One of my all time favorite composers is Stephen Sondheim. He has written so many great musicals including A little Night Music, Sweeny Todd, Company, Into the Woods, the lyrics for West Side Story and so many more. Disney has taken on Into the woods and is creating its own cinematic version complete with big names like Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep and Anna Kendrick. I was thoroughly disappointed to hear about the major plot changes. The darkness is what makes Into the Woods so wonderful. It's like Sondheim inserted real life twists like death, infidelity, pedophiles, and other terrible things into fairy tales. There is a junior version created for children that doesn't dive into the second act's dark twists and ends happily at the end of the first act. I love how the over all theme of making choices leads to consequences; good or bad. Let's hope that Disney still keeps the unhappy ending. (I guess I'm rooting for despair). You can read more about the changes here.
If you've never seen the original (you totally should) or want to see it again Netflix has it. This 1990 version includes all the intended plot twists that makes Into the woods so great! It stars two big broadway star classics Joanna Gleason and Bernadette Peters. Make sure to check it out!
If you're looking for more Sondheim in your life than I would recommend Company. Raul Esparza's Version of "Being Alive" is one of my favorite moments of musical theatre. It's musical theatre gold. Netflix has recently added it to stream so make sure watch it while you can! As a side note, did you know Raul Esparza is only 5'3? He's shorter than me!
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