Well… Way earlier than being the big, bad wolf inWolf Hall, Damian Lewis was the Wolf in Into the Woods.
Damian was cast as the Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince in the 1998 London revival of Into the Woods, one of Stephen Sondheim’s greatest musicals. The revival opened at the Donmar Warehouse on 16 November 1998, and closed on 13 February 1999.
Here is a lovely pic along with his theater, TV and film credits from the 1998 London Playbill for the musical.
Into the Woods is a musical with an original story about a baker and his wife who want to start a family and their interaction with a witch that has placed a curse on them. This original story is tied beautifully to the plots from several Brothers Grimm fairy tales. The main characters are from “Little Red Riding Hood“, “Jack and the Beanstalk“, “Rapunzel“, and “Cinderella, and a few others. The baker and his wife interact with these storybook characters on their journey.
The production at Donmar was nominated for the Outstanding Musical Production at the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1999. Theater critic Kevin Wilson, in particular, raved about Damian Lewis as the Wolf: “The Wolf, in the hands of Damian Lewis, is a sexy, charismatic character whose death robs the piece one of its greatest assets at an early stage.”
Last year on Popcorn with Peter Travers, Damian Lewis sang “Agony” — the musical number he sang as Cinderella’s prince in Into the Woods. In this particular scene, Cinderella’s prince and Rapunzel’s prince, who are brothers, compare the misery that their new found and unobtainable loves give them.
(Cinderella’s Prince):
“Did I abuse her
or show her disdain?
Why does she run from me?
If I should lose her
How shall I regain
the heart she has won from me?
Agony!
Beyond power of speech
When the one thing you want
is the only thing out of your reach.”
Do you wanna see Damian sing it? Oh, yes, you do! So…. ENJOY!
Into the Woods stays as the only musical that Damian has taken part on stage to date. I am so looking forward to his American Buffalo this spring on West End, however, given that he really loves to sing, and sings well, I hope to see him in a musical, one day, too!
