Well, dear readers, here we are, bright and early on a brand spanking new Monday. I have to write these here notes bright and early because then I am heading off to Image Entertainment where I will join Miss Cindy Williams and Mr. Stephen Nathan to do interviews and the group commentary track for my very own film, The First Nudie Musical. After that, a few of the supporting players will come in to do interviews, and there’ll be more of those tomorrow. I felt we should all be in the nude for these interviews and commentary tracks – I felt that until I looked in the mirror and realized that I am now twenty-seven years older and the reality of that thought made me realize the folly of what I felt (not that I was nude twenty-seven years ago – at least in the film; I was occasionally nude in my own home). You know what I just realized for the first time? Well, I’ll tell you what I just realized for the first time because, frankly, why should I keep such a thing from you? What I just realized for the first time is this: On May 5th (Cinco de Mayo) it will be twenty-seven years since the first day of filming. And do you know how old I was? Twenty-seven. Isn’t that interesting? It is fascinating to revisit work you did that long ago. It was also fascinating to revisit Into the Woods yesterday, but more about that later.
I have been forced of late to revisit other things lately, as well, and those revisitings have been interesting, too, not always in a pleasant way. But more about that later.
I am currently sucking on a Ricola, a curious thing to do at five-thirty in the morning. What that has to do with the price of tamales is anyone’s guess. Here is another interesting fact: I have never eaten a tamale. Why is that? I think it’s because I don’t like the word “tamale”. “Enchilada” has a nice ring to it, as does “taco” and “taquito” and even “guacamole”. But “tamale” sounds yechhhy to me so I’ve never tried one. That’s right, you heard it here, dear readers, I’ve never said “Hello, Tamale” – on the other hand, I have said, “Ta tamale”. But more about that later.
Geez, I’m writing the entire notes in the teaser box. How unseemly of me. I will now be bitch-slapped for sure. Let’s all click on that damnable Unseemly Button below before someone has a hissy fit.
I get jealous when someone has a hissy fit, because, frankly, my hissies have never fit. They’ve always been loose and baggy or far too tight. That is just unseemly, hissy fit-wise. In any case, I saw the brand spanking new production of Into the Woods at yesterday’s opening. If my close personal friend, Mr. Stephen Sondheim, was there, I didn’t see him. But let me tell you, the celebraties were out in force. I saw Miss Loni Ackerman. I saw Mr. Charles Kimbrough and his lovely Beth Howland. I saw the lovely producer, Joan Stein. I saw the glamorous Susan Egan. I saw the handsome Harry Groener and his lovely wife, Dawn Didiwick. I saw Mr. Robert Morse. I saw Mr. Richard Sherman (he of the Sherman Brothers). I saw so many people, and a few of them even saw me.
My first thought about a revival of Into the Woods is, why? It hasn’t been all that long since it’s been gone (it opened at the very end of 1987, and I think it played for at least two years). But, the answer to “why”, of course, is why not? Apparently, Mr. Lapine thought it would be fun to revisit this material, and so he has. Visually, it’s a very different production, and I liked that aspect of it quite a bit. Milky White, for example, is now played by a person. That works very well indeed and is, in fact, an improvement. They’ve added a bit of Our Little World (written for the London production), and they’ve made Hello, Little Girl a duet for two wolves (not such a great change, in my opinion). There may have been other changes, but I don’t know the show well enough, having only seen it twice before (once in the touring version with Cleo Laine, which I didn’t like at all, and once on video, which I did enjoy).
The settings and costumes are lovely, and the band sounds fine (except for the occasional French horn clam). The pace seems off in the first act. I don’t remember it ever feeling this long. The second act, in fact, seemed peppier even though it’s darker in tone. Some of the cast is terrific and some less so. Vanessa Williams is fine as the Witch, but she’s not a wonderful actress and doesn’t really have the personality to pull it off as a true star turn, like Bernadette Peters did. Kerri O’Malley is terrific as the Baker’s Wife, Gregg Edelman and Chris Seiber do well with the Princes, and John McMartin is always a delight. Several of the actors don’t seem to be able to keep up with either the pace or demands of some of the music, and that is very jarring in a Sondheim show. Mr. Gemignani has to work hard to hold those sections together, not always successfully. It’s great to see Pam Myers back in a Sondheim show. Laura Benanti is fine as Cinderella, and the Little Red Riding Hood is fine as well. The original cast were a bit more distinctive overall, I think, but, to my mind, only Ms. O’Malley and Mr. McMartin actually improve upon the original folks. The choreography, by the fellow who did Urinetown, is not very good (especially the very very busy stepwork on Into the Woods – like a maniacs version of Follow the Yellow Brick Road), which surprised me given the fact that I’ve heard this chap is like the second coming.
All of that said, I’ve always found Into the Woods a curious piece. There are bits of it I really like and bits I don’t. Seeing it again has not changed my opinion, although, at least in this production, the second act seems to work better than it originally did. But what is undeniable is the greatness of the score by Sondheim. It has some of his best and most heartfelt music and the lyrics achieve genius status several times (most notably in the reprise of Agony). Giants In The Sky is a brilliant theater song, and No One Is Alone and Children Will Listen are just gorgeous. I just wish I liked the whole of the show better, rather than the parts.
What am I, Ken Mandelbaum all of a sudden? Anyway, everyone should go see it for themselves. I have no idea how it will fare in New York, although there are always Sondheimites who will fill the theater for at least a time.
Don’t forget, there’s a brand spanking new radio show up for your listening pleasure – I believe it’s a Valentine’s show, for all you romantics out there (you know who you are). Also, you have just a few more hours to get me your trivia guesses. If you missed the weekend notes, do click on the Unseemly Archive Button and read them – after all, you wouldn’t want to have missed the classic Hinky Meltz and Ernest Ernest song, What’s Gnu?
Well, dear readers, I must get ready to leave. After all, there are things to do, places to go, people to see, and hissies to fit. But more about that later.