"Into the Woods" is back in the spotlight this winter

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This Christmas, the beloved Broadway musical  "Into the Woods" comes to the big screen. After twenty-seven years and multiple false starts, the musical is finally getting a big-screen adaptation, but many fear that the film won't live up to their memories of the stage play. Primarily, fans are concerned that Disney's involvement in the project will have lessened the darker themes central to the show.

To celebrate the show's anniversary and the upcoming film release, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts hosted an "Into the Woods Reunion," bringing together the original Broadway cast and creators in an afternoon of conversation and performance. The event was not only a rare opportunity for Los Angeles-based theater fans to see Bernadette Peters and Stephen Sondheim in person, but also a reminder of the magic and impact of the original show. 

We look both forward to the film and backwards through the reunion, as we examine "Into the Woods" and its current moment in the zeitgeist.

Photo: Doug Gifford.