But suddenly we have several random deaths thrown in, some of which are taken seriously and some of which are not.
One of the problems with the video is that that performance had a particularly poor audience, as they laugh at some inappropriate moments. None of the deaths in the second act that seem to be comical due to the audience's reaction, are funny at all, as they usually play on stage, such as with Jack's mother and Rapunzel. The only really comedic one is when they turn on the Narrator, which isn't just a meta joke but has some disturbing thematic significance, too. Interestingly, in his very next play, Sondheim used the characters-turning-on-the-narrator concept again, in Assassins, when the Assassins gang up on the Balladeer and drive him off the stage in Another National Anthem.
But right after that consensus, they go and blind the Giantess and kill her without a second thought. Does the Giantess not apply for some reason?
One of the major lessons of the play is that in some circumstances the regular rules we have been taught growing up have to be ignored. Killing the Giantess is not the ideal option, but they have no other choice in this situation. She will not listen to reason, is still a very real danger, and has already killed many of their friends. It isn't so simple as "kill her without a second thought." Take for example this exchange with Little Red and Cinderella:
Little Red: I think my granny and my mother would be upset with me. Cinderella: Why? Little Red: They said to always make them proud. And here I am about to kill somebody. Cinderella: Not somebody. A giant who has been doing harm. Little Red: But the giant's a person. Aren't we to show forgiveness? Mother would be very unhappy with these circumstances.
Into the Woods is a very complex play, particularly in how the seeds for destruction (and rebirth) in the second act are all laid in the seemingly light operetta of the first act. The first act is the fairy tale, and the second is reality. In the real world, Jack has to pay for his crimes, Rapunzel's family must suffer for stealing the radishes, Cinderella and Rapunzel's princes eyes do not stop wandering after "happily ever after," etc. If you rewatch the first act, every single thread of the second was set up in the first. Sometimes the confusion of the first distracts us from the simplest little actions, such as Cinderella flinging the last bean that the Baker's Wife tries to trade with her for her golden shoes. As with most Sondheim plays, it really rewards multiple viewings.
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One of the problems with the video is that that performance had a particularly poor audience, as they laugh at some inappropriate moments. None of the deaths in the second act that seem to be comical due to the audience's reaction, are funny at all, as they usually play on stage, such as with Jack's mother and Rapunzel. The only really comedic one is when they turn on the Narrator, which isn't just a meta joke but has some disturbing thematic significance, too. Interestingly, in his very next play, Sondheim used the characters-turning-on-the-narrator concept again, in Assassins, when the Assassins gang up on the Balladeer and drive him off the stage in Another National Anthem.
But right after that consensus, they go and blind the Giantess and kill her without a second thought. Does the Giantess not apply for some reason?
One of the major lessons of the play is that in some circumstances the regular rules we have been taught growing up have to be ignored. Killing the Giantess is not the ideal option, but they have no other choice in this situation. She will not listen to reason, is still a very real danger, and has already killed many of their friends. It isn't so simple as "kill her without a second thought." Take for example this exchange with Little Red and Cinderella:
Little Red: I think my granny and my mother would be upset with me.
Cinderella: Why?
Little Red: They said to always make them proud. And here I am about to kill somebody.
Cinderella: Not somebody. A giant who has been doing harm.
Little Red: But the giant's a person. Aren't we to show forgiveness? Mother would be very unhappy with these circumstances.
Into the Woods is a very complex play, particularly in how the seeds for destruction (and rebirth) in the second act are all laid in the seemingly light operetta of the first act. The first act is the fairy tale, and the second is reality. In the real world, Jack has to pay for his crimes, Rapunzel's family must suffer for stealing the radishes, Cinderella and Rapunzel's princes eyes do not stop wandering after "happily ever after," etc. If you rewatch the first act, every single thread of the second was set up in the first. Sometimes the confusion of the first distracts us from the simplest little actions, such as Cinderella flinging the last bean that the Baker's Wife tries to trade with her for her golden shoes. As with most Sondheim plays, it really rewards multiple viewings.