Thread by @chrisgeidner

“Once upon a time …”

Joanna and Chip! Are so perfect! The number of times I listened to this OBC recording — on CD! — long before I truly understand how incredible this all was. 🥺 But, I was learning. And loving it.

I was in high school in Ohio and it was the early ’90s — he has charm for a prince, I guess — and I was just beginning to fall in love with musical theater — a bean can begin an adventure — and Into the Woods was my introduction to Sondheim. It was unlike anything else.

“To be continued!” Anyone else might have been happy to have created what is Act I of Into The Woods. The structure of the show — “Ever After” ending the act — basically tells us as much. But, not Sondheim. The first act was just setting us up for his real lessons.

The most adept, concise explanation of what was just beginning to happen to the media landscape that I’ve ever seen. Remember, this was 1987. This is the Narrator being attacked.

Joanna Gleason’s performance is perfect.

The pure Sondheim, rapid-paced “Your Fault,” followed by the punch of “Last Midnight,” works so well.

“You’re so nice. You’re not good, you’re not bad, you're just nice. I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just right. I'm the Witch, you're the world.”

Let me tell you, if you were a closeted gay teen with divorced parents in the early ’90s — hypothetically — “No More” hit really hard. 😔

“Sometimes people leave you
Halfway through the wood
Do not let it grieve you
No one leaves for good
You are not alone
No one is alone.”

Thanks for all that you’ve taught us, Stephen Sondheim. And for all that you’ve left us to learn.

RIP.