Were Not Out of the Woods Yet Into the Woods-PG-***** Stephen Sondheim is a genius. If you doubt that, see this film. His melodies soar and amuse at the right moments and his lyrics are magical, funny and moving. A cast led by Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Anna Kendrick sings the score perfectly, matches the emotional twists and turns and handles the frequent surprises and strange turns with aplomb for a magical two hours. The plot is a mess, composed as it is of the plots of several classic fairy tales. This is made necessary by the Baker and his Wife (James Gorden and Emily Blunt) who are commanded to get a red cape, yellow hair (the color of gold) a white cow and a golden (not glass) slipper. They both gain and lose each item several times as Streep’s classic witch bedevils and trips them up at almost every turn. Streep is given full rein both physically and vocally and is outstanding, as usual, in both. Anna Kendrick continues to be impressive in unusual roles, James Golden has great presence and a fine voice and Emily Blunt is heart-breaking as the Baker’s Wife who wants to have a child. There are more twists and turns in the plot than there branches on the trees in the woods, and the music soars constantly. It is also fantastically difficult to sing and the ability of this cast of mostly actors to negotiate the melodies was very impressive. “Stay With Me” is particularly impressive as were “Two of Us” and “Again.” Though the plot is fairy tales, they take twists that the youngest, even experienced fairy tale fans, will have trouble following the twists and turns and may be confused by the humor of Kendrick’s “On the Steps of the Palace.” Sondheim’s lyrics are not easy to sing and sometimes it takes very careful listening to understand the references and puns in them, but they are some of the most literate and perfect lyrics in theatre. That this is not your normal fairy tale material is cued by my favorite single line from the show. The Prince (Chris Pine) arrogantly reminds all who care that: “I was raised to be charming, not sincere!” Fortunately, the show is both.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 23:23:37 +0000