![]() Director Lear deBessonet’s hard work is on display as the musical moves from one moment to the next without losing any momentum, and the performers seem to be genuinely having fun on stage. The production’s updated orchestrations highlight Sondheim’s songwriting genius as musical motifs come and go throughout the story. In keeping with the typical Encores! production, “Into the Woods” has the simplest of sets - an array of large trees surrounds the stage, and behind the actors is a 15-member orchestra. Kanagawa operates a cow puppet onstage while acting out its emotions, often stealing away attention from his human co-stars. Every member of the cast deserves recognition for their performances, but one of the show’s biggest surprises is the delightful Milky White, Jack’s beloved cow brought to life by actor Kennedy Kanagawa. The musical’s book, written for the original production by James Lapine, moves quickly through the complex story without missing a beat, and the cast leans into the script’s many funny moments with impressive comedic delivery.Īs the two princes, Gavin Creel and Joshua Henry bring the house down as they try to one-up each other in the comical song “Agony,” and Patina Miller, as the Witch, brings her unmatched vocal talents to key moments in the production, in numbers such as “Stay with Me” and “Last Midnight.” Phillipa Soo brings grace and humanity to Cinderella, and her crystal-clear soprano is one of the show’s strongest voices. Bareilles, in particular, takes center stage with an enthusiastic performance as the Baker’s Wife. James and Bareilles have incredible stage presence and strong chemistry, guiding the story through moments of light and darkness. ![]() The cast is led by Broadway veteran Brian d’Arcy James and singer Sara Bareilles, who play the Baker and the Baker’s Wife, two characters original to the musical who tie the fairy tale narratives together. The musical weaves together several classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, including “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella,” to tell a story of love, loss and the harsh realities of life. The latest version, which began as an Encores! production at the New York City Center in May, transferred to the Broadway stage in June. But what if the story didn’t end there? “Into the Woods” (1987), Stephen Sondheim’s beloved fairy-tale musical, seeks to answer the question, “What happens after happily ever after?”įirst staged on Broadway in 1987, “Into the Woods” is one of Sondheim’s most popular musicals, with several productions on Broadway and the West End over the last few decades and a movie adaptation in 2014. The princess gets her prince, the boy slays the giant and the girl saves her grandmother. My least favorite part: /b] There is not a part 2 already.Most of the fairy tales we know today have happy endings. My favorite part: I now have new things to yell at speeders. You might not like Little Misfortune if: Stylized gore and dark fairytales are not your thing. You might like Little Misfortune if: You like quirky dark modern fairytales. It also made me squee during the handful of cameos. While previous understanding of the universe both stories are set in is not necessary to enjoy Little Misfortune, I think knowing more details helped me better understand the story established during the brief 2-ish hour game. I appreciate that I took the time to play Fran Bow first. Outside of both being set in the same universe, having some dark elements, and quirky graphics, they are two completely different games. My wife purchased Little Misfortune for herself, and I decided to play Killmonday Game's previous release Fran Bow first. I would have liked the game without it, but with it, Little Misfortune carved "Happiness to everything!" into my heart. In my opinion, what makes everything work is the voice acting. Still, the length seems fair since I feel like the style of gameplay would have started dragging if the story had gone on for too long. The story is brief (2-3 hours it takes to finish). More of an interactive story than a game as you follow Little Misfortune, your engagement with the story has the air of talking back to your favorite Sesame Street character when you were four years old. The story that unfolds is not a happy one, but Misfortune's spirit and the overall quirkiness of the story (plus the fantastic graphics!!) sets a good balance to all the bad parts. Little Misfortune is one of those things where I'm shocked it is not more popular than it is. ![]()
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