Into the Woods - Original Broadway Cast (DVD)

I remember seeing this broadcast on PBS many years ago. I've always loved fairy tales, and those represented in Into the Woods are among my favorites. I loved Act I, which creatively and humorously retells and interweaves these tales, but Act II just didn't work for me. My precious fairy tales were deconstructed and the happy endings were all blown apart. This was terribly disappointing to my husband whom I met many years later, who absolutely loves this show and got to see it on stage as well. Suffice it to say he has successfully reintroduced this show to me and now I absolutely love it too! Yes, it brings beloved fantasies down to earth and into real life, but as such they become profound metaphors of life, some obvious and others not as much. It's not hard to see why it won several Tony Awards. Performances are all excellent, if not thoroughly polished -- the narrator & Jack's mother are weak on their singing, but it works for those characters. The leads are all incredible. The music is very catchy (I can't get it out of my head since we watched this DVD) and mostly upbeat; the lyrics are incredibly clever, sometimes wickedly so, which I think is a Sondheim trademark. I would rate this about a PG-13 production. In many ways it is coming-of-age stories with some adult implications (the wolf's costume especially comes to mind!). Everyone can easily love Act I, but I think Act II requires a little maturity to truly appreciate it (one of my complaints in my younger viewing was that it felt tedious; now I can look back and see I didn't really get it!). This DVD contains only the complete stage production; there are no special features nor any extras at all. I think it could benefit considerably from someone producing a featurette on the show, hence my 4-stars on value.

Saw it on Broadway with this cast and loved it. Enjoyed this recorded performance-- it captured the spirit of the staged version. Wonderful cast and music.

I LOVE this musical! Sondheim is a musical genius who has crafted a wonderful masterpiece!

love the movie, but on the dvd was cut a little short in the first credits and the intermission compared to the vhs