Into the Woods

A review of Into the Woods on Broadway.

I stumbled upon the greatest find when it came to my trip to New York City: as soon as I discovered the cast for the new Broadway transfer of Into the Woods, I looked on Seat Geek one day for tickets and saw that they were randomly having some kind of sale.

And there, in the depths of the orchestra seats, was a single seat left for $60 after fees. The seats around it were all $180-$250, and I saw my moment to shine. I took that seat immediately without any care of what my schedule might look like in a month, and, oh my god, it was totally worth it.

I was seated in Row P of the orchestra in seat #27 and I felt like I could see the stage so clearly. The woman next to me had to switch seats to the other side of my seat, which was empty, because the guy in front of her was tall, but I got the clearest view I’d ever had at a Broadway show since seeing Company with a nearly empty mezzanine (which was a tragedy for the show, sad to say, but to my benefit). I nearly cried because I got to see Patina Miller up so close, and Phillipa Soo!

Onwards with this review—I have a lot to rave about.

Sondheim’s classic Into the Woods transferred to Broadway in the summer of 2022.

One of the biggest draws when it comes to this version of Into the Woods is the cast. Not only are Philipa Soo and Patina Miller in it, but also Sara Bareilles and Brian D’Arcy James. Those were the biggest draws for me, so I signed my soul up as soon as the cast was announced because I knew I would not have another opportunity like this for the longest time.

It was truly worth it, since I think the cast made this show really come alive in a way that was extra talented. I had never seen, read, or listened to Into the Woods before so I was pleasantly surprised by the messaging: be careful what you wish for and the fairytales aren’t always the happiest endings.

Into the Woods is typically performed for kids with only the first act, as we see the characters trying to make their happy endings come true. Jack gets his beanstalk and continues to steal from the giants in order to fund his and his mother’s life, while also living with his true best friend Milky White.

Milky White truly deserves all the attention he and his puppetmaster have been getting because that was one of the highlights of the performance. Everyone around me, including myself, were dying at Milky White.

When he gave one last gasp before randomly dying, I almost started crying I was laughing so hard. Anyways, Cinderella gets her prince, the Baker and his Wife get their child, the Witch gets her beauty back. The only one shown in complete misery is Rapunzel, who, despite getting her happy ending with the prince, has highkey been driven insane.

The second act is when it all starts to go to hell. A giant, furious at what Jack has done—he killed her husband—goes off and starts rampaging through the kingdom. She destroys the character’s homes, the royal family’s palace, and is on the hunt to kill anyone who comes in the way of Jack.

It comes as no surprise that pretty much all the main cast, except the Baker, his kid, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack, disappear into obscurity or are killed off by the giant. There’s an audible gasp around the audience when the Baker’s Wife is killed off, since no one probably expected her to be killed while going in blind. The narrator, too, is sacrificed by the crowd and leads the audience astray in what the story might expect, creating a symbolic moment where the fairytales truly go off the rails.

There were three standout actors in this edition of ITW: Gavin Creel, Joshua Henry, and Julia Lester. Creel plays Cinderella’s Prince and he is absolutely hilarious and seedy.

He and Joshua Henry, who portrays Rapunzel’s Prince, are the ultimate comedic duo and really brought out the most laughs outside of Milky White. Julia Lester portrays Little Red Riding Hood and brings the perfect amount of spunk into a role one would expect to be more docile, which was a great addition to the storyline. I also have to say, the kid playing Jack was having his Broadway debut and he was really good too. He definitely has a set of pipes on him.

ITW has a minimalist set design, which is okay in these circumstances. Don’t expect lavish costumes or backgrounds—the orchestra and band are in the open right behind the actors. I think it’s fine because of the sheer amount of talent on the stage overshadowing any kind of flaws in the set.

You’ll be distracted by the actors doing their thing and busting out their best songs for the occasion. Patina Miller was flawless as the witch to me—I heard some more negative things when the show first began its run, which is to be expected. She’s still trying to get into the groove of the character. But by August 2022, I was very impressed by what she offered on the stage.

Overall Thoughts

I had no understudies for this performance on a Wednesday night, which may have made the difference for me. I would’ve cried if Patina or Soo were not on that stage. But for the price I paid, I genuinely had a great time.

Would I see Into the Woods again? Probably not. I think I’m not as interested in this one, and, if it makes sense, my favorite Sondheim is the gender-bent Company. I saw this for the cast and would probably have no interest in seeing it again unless another god-tier cast was gathered up for another run. Go see Into the Woods though with this cast—they’re remarkable.