30 years ago, on November 5, 1987, Stephen Sondheim‘s elaborate interweaving of many fairy tales, Into the Woods, opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway. The famous score includes such hits as “No One Is Alone,” “Children Will Listen,” and the show’s title song.
Flip through photos of the original Broadway staging below:
Celebrate 30 Years of Into the Woods With a Look Back at the Original Broadway Production
Since Into the Woods opened on Broadway in 1987 (and had a solid, Tony-winning run of 765 performances), the musical has received three New York revivals, including one on Broadway. There have been numerous reunion concerts, the original production was aired on PBS, and the show has been turned into an Academy Award-nominated feature film made by Disney.
Into the Woods has become a mainstay of regional theatres, summer stock companies, community theatres, and high schools.
Flip through the many different productions of the show below:
A Look Back at Into the Woods on Broadway and Beyond
A Look Back at Into the Woods on Broadway and Beyond
Playbill.com looks back at the two Broadway stagings of the musical, as well as some notable regional productions.
77 PHOTOS
Stephen Sondheim, Bernadette Peters and James Lapine in rehearsal for the original Broadway production Photofest
Chip Zien, Robert Westenberg, Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason and Tom Aldredge in the original Broadway production Martha Swope
Robert Westenberg in the original Broadway production Martha Swope
Danielle Ferland, Ben Wright, Kim Crosby, Chip Zien and Bernadette Peters in the original Broadway production Martha Swope
Danielle Ferland and Robert Westenberg in the original Broadway production Martha Swope
Joanna Gleason, Bernadette Peters and Chip Zien in the original Broadway production Martha Swope
Members of the original company Martha Swope
Robert Westenberg and Kim Crosby in the original Broadway production Martha Swope
Danielle Ferland in the original Broadway production Martha Swope
Bernadette Peters, Tom Aldredge, Robert Westenberg, Joanna Gleason and Chip Zien in the original Broadway production Martha Swope
When director Tina Landau got the call from her agent asking if she’d be interested in pitching herself to Nickelodeon for a SpongeBob SquarePants musical—now in previews at Broadway’s Palace Theatre and officially opening December 4—she didn’t know much about the animated character who lives in a pineapple under the sea. “I guess I would say I liked it,” she says now of the show. “I didn’t watch it often. When I did, I could only watch one episode. Eleven minutes was all I could bear.”
Tina Landau Marc J. Franklin
Landau’s initial reaction to adapting the series? “I’m not interested in a theme park show.”
But what ultimately piqued her interest was the opportunity to divert from the familiar SpongeBob aesthetic and channel the “indie spirit” creator Stephen Hillenburg originally embraced. “I thought if I could pitch exactly the kind of show that I want to do and would be interested in seeing, why not give it a whirl?”
She describes the process as extracting the “SpongeBob DNA.” The identifying feature: the celebration of the surreal. Years later, when meeting with the series’ writers, she’d learn she wasn’t far off. They approached the show with a similar theatrical sensibility, telling her, “We worship at the altar of Dada.”
As Landau signed on, there was still no script. With a focus on physicalizing her vision, she worked with an array of collaborators, including clowns and circus performers, to create a set of laws for the SpongeBob universe.
Contemplating her childhood, Landau recalls her early ambitions: director (check) or, fittingly, oceanographer. She now realizes the unifying factor of the two: “You can be in a world other than our own everyday, walking, breathing one. Laws are different; sound is different.” Creating a SpongeBob musical became an absurdist composite of both.
Landau’s Bikini Bottom (where SpongeBob resides) exudes a DIY mentality: “We made a tunnel out of hula hoops. There’s a mountain made out of cardboard boxes. It’s a whole world created out of scrap metal and a chum bucket.”
Landau then found actors to inhabit her world (led by Ethan Slater, whom she asserts has “that eau de SpongeBob”), a story to share (an apocalyptic Everyman tale), and a musical language to tell it. (Like Bikini Bottom, the score is a hodgepodge of elements from various sources; among those who contributed are Sara Bareilles, John Legend, and David Bowie.)
The end result is a show that creates new life with the SpongeBob DNA. As a young audience member from a workshop recalled, the series shows how SpongeBob looks while the musical shows what SpongeBob feels.
And Landau believes the world needs a SpongeBob musical. “In a world that can feel like it’s crashing into some horrendous ending, SpongeBob has a different spin. He says, ‘No. Let’s not give up. Let’s find a way to make this better.’”
Your First Look at the SpongeBob SquarePants Musical on Broadway
War Paint, the new Broadway musical starring Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole as rival cosmetics giants Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, respectively, ends its run November 5 at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street).
The musical was originally scheduled to close December 30; the earlier date allows two-time Tony winner LuPone to have necessary and immediate hip replacement surgery. Upon closing, the musical will have played 33 previews 236 regular performances at the Nederlander.
“It is with great sadness that I must leave War Paint to undergo hip replacement surgery. For several months I have been performing in a great deal of pain. My producers David Stone and Marc Platt have provided an incredible team who, through physical therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture, have enabled me to continue on stage,” said LuPone in an earlier statement. “But the pain has now become too intense and I have no other choice but to leave Christine, John, Doug, and this wonderfully supportive company of actors, who I’ve had the great privilege to work with for over a year. I will miss them more than I can express.“
“We had all hoped—no-one more than Patti—that we would be able to continue until our scheduled final performance on December 30,” added producers David Stone and Marc Platt. “We all know Patti is strong, and she has proven to have even more strength than we imagined. At this point, however, she needs to have hip replacement surgery sooner rather than later. Therefore, we have to move up our final performance to November 5. On behalf of Christine and the entire company and crew, we wish her a speedy recovery.”
