Into the Woods

It shouldn't surprise anyone that this month Image Entertainment would be releasing the Blu-ray of the Broadway cast of "Into the Woods" that first aired on PBS in 1991. After nearly 30 years, a Disney movie version makes it to the local multiplexes on Christmas Day. Isn't this a good time to revisit the original video of this fractured musical fairy tale?

Of course that's a rhetorical question: this has, since it opened in 1987, Stephen Sondheim's most accessible show, but one that maintains his rigorous aesthetic. Whether the film will as well remains to be seen. It is encouraging that both Sondheim and James Lapine (who wrote the original libretto and directed the Broadway production) approve and the buzz from advanced screenings has been positive.

Recorded in Los Angeles in 1989 as a special performance that re-united the original Broadway cast (save for one minor character), this version offers the reasons why "Into the Woods" was so appealing in the first place: a great ensemble (led by Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason in a Tony-winning turn), a playful, storybook look and a near-perfect union of Lapine's original concept and Sondheim's score.

Lapine's story involves a callous, crone-like witch (Peters) and her quest to have her beauty restored. To do so, she elicits the help of her neighbors - a Baker and his wife (Gleason) - who have been unable to conceive a family due to a curse the Witch put on the family. They must find four items - a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper pure as gold - which brings them in contact with Jack (from Beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella, as well as a hungry wolf, a pair of narcissistic Princes, one evil Stepmother and two vain stepsisters, and a mysterious man who assists the Baker on his journey.

The use of the familiar storybook characters has, no doubt, contributed to the musical success. Over the years it has become the most frequently performed Sondheim musical and some of that popularity could be the result of this video tape, which not only brought the show to a wider audience but (due to video) allowed them to revisit the show to appreciate its clever construction. The integration of Sondheim's musical elements with Lapine's libretto is best appreciated with multiple viewings, which is why this DVD is so welcome. How it compares with Rob Marshall's film remains to be seen, but the spontaneity of the performances, the playful storybook look of its sets and costumes and the brilliance of Sondheim's music and lyrics make this a must-see for anyone with fond memories of having seen the video as a child or an adult.

It's too bad that there are no special features on the DVD. Some featurette about how the musical came to be or an inquiry into how it relates to child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim's "The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales" would be welcome. But just to see this lovely musical again as it was first performed more than makes up for its lack of supplemental material.