"Into the Woods" Watch...
Sunday, April 8, 2012 at 10:01AM When Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" was announced as part of the great Shakespeare in the Park series for this summer (July 23rd- Aug 25th), I felt like living happily ever after. It's such a great show and seeing it outdoors may well feel like how it was always meant to be seen. With the recent announcement that Amy Adams would be playing the Baker's Wife (a wonderful part) it occurred to me ~ this won't be the first time she's sung in Central Park.
Lately Shakespeare in the Park has been easing up a bit on the star casting preferring midlevel stars or stage talent or one big name but the casting of Adams may signal a change. My friend Tom at the Broadway Blog got me way too excited about what might follow with this little bit (after the jump).
Oscar-nominee Amy Adams will be The Baker’s Wife in this summer’s Shakespeare in the Park production of Into the Woods. No word yet on the rest of the leads but if this is the first announcement (and it’s pretty great casting, even if she strikes me more as a Cinderella), one has to imagine there are even bigger names to come. The mind boggles…Meryl as the Witch?
I'd previously heard rumors that the witch might be Donna Murphy which would be wondrous, too. I hadn't even considered Meryl. I'm biting my nails now. Who? Who?
The cast list now stands like so unless I've missed an announcement...
Left to Right (from top): Jack, Cinderella, Cinderella's Prince, Rapunzel, Rapunzel's Prince, Cinderella's Mother
The Witch: TBA
The Baker: TBA
The Baker's Wife: Amy Adams
Narrator: Jack Broderick
Cinderella: Jessie Mueller
Little Red Riding Hood: TBA
Jack: Gideon Glick
Rapunzel: Tess Soltau
Rapunzel's Prince: Cooper Grodin
Cinderella's Prince: Ivan Hernandez
Granny: Tina Johnson
Steward: Josh Lamon
Cinderella's Mother: Laura Shoop
Related: Cast This - Into the Woods .Bonus points to TFE reader Andrew K who was the first to suggest Amy Adams for this role when we were doing imaginary casting for the Rob Marshall film version in January.
Amy Adams, Broadway and Stage, Into the Woods, musicals
Reader Comments (13)
the witch: bernadette peters (she's still got it)
par -- a reprisal of that would be so magnificent. i fear the worst because any of bernadette, meryl or donna would be too wonderful to believe.
Donna Murphy, YES! She'd be amazing! Have you seen her rendition of Could I Leave You from Follies, on Sondheim's 80th birthday? She blew me away. Probably the best I've ever seen. Too bad it happens so late in the month. I'll be in New York in the first week of July, so just my luck... :(
Meryl definitely won't be doing it this summer, sadly.
As an annoyingly-crazy-insane-Glee-fan I'm hoping for Lea Michele as Little Red Riding Hood. But I wouldn't be mad at (Tony Nominee) Anna Kendrick either.
Hernández and Grodin are super hot.
I know where I am so I will reign in my SHOCK when I heard Meryl suggested for the Witch. I will say, though, I love kooky Meryl (Unfortunate Events) and wouldn't she be just delightful as Jack's Mother? Since Bernadette has her concert coming up and all I suppose she won't be free and Donna Murphy as the Witch would be fierce. Could you imagine her "booom cruuuunch"?
(I was secretly hoping Audra McDonald would turn up somewhere, but I find her too young to be the witch...although I'd have loved her as The Baker's Wife.)
I'm glad that the cast Amy as The Baker's Wife because she's so different from Joanna (who was so excellent) and it'll be nice to see the character in a completely different register. For The Baker, is wanting Raul Esparza too much?
andrew -- but Raul is headlining LEAP OF FAITH right now so he's not available. but yeah that woulda been a good choice.
Donna or Bernadette, please! Either of them would be AMAZING.
I would also love to see Audra in there, somewhere - but she's with Porgy & Bess through September, which is fine by me.
Donna or Bernadette, please! Either of them would be AMAZING.
I would also love to see Audra in there, somewhere - but she's with Porgy & Bess through September, which is fine by me.
I am crossing every imaginable finger for it to be DONNA MURPHY. It's been published she is 'in talks' for the part and I just need for it to be official like, now. She will be divine!!
It's gotta be Donna (and I hope they record it!).
I heard Euan Morton is rumored for the Baker, which will make me happy.
It's DONNA! Dreams do come true.