LuPone is slated to star as Joanne in the upcoming London production of Company. She’ll reprise her performance after taking on the role in the New York Philharmonic’s 2011 staging.
War Paint officially opened on Broadway April 6 after previews began March 7. Prior to Broadway, War Paint had a sold-out run at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in summer 2016.
Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Both LuPone and Ebersole received Tony nominations for their performances. The production also received nods for Best Costume and Best Scenic Design.
The new musical reunites Scott Frankel and Michael Korie—the songwriting team of Grey Gardens and Far From Heaven—with Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright (Grey Gardens, I Am My Own Wife, The Little Mermaid) and director Michael Greif (Grey Gardens, Next to Normal). Choreography is by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli. The show is inspired by Lindy Woodhead’s book War Paint and the documentary film The Powder & the Glory by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman.
Douglas Sills, who created the role of Harry Fleming (Helena Rubinstein’s clubby confidante and faithful ally), departed the production last month and was succeeded by ensemble member and understudy Chris Hoch. His Broadway credits include Amazing Grace, Matilda, Shrek, La Cage aux Folles, and Beauty and the Beast.
The Broadway company also features Tony nominee John Dossett as Tommy Lewis, Arden’s husband and chief marketing officer.
The ensemble comprises Barbara Jo Bednarczuk, Patti Cohenour, Mary Ernster, Tom Galantich, David Girolmo, Joanna Glushak, Mary Claire King, Steffanie Leigh, Erik Liberman, Barbara Marineau, Donna Migliaccio, Stephanie Jae Park, Jennifer Rias, Angel Reda, Tally Sessions, and Bart Shatto.
The musical was produced on Broadway by Stone, Platt, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Marcia Goldberg, Universal Stage Productions, Independent Presenters Network, and the Goodman Theatre.
The creative team included scenic designer David Korins, costume designer Catherine Zuber, lighting designer Kenneth Posner, sound designer Brian Ronan, orchestrator Bruce Coughlin, and music director Lawrence Yurman. Casting was by Telsey + Co.
(Tickets sold for performances after November 5 can be refunded at their point of purchase.)
Broadway history is littered with ups and downs. There’s little to match the high of an opening night, and not much to meet the low of a show’s final performance. But what about when both of those come on the same day?
Since Oklahoma! re-defined the modern musical in 1943, there have been 22 musicals that have closed on opening night, and we’re taking a look back at each one.
Flip through photos of the 22 shows below:
22 Broadway Musicals That Closed on Opening Night
22 Broadway Musicals That Closed on Opening Night
All of these shows only played one official performance on Broadway.
38 PHOTOS
Glory Days
Andrew C. Call, Jesse JP Johnson, Adam Halpin, and Steven Booth in Glory DaysScott Suchman
Take Me Along
Kurt Knudson and Beth Fowler
Dance a Little Closer
Len Cariou with Diane Pennington, Cheryl Howard, and Alyson Reed in Dance a Little Closer
Cleavage
Daniel David, Tom Elias, and Mark File in Cleavage
Play Me a Country Song
Kenneth Ames, Reed Jones, René Clemente, and Louisa Flaningam in Play Me a Country Song
Grammy Award winner Jason Mraz took his first Broadway bow November 3 as he steps into Waitress.
The singer-songwriter takes on the role of Dr. Pomatter, the new-to-town gynecologist who offers local diner employee and baker Jenna Hunterson (currently played by Betsy Wolfe) an escape from her abusive marriage.
Also beginning a limited stint in the musical November 3 is David Josefsberg (An Act of God, Honeymoon in Vegas), who fills in for Christopher Fitzgerald in the role of Ogie through November 19.
Joining the two in their first curtain call was composer Sara Bareilles (who also previously starred in the show).
Flip through photos of their first bows below:
See Jason Mraz Take His First Broadway Bow in Waitress
See Jason Mraz Take His First Broadway Bow in Waitress
The Grammy winner, who appeared on composer Sara Bareilles’ concept album for the musical, took on the role of Dr. Pomatter November 3.
18 PHOTOS
John Cullum Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Jason Mraz Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Jason Mraz Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Betsy Wolfe Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Maia Nkenge Wilson, Betsy Wolfe, Victoria Collett, Caitlin Houlahan, David Josefsberg, Jason Mraz, and Eric Anderson Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Will Swenson, Maia Nkenge Wilson, Betsy Wolfe, Victoria Collett, Caitlin Houlahan, David Josefsberg, Jason Mraz, Eric Anderson, and cast Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Victoria Collett, Caitlin Houlahan, David Josefsberg, and Jason Mraz Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Victoria Collett, Caitlin Houlahan, David Josefsberg, Jason Mraz, and Eric Anderson Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Maia Nkenge Wilson, Betsy Wolfe, Victoria Collett, Caitlin Houlahan, David Josefsberg, Jason Mraz, Eric Anderson, Anastacia McCleskey, and cast Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Caitlin Houlahan, David Josefsberg, and Jason Mraz Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Mraz succeeds original cast member Drew Gehling, who recently stepped in for a return engagement. He is set to play a ten-week limited engagement.
