1) The full show is something like 22 hours long. Or maybe it just felt that way. But it was definitely over 2.5. The prologue and finale are 17 of these minutes. 17.
2) MTI would have to approve any cuts, and they’re likely to tell you to just do the Jr version.
3) The Jr version, but it cuts act two…and the theme of “careful what you wish for.”
4) It is a vocally very intense show. I started vocal rehearsals for it during our Winter Play, and we didn’t open until May. Lots of tight harmonies and you need very specific vocal types for all the leads. Sondheim seems to think that everyone can hit every note in every range.
5) Because we were working on the middle school stage (ours was under renovation), we had about half of the space needed to get the full visual feel, and used a very simple set. We had 3 storybooks that opened up to become Cinderella’s home/castle, Jack’s house, and the Baker/Baker’s wife house. I don’t remember when those came offstage (the therapy is helping), but behind all of that we had a simple platform with stairs on all 4 sides. It was used for things like ensemble crossovers after each night of the ball, “Any Moment,” and the whole Baker’s Wife/Cinderella’s prince are naughty people sequence. It also helped to make lovely stage pictures for the large ensemble . We also had a tower that, on one side was Cinderella’s mother’s tree, and the other side was Rapunzel's tower. It had a small ladder inside so that they could climb up and be seen (Cinderella’s mom was lit behind a scrim).
6) We had fun building the beanstalk (operated on a pulley system) and do the runaway hen (cardboard cutout of hen attached to remote control car).
7) We also used a huge dog to be the cow that wasn’t as white as milk. He stole the show and has his own Instagram account.
8) We used a double for the witch, lip syncing to a recording of the witch’s voice. The witch stepped into the wings when she was supposed to be supervising the digging up of Milky White, and the double came back on while the witch got gorgeous offstage. The double was taken off stage when she got “ill” from the potion (4 dancers acted as “birds” in this scene and are the ones who took her offstage. The real witch came up the back staircase to the platform for the reveal.
I think that’s all I’ve got. My eye twitch is back for some reason...
Original Message------
Any comments welcomed from anyone who produced "Into the Woods!" I have a very talented MS Small stage with extension. Would like to do entire show with some cuts.