't right! And buying the CD, I was right.

I was really disappointed with Into the Woods, it was weird, something didn't fit. I watched the movie a month later. Into the Woods is now one of my favorite comedic musicals. The new CD takes many aspects of the original 1987 production and makes it better as much as it makes it worse. Tiny new elements which give the show it's spark really bring the magic to life. Even the first few seconds, the use of the clock bells (to the theme of "Don't you know what's out there in the world...") gives a Cinderella/fairytale effect. John McMartin's rather drunk-sounding "Once Upon a Time" immediately shows the satire of fairytales through out the show.

The characters are much different, especially (the not the same but independent and individually wonderful) Laura Benanti as Cinderella and (the totally different, for a reason) Mary Louise Burke as Jack's Mother. Unlike one of the earlier reviews, I felt that the Baker sounds like more of a weak sissy with a light and pretty voice than Chip Zien as the sometimes harsh but rather ambitious-voiced Baker of the 80's. But now that I have seen both shows, I really need to see the new one again. The characters are funny, but have a different spark (sometimes seeming bad) than the original. For example, Jack sounds really bad! I met the guy and he was very entertaining on-stage, yet his voice doesn't seem right to a new listener. Many of the little things that happen with the characters in singing in the new CD are part of telling the story. If you're a big fan of the old musical, the show and interpretations are very different although the score remains very similar (especially when considering the Witch, Jack's Mother, and the Baker's Wife), so be prepared, but keep an open mind, acting is about different interpretations of the same words.

A major improvement of the musical is the orchestra. The first one was great, but the instruments and the subtle accents of the orchestra are even more noticeable in the 2002 version.

The little added voice parts are fun, but sometimes ruin some elements. At the end of On The Steps of the Palace, the added harmony is kinda squished in, but it is pretty. Later, however, as beautiful as the complete ending of No One is Alone is, the orchestra ends perfectly in major harmony, unlike the foreboding and mysterious synthesizer note played at the end of the song in the original CD. Ironically, although "the new show"'s second act was much darker than the OBC's, No One is Alone sounded much "happier" than would be expected (especially considering the Finale's scary and slow piano sounds as the clock ringing).

Overall, the new CD sounds a lot worse than broadway singers should, yet, when considering why they sing this way, it is a part of telling the story. The CD is wonderful in aspect of the orchestra, yet a few tiny elements are missing.


Doesn't hold a candle to the original   October 17, 2002
 3 out of 9 found this review helpful

None of the principals hold a candle to the original. This CD is a testimony to the sad state of Broadway. In one word- if you want a recording of ITW, buy the original recording!