Read Jack & Louisa: Act 1 Online
Authors: Andrew Keenan-bolger,Kate Wetherhead
Jack & Louisa: Act 1 (11 page)
nce upon a time, composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim and book writer James Lapine sat down to write a musical based on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. That musical was
Into the Woods
, a magical retelling of Grimm’s stories that shows what really happens after “happily ever after.”
Into the Woods
first premiered at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego in 1986 and quickly moved to Broadway the following year. It opened at the Martin Beck Theater (now the Al Hirschfeld Theater) on November 5, 1987, and closed on September 3, 1989, after 765 performances. James Lapine also directed the musical, which was nominated for ten Tony Awards, eventually nabbing three: Best Score (Stephen Sondheim), Best Book (James Lapine), and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason). The original Broadway cast featured several stage legends, including Bernadette Peters as The Witch, Joanna Gleason as The Baker’s Wife, Chip Zien as The Baker, Kim Crosby as Cinderella, Ben Wright as Jack, and Danielle Ferland as Little Red Riding Hood. Since its original production,
Into the Woods
has been revived three times: once on Broadway in 2002 and Off-Broadway in 2012 and 2014. The film adaptation opened in cinemas in December 2014.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would not be possible without Jordan Hamessley’s desire and willingness to take a chance on two new authors. Thank you, Francesco Sedita and Sarah Fabiny, for continuing with us on this journey, and to Kate Navin and Joe Veltre for seeing us through the process. Thank you to our
Submissions Only
family for giving us the best creative springboard we could ever imagine. A lifetime of thanks to Chris Wetherhead (Kate’s mom) for her red calligraphy pen and unfailing encouragement, and to Arnold Wetherhead (Kate’s dad) for the photographic reminders of a theatrical childhood, and to Jeff Croiter (Kate’s husband) for always listening. Thank you, Lyric Theater in Burlington, Vermont, for providing inspiration for the Shaker Heights Players. Thanks to Rory Bolger and the late Susan Keenan (Andrew’s parents) for uprooting their life in Detroit, Michigan, to pursue the acting dreams of their children in New York City. Thanks to Ben Fankhauser for his Shaker Heights expertise, and to Neal Hunter Hyde for always being so helpful. Thank you, Second Stage, for providing your beautiful theater. Finally, thanks to all the directors, teachers, and arts educators who continue to inspire future generations of performers and theater-goers.
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