Broadway's 'Into The Woods' Revival: My Best Time In The Theatre In Ages

All photos by Matt Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

The show: “Into the Woods” at the St. James Theatre in NYC.

What is it:? Limited run of the acclaimed Encores! production presented earlier this year of the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical — which I first saw when it premiered in 1987.

Encores!? Isn’t that where the “Chicago:” revival began before it transferred to Broadway?: Yep. And 10,000 performances “Chicago” later, it’s still on Broadway. “Into the Woods” would have a healthy run, too, I venture, but it has to exit this particular theatre to make room for the revival of “The Piano Lesson.” (BTW: The St. James Theatre is far too large a venue for a play like that. This is a theatre best suited for musicals.)

Hasn’t this show been revived plenty of times:? You bet. In New York in Central Park before the pandemic , by regional theaters and schools and universities. But it hasn't been back on Broadway in 20 years.

So what makes this revival special?: Its casting, performance and focus on the many shadings of this rich show. One more thing: It’s the funniest production of the show — without giving up any of its deeply felt and well-earned emotions.

What’s it about? This musical is probably the most plot-dense (not to mention thematically rich) musical ever written. Still, I would say most children have no problem following it (or least most of it). There’s something powerfully entrancing about fairy tales told well. Their parents are another matter.

And the plot?: Mash-up of a bunch of fairy takes, with a sor- of happy ending at the end of the first act. The second act takes up after the “and they lived happily ever after,” taking great exception to that standard closer. Life is a lot of more complicated than that.

And the production?: Directed by Lear deBessonet, the production is sublime, joyous, moving, wondrous. The performances are perfection. The night I saw it Brian d’Arcy James as the Baker was out and Jason Forbach was on in his stead and he was terrific. Cole Thompson was also out as Jack but Alex Joseph Grayson was just splendid in the role, nailing “Giants in the Sky.” It’s also great to discover a fresh face or two and the cast and audience were energized by the two fine actors getting their chance to shine on Broadway. I want to see more of both of them.

Phillipa Soo’s Cinderella’s a lovely dreaminess about her — but can also be damn funny too (her series of pratfalls is something). Julia Lester was the best Little Red Riding Hood since the original production’s Danielle Ferland. Lester is a natural comedian and possessed the right amount of comic snap and toughness and yet also had the believable vulnerability that the character must also have to succeed.

However, the actor who was a revelation to me is Sara Bareilles as the Baker’s Wife, giving a very grounded but also heartfelt and funny performance. What she does in the difficult song, “Moments in then Woods,” is miraculous, pivoting to a dozen conflicting emotions with clarity and pop.

Also enchanting were Patina Miller as the Witch; Annie Golden as the grandmother and the voice of the Giant’s Wife ; Aymee Garcia as Jack’s mother; Ta’Nika Gibson and Brooke Ishibashi as the Stepsisters; David Patrick Key as Narrator and Mysterious Man; David Turner as the Steward; Alysia Velez as Rapunzel; and a very funny Nancy Opel as the Stepmother.

Lorin Latarro did the always lively movement and choreography; David Rockwell kept the scenic design simple but effective with a series of towering white cylinders representing white birches of a forest; also a looming moon in the distance, and just a few platforms. That’s it. Milky White’s puppet design by James Ortiz (love the dugs) is masterfully manipulated by Kennedy Kanagaw, who also contributed bird voices and got the Giants Wife off on the right foot — literally.

Who will like it?: Sondheim fans will be overjoyed with happiness and mark this as a very special and warm-hearted way to celebrate Sondheim since his death at the age of 91 last November.

Who won’t?: Witches. Giants. Grouches.

For the kids?: By all means. Well, not the littlest of kids but precocious children in upper elementary school grades will love the tale. Caution that the second act gets a bit dark (several characters, including a main one dies). But that’s life — and death — when traveling through the woods.

Thoughts on leaving the theatre on the train ride back home: For me, Sara Bareilles is a revelation. I always knew she was a wonderful singer but more than that she’s a transformative performer. To look at her on stage at the very beginning you might think she just walked off the street onto the stage, a bit drab perhaps, easily lost in a crowd. But then watch as she dives into the scenes, gradually becoming this extraordinary woman, with a voice so beautiful, so nuanced, so full of delicious delights — and so comically right. (If SHE were cast in “Funny Girl” she would not only sing it beautifully — and in her own special way -- but she’d be damn funny, too.)

And a few more thoughts: Though I missed Brian D’Arcy Jams as the Baker and Cole Thompson as Jack, I would say shoe-ins for Tony noms next year (if nominators can remember this far back — always a challenge) should be Bareilles. as leading actress in a musical, Julia Lester as Little Red Riding hood and Gavin Creel as The Wolf and Cinderella’s Prince for best featured actor/actress in a musical.

Creel sidenote: Creel will be out for a week or so from later July to early August because he will be at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Waterford trying out his new music project: “Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice,” with book, lyrics, and music by Creel. Public Readings: Saturday, July 30 at 7p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 3 at 8 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m.