2023 Grammy Awards: How the ‘Into the Woods’ Cast Album Was Made
At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, the Broadway revival production of Into the Woods won the award for Best Musical Theater Album. In the virtual media center at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Showbiz Cheat Sheet interviewed music director Rob Berman, producer Sean Patrick Flahaven, and actor Brian d’Arcy James about the making of the Into the Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording) album.
What making the ‘Into the Woods’ cast album was like
In July 2022, the second Broadway revival of Into the Woods opened, and the show closed on Jan. 8, 2023. In September 2022, an album featuring the revival cast was released.
At the 2023 Grammy Awards, Into the Woods won Best Musical Theater Album. Following the show’s win, Berman, Flahaven, and James visited the press room to speak to reporters. From the virtual media center, Showbiz asked about the experience of creating a cast album of such a well-known show.
“So I mean, all cast albums were recorded in a couple of days. It’s always a very fast process. Usually, the show has been running for a couple of months, so they know the material very well. So it isn’t about that, but it’s a rapid process,” Flahaven shared.
He continued, “You only get a few takes and you end up, you know, putting together these beautiful performances from this orchestra and this cast. As far as how we approached this one… It wasn’t about, and I think it’s true of the production also, it wasn’t a radical departure from the script and score. It’s really about honoring Steve Sondheim.”
‘Into the Woods’ has won Best Musical Theater Album twice
The original Broadway production of Into the Woods won Best Musical Theater Album at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards. At the time, the category was called Best Musical Cast Show Album.
Into the Woods is one of only four musicals to win the award twice. Gypsy, Les Misérables, and West Side Story have also won Best Musical Theater Album two times.
The show originally opened on Broadway for the first time in 1987. It was created by Stephen Sondheim, who died in 2021.
The cast featured on the 2022 Broadway revival album includes Sara Bareilles as the Baker’s Wife, James as the Baker, Patina Miller as the Witch, Phillipa Soo as Cinderella, Gavin Creel as the Wolf and Cinderella’s Prince, Joshua Henry as Rapunzel’s Prince, David Patrick Kelly as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Julia Lester as Little Red Riding Hood, Cole Thompson as Jack, Alysia Velez as Rapunzel, and more.
What other shows were nominated for Best Musical Theater Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards?
The Best Musical Theater Album award is typically given to the producer of the cast album, composers and lyricists who contributed to at least 50% of the score, and principal vocalists.
This year, there were six nominees in the Best Musical Theater Album category. The complete list of 2023 nominees in the category can be viewed below.
2023 Best Musical Theater Album nominees:
- Into The Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording)
- Caroline, Or Change
- MJ The Musical
- Mr. Saturday Night
- Six: Live on Opening Night
- A Strange Loop
The complete list of 2023 Grammy Awards winners can be viewed here.
