SUMMERTIME — and the gossip is sparse.
So thank heavens for the first preview this week of “Into the Woods” in Central Park.
At last, something to swing my ax at.
“Disaster.”
“Train wreck.”
“What the hell are they thinking?”
Those were some of the texts that came flying my way from my spies at the Delacorte Theater.
And I don’t mean poor little Morgan James!
The actress, who appeared in the recent Broadway revival of “Godspell,” tweeted after Tuesday’s performance: “How can you f – – k up ‘Into the Woods?’ I fear musicianship is dead in musical theater. And acting, for that matter. Horrified!”
A bunch of sensitive souls jumped down her throat, tweeting the usual nonsense about Broadway being a “community” of artists who should never “trash” one another.
Well, where’s the fun in that?
A chastened James removed her tweet and apologized to the universe. But, as you can see, I’ve preserved it for eternity right here in the New York Post.
It’s Morgan’s first published “review” — and I do believe hers is an opinion we can trust.
Even people working on the show agree with her, especially about the musicianship. For some reason, the Public Theater, which is producing the show, hasn’t installed a video monitor on which the cast can watch the conductor. As a result, during those tricky Sondheim ensemble numbers — “First Midnight,” “Ever After” — the actors were coming in all over the place.
“It was chaos,” a production source says. “Nobody knew their cues.”
Some of the actors, who in the interest of “community” I won’t name, didn’t even know their lyrics.
Donna Murphy’s voice seemed to give out during the second act, and she was the victim of a wardrobe malfunction. She plays the witch and, at the end of Act 1, she’s transformed into a great beauty. But the transformation took forever Tuesday night, and Murphy, who’s been directed to moan during the transformation, had nothing to do but moan and moan and moan. She also has to wear strange things on her hands that are supposed to be talons but “look like crutches,” one of my spies says.
The set is coming in for a fair share of criticism — from the actors themselves. It’s a three-tiered concoction and, one insider says, “when you’re standing on the third tier, you feel miles away from the audience.”
“You need binoculars to see the actors,” another person adds.
Production sources say the ragged first preview was due to a painfully slow and chaotic rehearsal process. The director, Timothy Sheader, who’s supposed to be some hot shot from London, wasn’t used to the fast pace of putting up a show in Central Park.
Two dress rehearsals and Monday’s preview were canceled.
“Paging James Lapine!” one company member jokes.
Lapine, who wrote the script, directed the original production in 1987 and a Broadway revival in 2002. He’s still up on Martha’s Vineyard celebrating what, I’m told, was a very exciting reading of his adaptation of Moss Hart’s autobiography, “Act One.”
But he’s due back next week to start rehearsals for “Annie,” and a lot of people involved in “Into the Woods” are hoping he’ll swing by the show and lend his expertise.
Stephen Sondheim was at the first preview, though he played it close to the vest. He did, however, make a hasty exit from the park via a golf cart as soon as the show was over. Given the state of the production, I bet he headed straight for the 19th hole.
On a brighter note, Amy Adams is turning in a winning performance as the Baker’s Wife, even if it looks as if she’s wearing a giant squirrel on her head.
The Public Theater has high hopes for “Into the Weeds” — sorry, “Woods.” It’s been raising money to move it to Broadway in the fall. They’re eyeing the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, which will be in play once “Fela!” wraps up its limited run next month.
If it does transfer, I’m taking Morgan James to the opening. Then I’ll make her a guest columnist so she can write a proper review!