Be Careful What You Wish For
I wish...
more than anything...
more than jewels...
I wish...
more than the moon...
That it was Christmas so that I could watch one of my favorite musicals glow in the light of this new theatrical release. So that, as Kylee puts it, we can see the real story. (We love our DVD of the original Broadway production, but being a theatrical production, does look "staged" rather than "real." Hasn't stopped Kylee from watching it a dozen or so times, but still.)
undefined on Disney Video
After years of voting this on our, "I wish it were a major motion picture," list, many of my theatre friends seem (quite) put off that Bernadette Peters is not playing the witch (as she did in the original Broadway cast in 1987.) It seems my theatre friends who are upset may have forgotten all the wonderful high school and community theatre productions they either staged and starred in over the years.
I haven't.
They were wonderful, beautiful and heartbreaking.
Yes, Bernadette Peters is incomparable in the role of the witch, but I'm excited to see what Meryl Streep does to make her own witch and I believe she will.
For those of you unfamiliar with the original musical, for it is a musical, the basic plot is (much like Once Upon a Time) all of the fairytale characters live in the same village adjacent to a foreboding woods. Centered around an archetypical childless Baker and the Baker's Wife (as they are referred to throughout) this is not exactly your standard Disney film musical. Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Rapunzel, the Witch, a Giantess, two princes (one of whom is known for his charm) and a pair of stepsisters dash in and out of the woods on quests for love, for a child and for a reunion with a beloved pet cow . Much in the vein of original Grimm fairy tales, some more adult themes (infidelity, blame, guilt, responsibility, lying, death, loss) have their moment in the spotlight. This wasn't a film we blindly let our children watch but rather sat down and discussed it with them as we watched it. It gets scary. Although there is a happily ever after, much like in the recent Disney film, Maleficent, there are bound to be a number of scary spots before we get back out of these woods.
We will see if Disney toned down the adult nature of the original but I'm guessing the film will end up PG. Sondheim (who provided Music and Lyrics both for the original Broadway staging and the new film adaptation) admits that there were some alterations he agreed to for the Disney version, but overall "I can happily report that it is not only a faithful adaptation of the show, it is a first-rate movie."
I am looking forward to taking this adventure and heading back Into the Woods!
more than anything...
more than jewels...
I wish...
more than the moon...
That it was Christmas so that I could watch one of my favorite musicals glow in the light of this new theatrical release. So that, as Kylee puts it, we can see the real story. (We love our DVD of the original Broadway production, but being a theatrical production, does look "staged" rather than "real." Hasn't stopped Kylee from watching it a dozen or so times, but still.)
undefined on Disney Video
After years of voting this on our, "I wish it were a major motion picture," list, many of my theatre friends seem (quite) put off that Bernadette Peters is not playing the witch (as she did in the original Broadway cast in 1987.) It seems my theatre friends who are upset may have forgotten all the wonderful high school and community theatre productions they either staged and starred in over the years.
I haven't.
They were wonderful, beautiful and heartbreaking.
Yes, Bernadette Peters is incomparable in the role of the witch, but I'm excited to see what Meryl Streep does to make her own witch and I believe she will.
For those of you unfamiliar with the original musical, for it is a musical, the basic plot is (much like Once Upon a Time) all of the fairytale characters live in the same village adjacent to a foreboding woods. Centered around an archetypical childless Baker and the Baker's Wife (as they are referred to throughout) this is not exactly your standard Disney film musical. Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Rapunzel, the Witch, a Giantess, two princes (one of whom is known for his charm) and a pair of stepsisters dash in and out of the woods on quests for love, for a child and for a reunion with a beloved pet cow . Much in the vein of original Grimm fairy tales, some more adult themes (infidelity, blame, guilt, responsibility, lying, death, loss) have their moment in the spotlight. This wasn't a film we blindly let our children watch but rather sat down and discussed it with them as we watched it. It gets scary. Although there is a happily ever after, much like in the recent Disney film, Maleficent, there are bound to be a number of scary spots before we get back out of these woods.
We will see if Disney toned down the adult nature of the original but I'm guessing the film will end up PG. Sondheim (who provided Music and Lyrics both for the original Broadway staging and the new film adaptation) admits that there were some alterations he agreed to for the Disney version, but overall "I can happily report that it is not only a faithful adaptation of the show, it is a first-rate movie."
I am looking forward to taking this adventure and heading back Into the Woods!
I am not familiar with the original Lori, but you have piqued my interest with your post. Thanks!!
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