INTO THE WOODS fans might not be too happy about how different Disney's upcoming adaptation of the classic Stephen Sondheim musical will be compared to the original source material. While speaking with a group of high school drama teachers, Sondheim said the Rob Marshall movie will be less dark than his musical, and it will also feature major plot changes as well.
One of the teachers who wants to put on a production of INTO THE WOODS said she has concerns about the overly sexual relationship between Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, and Stephen Sondheim said Disney had the same concerns before revealing a few other things that have been changed for the big screen version of the musical.
Warning! Spoilers below!
You will find in the movie that Rapunzel does not get killed, and the prince does not sleep with the [Baker's Wife]…You know, if I were a Disney executive I probably would say the same thing.
Stephen Sondheim was also asked if this means the song "Any Moment" will be cut from INTO THE WOODS, and he said it probably will be cut from the adaptation. Sondheim said he and INTO THE WOODS book writer James Lapine did fight to keep it in the movie, however "Disney said, we don't want Rapunzel to die, so we replotted it. I won't tell you what happens, but we wrote a new song to cover it."
Another teacher asked Stephen Sondheim how to respond to students annoyed and angry with performing censored versions of plays. Sondheim said he understands their frustration, but…
You have to explain to them that censorship is part of our puritanical ethics, and it's something that they're going to have to deal with. There has to be a point at which you don't compromise anymore, but that may mean that you won't get anyone to sell your painting or perform your musical. You have to deal with reality.
It's unfortunate some of the more adult material from the original musical won't be featured in INTO THE WOODS, but this news isn't too surprising either. Are you interested in seeing a watered-down version of INTO THE WOODS?
Rob Marshall's INTO THE WOODS starring Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, and James Corden will be in theaters on December 25, 2014.