logblog

This is the second of a three part post on Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. To read part one, click here.

Jumping back Into the Woods, here a couple other tidbits I’ve discovered over the years you might find interesting. First, did you know that Betsy Joslyn was one of the Broadway witches?Yes, that’s right! That crazy-ass Johanna from the Sweeney Todd filmed stage production. I think she’s way over the top and terrible in Sweeney Todd, not to mention cross-eyed. Oh, and by the way, the next time you’re listening to her shrieking trills in “Green Finch,” keep this in mind: She made them transpose that song UP for her. Crazy. The strange thing is, I’ve heard a private recording of her witch, and it was actually pretty good. I don’t really know where the belt came from, or even the not-crazy-over-the-top-ness, but I don’t care. I enjoyed listening to it heartily. One more Betsy Joslyn tidbit: she was married to George Hearn while Sweeney Todd was taped. Whole other dynamic to that story.

Also, have any of you ever seen this? It’s a children’s book of the story to Into the Woods with beautiful illustrations by Hudson Talbott. I really wish someone would mount a production based on the pictures in this book, because they are quite wonderful. I especially like the stepsisters with the white faces and little red cheeks. Here’s some of Talbott’s illustrations:

Beautiful. Next week, I’ll write some about the various recordings available for the show. Thanks for reading!