Into the Woods - A Review

**Maybe there are spoilers? I certainly don't mean for there to be, but beware just in case**

This is a fractured fairytale as only Sondheim & Lapine can bring us. It's a grown up story - there is death and betrayal, heartache and grief . Yet it's as appropriate for kids as a Marvel movie.

However, I wish (no pun intended), the Ugly Witch was uglier. You've seen the commercials, you know it's Meryl Streep. But if she looked less like Meryl Streep, her transformation would be as spectacular as it is on stage.

(I've never seen the stage version in full. But I do recall seeing a snippet on TV - PBS, I think. Or perhaps a Tony awards broadcast. The Witch transformed; my mouth was agape.)

You've seen the bus stop placards with Chris Pine. You may have thought, 'oh, he must have a non-singing role of some sort'.

Oh contraire, mes amis. He sings. And he doesn't Brosnan (or Crowe) it, either.

He Shatners it. To good effect and in the best of ways. It sounds incredible, but truly, it worked for me.

As the closing credits rolled, I felt I had watched a play on screen. Not something based on the play, but the play itself, given a little room to breathe, though constrained by the time frame and lack of intermission.

It was good. Certainly worth the price of a movie ticket if you love musicals and can't wait. But it's perfectly acceptable to hold out for the $3 movie theater or RedBox. If this is your cup of tea, you'll enjoy it.