Poster

Bruno Bettelheim's novel "The Uses of Enchantment" (The Uses of Enchantment) was published in 1976. In the book, multiple Grimm's fairy tales are intertwined. It also digs deeply into the real wishes and appeals of fairy tale characters, and at the same time creates an original story about a baker who longs to form a complete family. All the stories are intertwined to achieve amazing artistic effects. The novel caught the attention of director and screenwriter James Lapine and composer Stephen Sondheim, who had been looking for something after the critical acclaim of their first collaboration, Sunday in the Park with George. With new creative inspiration, they decided to adapt the novel into a musical "A Visit to the Woods." He created many subversive songs based on the stories, and made bold innovations in visual design to create a unique fairy tale world for the audience.

The first version of "Into the Woods" was performed at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego on December 4, 1986, and lasted for 50 performances. Some of the actors from this version appeared in the Broadway premiere. In November 1987, "Into the Woods" had its grand premiere on Broadway, and the performance received good box office results, which is very rare among Santan musicals. In the 1988 Tony Awards, although "Phantom of the Opera" overwhelmingly won multiple awards, the creator of "Into the Woods" still won the awards for Best Score, Best Musical Writing and Best Actress in a Musical.

Bernadette Peters (Bernadette Peters) left the crew five months after the show started because she had other commitments. But in late 1989, when producers decided to tape the show, she was invited back to reprise her role as the witch. The video version was broadcast on American public television in 1991

On November 22, 1988, the US tour version of "Into the Woods" set sail, with performances visiting many cities, including Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington, DC. wait.

In September 1990, London's West End launched the premiere version of "Into the Woods". Unlike most West End versions of American musicals, this version was directed by another director, Richard Jones. ) adopts a new design concept and choreography. Added some passages deleted from the Broadway premiere. Critics and audiences responded favorably to the production.

On November 9, 1997, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the performance, the cast of the Broadway premiere reunited for a 10th anniversary concert.

In 2002, director Lapine re-arranged "Into the Woods". The plot of the re-arranged version was appropriately modified and the story of "The Three Little Pigs" that was deleted during the San Diego performance was added. And retains the London version extras and songs. The show received a mediocre response.

In 2007, the Royal Opera House rehearsed "Into the Woods" with an all-opera cast. This version was performed for half a month and was the second time that the Royal Opera House staged the Santan musical after "Sweeney Todd" in 2003.