[ a&e ] THE LEAF | FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 | SHSLEAF.COM
Lights, camera, sing ‘Into the Woods’ follows movie musical legacies onto big screen Kathryn TENBARGE
web editor-in-chief
Ben cohen
staff writer
T
he trend of adapting stage into film has produced recordbreaking hits in the past. “Into the Woods” is the latest movie musical to test the waters. It is already garnering Oscar buzz with stars such as Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Anna Kendrick, and Johnny Depp. The musical was performed at SHS in 2012 by Aves Theatre and directed by Mr. John Whapham. “I have directed ‘Into the Woods’ four times. It is one of my favorite musicals. I am excited for it to be exposed to a new audience and I am looking forward to some of the new interpretations,” said Whapham. For those unfamiliar with the story,
it takes the form of a simple fairy tale with a witch demanding four magical objects from a baker and his wife in exchange for a child. The film takes a twist by showing that all endings might not be so happy. “I am so excited. I think it is a beautiful musical, and it is finally getting the praise it deserved. I cannot wait to see it, I know that the cast will be amazing,” said senior Katherine Amster. With big adaptions also come big worries. “I am just nervous that there will be big changes to the story or plot,” said Amster. Also premiering this month, “Annie” is being adapted for a third time, but this time with a black actress. Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis plays the titular character. The film also stars Jamie Foxx and Cameron
Diaz.
Top 10 movie musicals 1. “The Wizard of Oz” 2. “Singing in the Rain” 3. “Pinocchio” 4. “An American in Paris” 5. “Mary Poppins” 6. “Fantasia” 7. “Some Like It Hot” 8. “Once” 9. “West Side Story” 10. “Yellow Submarine” Source: Rotten Tomatoes
History of movie musicals Movie musicals tend to have a very love/hate relationship with audiences. Some love seeing their favorite stage shows brought to life on screen. Others find it a bit awkward to watch individuals break out into song and dance in order to express their feelings. Either way, the films tend to be box office gold. Coincidentally, the very first movie musical also happened to be the very first feature length motion picture in 1927, “The Jazz Singer.” The movie musical did not fully come into the public’s view though, until the 1960s with stage to film adaptions such as “West Side Story”
and “The Sound of Music.” Original movie musicals were proving to be very successful as well with films such as “Mary Poppins” which would later be adapted into a stage show. More recently, movie musicals are showing to be more successful than ever. “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Les Miserables,” and a little film called “Frozen” are just a few of the many movie musicals from the past decade to achieve box office and critical success. Now the movie musical idea is being brought to TV with ABC’s new musical comedy “Galavant.”
Frozen Les Mis All images by Kathryn Tenbarge