Some may love the shopping, some may love the lights, some may love the music, and some may love the opening of the winter sports season. While I have a liking for all of these things (minus that last one) what I love most about this time of year is, as you might have guessed or already know, the holiday movie season. Why? Not only is it a time when Hollywood releases a lot of fun or exciting movies aimed toward a wider audience to boost their year-end box office figures, it’s also when the award contenders start sprouting up (though being in Utah I usually have to wait until January or even February for some of those).
This year, there’s one film in particular that I think might fill both categories. It’s already received a few Golden Globe nominations, include Best Picture, and its cast and Christmas release date puts it in prime territory for drawing a crowd. It’s a film I have been anticipating for years, as I remember being in college when I first heard the project announcement. And honestly I don’t know why I’m being coy about this as the title of this post already gave it away.
Now, for those of you who are completely oblivious, Into the Woods is an adaptation of a Stephen Sondheim stage musical first produced on Broadway in 1987. Yes, you read that right, this is a musical (the first film trailers didn’t indicate this all that well). Most of my friends may wonder why I mention something so obvious, but anyone with family, close friends, or coworkers who aren’t theatrically inclined know why: the sad fact is that outside the circles of those involved with theater or those who love theater, few people know a whole lot about this little gem. The reason for this lack of familiarity is quite easy to see: the late 80s was quite the time for musical theater reaching a wider audience, but unless you were The Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables you weren’t invited to the general public’s pop culture party. Think of Into the Woods, if you will, as the shy, quiet, but brilliant sibling of two popular high school cool kids.
So, of course with that analogy, it would make sense why I would love Into the Woods more than the other two, or any other musical for that matter. Yes, Wicked is awesome, there’s a place in my heart for oldies like The Sound of Music, Oliver, and My Fair Lady, and I do enjoy both Phantom and Les Miz, but by far my favorite musical ever has to be Into the Woods.
Before I get into why, allow me to satisfy the question my mom would ask me at this point, with this exact phrasing: “What’s it about?” Into the Woods takes a handful of classic fairy tale characters, most notably Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of the Beanstalk), and Rapunzel, and blends their stories together into one cohesive narrative, with the addition of an original story about a baker and his wife. The first half are the stories we’ve all heard since infancy, culminating with their respective “happily ever afters.” The second half is where things get interesting, as it asks the question of what happens after the ever after. And yes, this is the point where I stop giving details because it’s a story that is better to experience not knowing a whole lot about it. Knowing the plot, it’s easy to see why Disney would jump on the adaptation right now: with TV series like Grimm and Once Upon a Time, the wild success of Frozen, and Hollywood’s continuing fascination with remakes, revisions, and re-imaginings, the message is clear: Fairy tales are in.
But while I enjoy fairy tales, it’s not as though I’m obsessed with them. So why do I love Into the Woods so much? Why am I so excited for the film? Why am I writing an entire blog post to tell everyone who reads it that they need to put it on their see-before-the-end-of-the-year list? To begin with, (and I’m being honest here, I promise) I’m really not as big a fan of musicals as you may think. Oh sure, there are many I enjoy, but by and large they just aren’t my cup of tea. I find most of the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein and their contemporaries inane (with the exception of Sound of Music and possibly Cinderella), most modern stuff I find waaaay too self-important, and then there are some that just make me want to hurl (see Annie, Grease, The Music Man, Camelot, etc). My issue with most musicals can be summed up in a phrase I like to use to describe them: Wonder bread. They’re light, fluffy, saccharine, but kind of devoid of anything real or substantial. Into the Woods is not Wonder bread, not in the least. You may find this surprising for a musical about fairy tales, but trust me when I tell you that this musical is not one centered around catchy tunes, showstopping dance numbers, or knock-your-socks-off vocal performances. Sondheim’s music is brilliant, but the music is simply the catalyst for some of the most intelligent, thought-provoking, and meaningful lyrics ever put on stage. The words in the music are the focus here, which not only makes my English major heart happy, but also honors the tradition and mythos of fairy tales and storytelling (listen to the video below for a rather humorous take on Sondheim’s propensity for doing this).
Fairy tales are about morals, right? Every one of them has a “moral of the story.” Into the Woods is no exception. Only you won’t find the simple ones like “don’t talk to strangers,” “have faith in your dreams,” “prove yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish” or any notions about love’s first kiss. Instead, the complexity and maturity gets ramped up about a thousand percent with ideas like: “while different is exciting, nice is different than good,” “people make mistakes,” “there are vows, there a ties, there are needs, there are standards, there are shouldn’ts and shoulds,” “careful the words you say, children will listen,” and “how can you know who are till you know what you want, which you don’t?” And while there are plenty more like these, one message from Into the Woods stands out to me more than any other and is the core of why I love this musical so much:
“No one is alone.”
Now, at first glance you may think of your standard, Oh-don’t-feel-sad-and-lonely-because-no-one-is-ever-alone idea, and while that is part of it, so much more is being said here. To explain, we live in such an individualistic society. So much of our cultural identity, lifestyle, and values are centered on the bettering and improving of the self. The foundation of capitalism, the hallmark of personal achievement, and perhaps the core of human nature itself, if there is such a thing, is this idea that “I” exist, “I” am important, “I” matter, “I” must live “my” life. And this focus on “I” trickles down to the values we instill in ourselves and others. How many times have you heard something like: “believe in yourself.” “you can do anything you set your mind to,” “you have to do what’s best for you.” “whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right,” “follow your dreams,” “be true to yourself,” “you are special,” “you must be the change you wish to see in the world.” I’m not saying any of these are bad ideas, but do you notice how many times the word “you” appears? It’s in our favorite stories, whether movies, TV shows, books, or even religious texts: one heroic person sets out to conquer the world, defies the odds, fights against any and all opposition, and comes out victorious. And yes, it’s in our fairy tales. More often than not, they’re stories of people who want something, who face opposition to that thing, but nobly and boldly do whatever they have to do to achieve their goals and live their dream. And we laud and praise real-life individuals who have done pretty much the same thing, right? And this is where Into the Woods becomes the ultimate caution about such an attitude: “no one is alone,” meaning your decisions and your actions will not ever only affect you. “You move just a finger / say the slightest word / something’s bound to linger / be heard.” Yes, you can follow your dreams, and yes, you can decide what it is you want and go for it, and yes, you can defy the odds and do whatever you have to do to succeed, but there will be consequences for every choice you make along the way, and those consequences may affect others in ways you either won’t ever recognize or will recognize when it’s too late to change course. Should this paralyze us from acting? No. But it should make us aware that our lives do not occur in a vacuum: our choices and decisions matter, and they matter to more people than we realize. We have to look out for each other, and we have to think about more than just ourselves as we go through our lives. You cannot exist solely for yourself or your loved ones, because truly, no one is alone.
Such an idea is one that is rarely expressed in Western society, but one that is so desperately needed. And Into the Woods expresses it so well. I know a lot of people have been turned off to the show because they saw a lackluster stage production of it. Here’s the problem: with such dense and complex ideas, Into the Woods is perhaps one of the most difficult shows to pull off effectively, which is why the film has me so excited: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Johnny Depp . . . these are actors who are I know are capable of conveying these ideas. And while Rob Marshall hasn’t always succeeded, what I’ve seen so far of the direction he’s taken looks promising.
So, what’s my point here?
Go to the Wood!
– Blake L.
[Awkward Pause] 