Monday, June 23, 2014

Wish Granted! Sondheim Clears Up Those Pesky 'Woods' Rumors


Well, isn't this fantastic news!  Apparently, Mr. Sondheim was 'misquoted' last week when he spoke up about Disney's big screen take on his Into the Woods.  

Fans were miffed when they found out some of the changes that were to happen from stage to screen.  According to the article, Rapunzel would live, and The Baker's Wife would not have an affair with Cinderella's Prince.  Turns out Sondheim hadn't seen the full and latest version of Woods, and he assures us that the production was very collaborative.  The affair will indeed stay in the final product (the detail I think most musical theater fans were upset with.  Read Mr. Sondheim's full statement (originally on Playbill) below:

"An article in The New Yorker misreporting my "Master Class" conversation about censorship in our schools with seventeen teachers from the Academy of Teachers a couple of weeks ago has created some false impressions about my collaboration with The Disney Studio on the film version of Into the Woods.  The fact is that James (Lapine, who wrote both the show and the movie) and I worked out every change from stage to screen with the producers and with Rob Marshall, the director.  Despite what The New Yorker article may convey, the collaboration was genuinely collaborative and always productive.  When the conversation with the teachers occurred, I had not yet seen a full rough cut of the movie.  Coincidentally, I saw it immediately after the meeting, and, having now seen it a couple of times, can happily report that it is not only a faithful adaptation of the show, it is a first-rate movie.  And for those who care, as the teachers did, the Prince's dalliance is still in the movie, and so is "Any Moment.'" 

PHEW!!!

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