BWW Reviews: Historic INTO THE WOODS Reunion featuring Sondheim, Lapine and Original B'way Cast Wows Fans

If Comic-Con or Paley-Fest ever had a Broadway-centric big-ticket event, this past Sunday's highly-anticipated, mind-blowingly awesome INTO THE WOODS Reunion at Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Center for the Arts would certainly qualify.

The historic reunion---formatted as part talk-show, part concert---featured not only its creators Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine waxing nostalgic about the making of this beloved show, but also had several members of the Original Broadway cast including Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason (who won the Tony for her role as the Baker's Wife), Chip Zien, Robert Westenberg, Kim Crosby, Danielle Ferland, and Ben Wright---performing all together on the same stage for the first time in years.

Humorist and CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Mo Rocca served as the evening's wry, very amiable host and moderator.

It's a wish almost too good to be true.

The theater world has certainly been buzzing since the announcement of the reunion came out earlier this fall. Many, like myself, were shocked that Orange County---of all places---was the chosen site for the November 9th event (as opposed to, say, Los Angeles, Chicago, or, natch, New York City). Well, it's certainly a huge coup for OC's largest theatrical venue, and, my gosh, what a one-of-a-kind treat it ended up being (then again, how could it not). Though the Segerstrom Center has routinely welcomed many huge, top-tier touring Broadway companies for decades, this particular event felt out-of-this-world special on an entirely different level.

And, as expected, demand for tickets to the reunion was unprecedented---especially with the ever-increasing interest in Lapine and Sondheim's musical at an all-time high thanks to Disney's upcoming big-screen adaptation hitting theaters December 25 (oddly enough, not once was there ever a mention of the new movie during the reunion). The sole originally-planned evening show sold out so quickly that the Center had to add a second show (an earlier 1 pm matinee) to satisfy fans who weren't able to secure tickets the first time around.

The press---myself included---were invited to the evening show, which was also live-tweeted by the Segerstrom Center. And, gosh. Let me tell you... As a self-professed theater dork and Broadway fan first (that somehow morphed into a theater critic many many many years later), I couldn't help but turn insanely gleeful that I was blessed enough to experience this incredible display of talent reunited once again on one stage. There was such a palpable exuberance and excitement akin to seeing rock stars live while being in that audience filled with fellow musical theater/Sondheim/ITW fans (and even a few celebrities) that you couldn't help but gush openly (and, yep, shed a few tears, too).

I---like my peers seated all around me---turned instantly into screaming super-fans as soon as Sondheim and Lapine walked out on stage. Naturally, they were welcomed with a long standing ovation that went on for quite a while... (I mean, c'mon, can you blame us?)

Throughout the evening, the very funny Rocca lobbed questions at the show's celebrated writer and composer, who each provided their own recollections about the show's origins, which began tryouts just an hour and a half south of Orange County at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego in 1986 before making its debut on Broadway towards the tail end of the following year.

As expected, many revelations came out, so to speak, during the wonderful chat-fest.

Among the most interesting factoids: that the pair---fresh off their success with SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE---originally wanted to do a musical that mashed up various sitcom characters going through a challenging journey (they nixed the idea when prolific TV producer Norman Lear asked them to provide a spec script); that Sondheim wanted to do a brand new musical with a specific quest, much like The Wizard of Oz; that the five notes that chimed as each magic bean is "planted" into the ground represented the five notes that pretty much made up the interlocking musical motifs of the entire musical; that Sondheim envisioned the Baker and his wife as Urban transplants overwhelmed by rural country life; that Lapine wrote the character of Little Red Riding Hood specifically with Ferland in mind; that "I Guess This Is Goodbye" has the distinction of being the only song Sondheim has written that doesn't rhyme; that the Witch, in essence, is the true outsider, because she tells the truth; and that---as an exclusive to the reunion---the Witch's transformation was achieved by having a lip-syncing body-double for Ms. Peters (who was hidden under a trap door, casually putting some lipstick on while others rushed to their respective costume/make-up changes).

Many of the recollections proved to be quite humorous, too.

When Lapine revealed that Sondheim's sole reference for fairy tales were the classic Disney cartoons, Sondheim---without missing a beat---added, "I don't read."

Later, Gleason, who playfully referred to Mr. Sondheim as "Zeus," was asked about being credited in Sondheim's last book for coming up with a lyric line that Sondheim eventually wrote into her song---the only time he has ever snatched lyrics uttered by an actor.

"Oh, you mean page 92?" Gleason nonchalantly answered.

That lyric: "This is ridiculous / What am I doing here? / I'm in the wrong story." The line got a big laugh, too, once Gleason sang it at the reunion.

