Into the Woods is my favorite piece of 20th century musical theatre. Period. West Side Story may contain and fuse more elements of the performing arts, My Fair Lady may have a more balanced and easily-digestible book, Les Miserables may have better tunes and deal with redemption, etc., etc., etc., (See what I did there?), but Into the Woods is the most complete reflection on life in this Telestial sphere that I know of. Most people fail to fully appreciate its depth and I have yet to see or participate in a completely satisfactory production of it, one that is able to make each facet reflect the light of life the way it should.
Chris and I went with my uncle, Ryan, to see the recently-released film version the day after Christmas, and last night, Chris wanted to watch the Great Performances broadcast of the original Broadway production I have on DVD. Hence, this is the first in what I hope will be a series of reflections on this endlessly fascinating masterwork of Sondheim's. (The review linked below is pretty fair in its assessment of the film and expresses most of my views on the movie, though not on the musical itself.)
http://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/into-the-woods-should-satisfy-most-of-sondheims-fans/Content?oid=2340199
"Not one row!" exclaims Cinderella's Prince at the beginning of the second act of the stage version. Every performer of the role that I've seen fails to show what a clue this line is to the Prince's infidelities, especially in light of the fact that he immediately follows it with "Darling, I must go now." Why does he stray? How does "happily ever after" go awry for these two seemingly well-matched people?
To be blunt, (Emily, I thought your Baker's Wife was really good!) Cinderella is the first girl that ever ran away from the Prince as something more than a coy flirtation. "Wanting a ball is not wanting a prince," she says after the second midnight is gone. She sincerely wants to get away from him so she can sort out how she feels and figure out what she wants. The Prince, for his part, is addicted to the chase, a fact amply explored in both "Agony" and its Reprise. Cinderella makes him work harder for it than he's ever had to before.
Sadly, Cinderella's decision to let herself be caught is a death blow to their relationship. All the practice she's had submitting to her stepmother and stepsisters, combined with her inherent niceness, lead to a conflict-free marriage. While this sounds like a dream to most people, for someone like the Prince, who was "raised to be charming, not sincere" and is completely unprepared to deal with domestic bliss, this takes all the fire out of the relationship and he is again driven to quest after the unobtainable. Had Cinderella been less submissive, had she made the Prince work to keep her, their marriage might have had a chance...or the Prince might still have tired of her and strayed anyway. (There's a reason why sex toy parties have replaced Tupperware parties in many suburban homes.)
In laying this out, I want to be clear that understanding why something happens doesn't justify it. You can understand why the Holocaust happened without justifying the actions of the Nazis. The emotional damage inflicted by infidelity is what makes it morally repugnant...and yet, it is also an opportunity for spiritual, personal growth. Finally, Cinderella knows what she wants! "My father's house was a nightmare. Yours was a dream. Now I want something in between," she tells the prince once she's faced his peccadilloes. While going into the woods (ie. facing adversity) has stolen Cinderella's innocence, it has also helped her answer in an assertive way the questions she asked while stuck on the steps of the palace. She is no longer passively letting someone else determine her future. From that point on, she is capable of caring for a child, imparting true wisdom to Red Riding Hood, and defending herself against the giant that threatens her life.
We've all heard that facing conflict is part of a healthy, lasting relationship. How that conflict is resolved is equally as important. Sadly, Cinderella and her Prince didn't have it in them while they were married, and they were too estranged by the conflict that gave them what they needed to resolve their issues to start over.
"I shall always remember the girl who ran away," the Prince says wistfully. "And I the faraway prince," answers Cinderella. In providing a more honest, consequence-based ending, Sondheim and Lapine have restored a sense of the cautionary to this most popular of fairy tales. And like the Greeks, who knew that theatre was for more than mere entertainment, we can learn from what we see and avoid making the same mistakes in our own lives.
"Into the woods you have to grope, but that's the way you learn to cope! Into the woods to find there's hope of getting through the journey." I love this show!
No comments:
Post a Comment