Sunday Videos: Into The Woods

Vampires get back in your coffins and zombies start making the long shuffle towards the nearest exit because Hollywood has a new genre that they will squeeze every bit out of. Fairy tales. With two new fairy tale shows, Once Upon a Time and Grimm, premiering this week and two Snow White movies currently in production, they are the next go to genre to grace our screens. 

Although it's not the first time because I remember watching the Fractured Fairy Tales segments during The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Faerie Tale Theater, and of course the countless Disney animated films. 

I think one reason why fairy tales have always been popular is because we associate them with happy endings. Yes there's conflict, but the girl always gets her prince and live in a great big shiny castle. But what happens once the happily ever after is long gone? That's the topic at hand with Steven Sondheim's 1988 Broadway musical, Into the Woods. Where some of the most classic Grimm's fairy tales intertwine with each other with interesting twists. 

I remember first hearing about it in high school when it was our spring musical. It was originally supposed to be Grease, but the drama teacher didn't think it was appropriate for us to perform. That I found funny because Into the Woods has an affair, murder/death, and the cutting off one's heel in order to fit into a glass slipper. There was a Broadway  revival in 2002, but the original cast will always be my favorite. I highly recommend giving it a viewing. In fact it's currently streaming on Netflix and once you watch it, you'll start humming along to the songs.