Track Listing

1. Prologue: Into the Woods
2. Cinderella at the Grave
3. Hello, Little Girl
4. I Guess This Is Goodbye / Maybe They're Magic
5. Our Little World
6. I Know Things Now
7. A Very Nice Prince / First Midnight / Giants in the Sky
8. Agony
9. It Takes Two
10. Stay with Me
11. On the Steps of the Palace
12. Ever After
13. Prologue: So Happy
14. Agony (Reprise)
15. Lament
16. Any Moment / Moments in the Woods
17. Your Fault / Last Midnight
18. No More
19. No One Is Alone
20. Finale: Children Will Listen

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14549 in Music
• Released on: 2002-06-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording

Amazon.com
Into the Woods, a trip to the dark side of fairy tales, usually doesn't show up on lists of Stephen Sondheim's finest offerings, but its broad appeal has turned it into the composer's most licensed project since its 1987 opening. It's no surprise, then, that it's become the object of a revival. The new production (which won the 2002 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical) was directed by James Lapine, the other half of the original creative team. Vanessa Williams, stepping into Bernadette Peters's shoes as the Witch, offers a powerful performance in what is, as written, no more than an ensemble part. The rest of the cast is wonderful, with special mentions to Laura Benanti as Cinderella and Stephen DeRosa and Kerry O'Malley as the Baker and his wife (all three will be familiar to New York musical buffs for their excellent performances in the Encores! series). All right, so the show's second act is still a lot less winning than the first one on stage, but the recording emphasizes the fact that it does boast some prime Sondheim numbers: "Last Midnight," "No One Is Alone," and "Children Will Listen." And we even get "Our Little World," a song that had been added to the 1990 London production. All in all, it's nice to have Into the Woods back, as it can both appeal to adults and provide an introduction to musicals for some kids. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Nothing over the original
My flatmate and I listened to this recording, both being fans of the OBC. And we were constantly looking at each other in disbelief. We both couldn't get over Vanessa Williams lack of expression and the number of times the recording sounded a little off.

revival casts are meant to improve on the first, this one matched at times and came lower other times.

only buy if you're a fan. the packaging is equally disappointing. For a show so rich in texture, i would assume a more mature sense of design.

i definitely would only listen to this one more than twice if i were to stage the piece.

I wish! I wish! This wasn't so pathetic....
This was just appalling. The singing was substandard and all performances were flatter than the scenery in a high school production. I don't know why Stephen Sondheim authorised this recording as it is heinously inferior to the OCR in every cconcievable way. I have burnt copies for all of my most loathed acquaintances.

This revival is a concern for me...
Into the Woods is definitely one of my favorite musicals of all time. I first saw the OBC on video a very long time ago. Not only was the music outstanding, but it was hysterical and also heartbreaking! Even though all the cast members should be considered equal in comedy and dramatic...the witch is the best character in the show. It allows the most laugh out loud moments and also the most teary-eyed. Bernadette Peters in the original was perfect, nobody would ever be able to play the role like she did ever again.

Now I do give Vanessa Williams credit for attempting to make the role her own, and I take into consideration that she wanted to be more serious...I mean she has to do something different, because you had Bernadette create this role. So I decided to give it a chance. But sadly, it didn't even come close! Not only were the acting skills not there but her songs were transposed! I know many people transpose to make songs suitable for their voice, but my personal opinion is if you can't sing it, the song/role isn't the song/role for you. It's kind of sad when having everyone around you singing in the written keys, and your the only one who can't.

Maybe it's a little harsh but looking at the script and lyrics, and even the story, it's meant to be satire towards fairytales (in other words funny, then serious comes in the second act). Also, Williams isn't the only mediocre performance. With the exception of Cinderella, every cast member made mediocre performances. But thank goodness I still have my original broadway cast, because it will still always be one of my favorite shows.