Need something to listen to? Falsettos alum Nick Adams recommends having a theatre-filled Saturday by listening to the cast recordings for Into the Woods, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and Moulin Rouge!.
Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods first opened at the Martin Beck Theatre November 7, 1987. Starring Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason, Kim Crosby, Chip Zien, and more, the production played 43 previews and 765 performances before closing September 3, 1989. The musical was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, winning three, including best Original Score.
The cast album of Into the Woods is available on Amazon, iTunes, and Apple Music.
Into the Woods tells the story of a childless baker and his wife who endeavor to lift their family curse by journeying into the woods, where they encounter Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood, and other classic fairy tale characters, and they all must learn the responsibility that comes with getting what you want.
The production featured Tom Aldredge as the Narrator, Joanna Gleason as the Baker’s Wife, Bernadette Peters as the Witch, Robert Westenberg as the Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince, Chip Zien as the Baker, Barbara Bryne as Jack’s Mother, Kim Crosby as Cinderella, Maureen Davis as Sleeping Beauty, Danielle Ferland as Little Red Riding Hood, Joy Franz as Cinderella’s Stepmother, Philip Hoffman as the Steward, Jean Kelly as Snow White, Merle Louise as Grandmother/Giant/Cinderella’s Mother, Edmund Lyndeck as Cinderella’s Father, Kay McCelland as Flordina, Lauren Mitchell as Lucinda, Chuck Wagner as Rapunzel’s Prince, Pamela Winslow as Rapunzel, and Ben Wright as Jack.
Directed by James Lapine, Into the Woods featured musical staging Lar Lubovitch, scenic design by Tony Straiges, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward (based on original concepts by Patricia Zipprodt), lighting design by Richard Nelson, and sound design by Alan Stieb and James Brousseau.
In addition to Into the Woods, Adams recommends listening to the 2012 stage adaptation of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, in which he starred, and Moulin Rouge!, which opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre July 25, 2019.
