The tone of the show is considerably altered, though; the revival is friendly, if you will, in a way that the original was not. The 1987 show seemed to be a case of "wouldn't it be intriguing to take all those characters from children's storybooks and weave them into a musical." In 2002, this became more like "wouldn't it be lovely to take all those characters. . ."

And it is lovely. This has elicited grumbling in some quarters, from people who appreciated the darker original tone. For me, the originalInto the Woods was problematic, despite the score and some fine performances. With the revival, I care about the characters in a way that I didn't before. This makes the second act involving, whereas I formerly found it off-putting. An admirable show is now enjoyable as well.

The original cast album of the revival pretty much measures up to the 1987 album [RCAVictor 6796]. With musical director Paul Gemignani and orchestrator Jonathan Tunick on hand, the musical values are properly seen to. (No bright producer insisted on replacing the orchestrations, fortunately, as is so often the case nowadays.) The performances on the two cast albums are roughly equal; some slightly weaker, others stronger.

The new material is an asset. This includes "Our Little World," a duet for the Witch and Rapunzel that was added to the 1990 London production; a revision to "Hello, Little Girl," in which a second wolf (played by Rapunzel's Prince) now cavorts with Three Little Pigs; and a brief but important addition to the end of Cinderella's "On the Steps of the Palace," which intertwines the lessons that Red Ridinghood and Jack learned on their journeys into the woods.

The friendliness of the revival stems, in large part, from two performances. John McMartin's Narrator is less of a curmudgeon than his predecessor, more of an overgrown teddy bear. Greg Edelman also brings warmth and humor to his roles. Yes, Edelman's wolf does swallow Red and Granny; but he's a very nice wolf, and a very goofy Prince Charming. Both McMartin and Edelman seem to have stepped out of the Fractured Fairy Tales segment of the "Rocky and Bullwinkle Show," which adds welcome charm to the show.

Vanessa Williams, I'm afraid, is not an asset. When she's good, she's very very good; but the role of the Witch seems to call for an actor with a sense of the ridiculous, and Ms. Williams isn't it. Her solos are letdowns; she's very much lost in these woods. Conversely, the revival has a perfect Cinderella in Laura Benanti, who should be a major Broadway star as soon as someone writes her a part. Hearing Ms. Benanti sing "No One Is Alone" is a special treat, as is this revival.  Continued...