When sarcastically asked whether the show should have just ended with the happy "resolutions" of the first act, Sondheim and Lapine also recalled the time when a large group of ladies took in a very early preview matinee performance of INTO THE WOODS in San Diego, who left the show at the conclusion of the first act, thinking the show had ended. Lapine vaguely remembered that someone (who might have been him) chased after the ladies who've all boarded a bus, yelling that there's still a whole second act to see.

Another source of laughter was an extended discussion about the Wolf's, um, distracting costume, which proved problematic for Westenberg but a fascinating subject for Rocca.

"I would stop, but IT would still be moving!" he admitted about his character's enormous endowment, which often took attention away from what he was acting out in the scene.

"It was... pendulous!"

Eventually, the wolf's "appendage" was shrunk down enough as the production continued. Westenberg, who also doubled as Cinderella's paramour the Prince in the show, eventually married his on-stage love Crosby in real life. The two, married for 21 years, now live a quiet life in the MidWest. Of course, Rocca couldn't resist asking what she thought of her husband's wolf costume... "Oh, it's fine. We have one at home." Ha!

There was also plenty of room for emotional recollections at the event as well. Crosby, a young actress when she was cast as Cinderella in the musical, reflected that her time in the show offered educational richness, a sentiment also echoed by Wright (who played Jack) and Ferland who were teenagers when they joined the show.

"I learned a lot just by watching this incredible cast," Crosby gushed. Later she even shared her pride in seeing the poster of the INTO THE WOODS first national tour downstairs in the theater's hallways. It seems few people knew that Crosby's own father quit his own job to pursue acting full-time just as his daughter did. He later went on to play Cinderella's father (!) in the tour.

But, of course, the reunion's true highlights were the marvelous live musical performances, all of which were accompanied by superb pianist Tedd Firth.

What's really remarkable about these interspersed performances was hearing how much each performer sounded as great as they did 27 years ago---and how much more emotionally layered or humorous these songs really are when performed with the appropriate nuance or character quirk that these originating actors brought to their respective roles.

Every single performer was an incredible delight, from Zien and Gleason's adorable chemistry in "It Takes Two," and Westenberg and Ferland's cheeky pas-de-deux in "Hello, Little Girl," to Crosby's beautifully revived "At The Steps Of The Palace," and Wright's powerful "Giants in the Sky" (and this amazing-ness came from a guy who now works in finance). I was particularly enamored with Gleason's gorgeous, emotionally-tinged "Moments In the Woods" as well.

By the time Peters joins the fun in the second act---in which she performed a chunk of the Witch's Rap (after a bit of faux-prompting from Rocca) followed by "Stay With Me" that prompted a well-deserved standing ovation---the reunion had become a moving, epic love-fest all around.

"If [Stephen] didn't write," Peters exalted, "I'd have nothing to sing about."

Soon, the entire cast are all together on stage, sharing their love for Lapine and Sondheim, as well as for the show they're celebrating. Thanks to this monumental gathering---and the great performances and inside info that spilled out from all this reminiscing---we were all reminded just how much of a work of genius this 27-year old musical truly is in the grand universe of theater. Its deep complexities, witty repartee, and thoughtful, profound themes make it more than just a musical fantasy. It's actually quite a brilliant farce blanketed with thoughtful life lessons.

It also revealed the inner workings of Lapine and Sondheim's very fruitful partnership, one that had hardly any arguments.

"Whoever cares the most wins," offered Sondheim.

But for me personally, my absolute favorite moment of the reunion---aside from the stunning performances, of course---was watching Sondheim and Lapine acting like rabid fans themselves throughout the reunion. Every so often, Lapine took out his phone to capture video and photos of this historic display happening just a few feet in front of him, like an excited stage mom filming her kids play-acting.

And sitting next to him, beaming with the largest of grins is Sondheim, absorbing every performance like a proud, endearing papa. At times, I found myself shifting my focus to Sondheim just to watch his satisfactory reaction to his songs.

Fittingly, the show ends with "No One Is Alone" and "Children Will Listen"---and, yep, I'm reduced to a bawling mess---followed by the jaunty finalé reprise of the title song.

When Rocca asked Sondheim and Lapine about how they each felt about the reunion and hearing the songs revived on stage before them, Sondheim, filled with genuine sentiment, answered... "It's very upsetting... because I just want to listen to them forever."

Our sentiments, exactly, Mr. Sondheim.

But Lapine, the witty wordsmith that he is, gets the last laugh. For him, the reunion was "like an acid flashback."

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