Sondheim and Lapine's Into the Woods

by Olaf Jubin

‘The Woods are just Trees. The Trees are just Wood.’ – All together In 1987, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine combined several classic fairy tales including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Jack and the Beanstalk to create Into the Woods . Funny and heartfelt, this musical explores what it might mean to act responsibly in society, both as a parent and as a child. Situating the work within Sondheim’s oeuvre and the Broadway canon, Olaf Jubin first offers a detailed reading of the show itself, before discussing key productions in New York and London, and 2014’s Oscar-nominated screen adaptation. The radically different approaches to staging Into the Woods are testament to how open the musical is to re-interpretation for new audiences. A combination of critical explication with performance and film analysis, as well as an overview of popular and critical reception, this book is meant for anyone who has enjoyed Into the Woods , be it as a musical theatre fan, an enchanted audience member, a student or a dedicated theatre professional.

96 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2017

Reviews

[Sian Rodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting, indepth look at my favourite musical. It made some really interesting points and showed some amazing moments and ideas I totally missed.

'You can't just act, you have to listen. You can just act, you have to think'

'Careful the tales you tell, that is the spell, children will listen'

It really broke down the theme of parents and children on this musical and is definitely an interesting read.

[Jenn Morgans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting, but I wanted more from this book than it wanted to give - there were patches that felt shallow and underdone, and I didn’t fully agree with some of Jubin’s interpretations.

[Kimberley Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great research for Into the Woods but a good read for musical theatre fans - especially if you love Sondheim and or Woods.