Wishes Come True, and Then Not
by Sharline Bareng, Staff Writer
Before animated films started fiddling with the supposed “happily ever after†of fairy tales we’ve known throughout childhood, composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and theatrical director James Lapine had already settled their alternate ending in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Into the Woods. Now, Monique Wilson’s New Voice Company (NVC) stages this acclaimed musical in Manila, and I was very lucky to have seen its opening night last November 9.
Into the Woods intricately combines the stories of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack and the Beanstalk with the tale of the Baker and his wife who wish to have children of their own. Unfortunately, a witch has cursed the Baker’s family to become barren because of her own personal grudge against the Baker’s father, who stole her greens and magical beans. For the curse to be lifted, the Witch orders the Baker and his wife to collect the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold within three nights.
Christmas is always at least a month early at Starbucks Coffee. This year, the 6th of November marked the start of the much-anticipated holiday season, when the Christmas beverages were reintroduced at all Starbucks branches—the delightful Peppermint Mocha and the rich Toffee Nut Latte—including a third drink, the new must-try Praline Mocha.