![The Great Stephen Sondheim](https://millertonnews.com/media-library/start-a-new-holiday-tradition-by-streaming-stephen-sondheims-into-the-woods-starring-local-favorite-actress-meryl-streep-ph.jpg?id=48206748&width=980&quality=90)
Start a new holiday tradition by streaming Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” starring local favorite actress Meryl Streep. Photo courtesy IMDB
Stephen Sondheim died last week at age 91. He transformed the American musical. Ranking his musicals seems futile; they are all so different and almost all so good. Some of his best-known work, such as “Follies” and “Company,” is poorly suited for film adaptation, but two of his finest shows have had successful movie versions.
“Into the Woods”
I saw the acclaimed 2019 Barrington Stage production of this much-loved show and came away thinking it doesn’t get any better than this. So I approached the film warily. But I doubt even the most fervent Sondheim worshippers will complain much about this spectacular 2014 Disney production, directed by Rob Marshall and starring Meryl Streep.
Sondheim and James Lapine have conjured up a captivating look at several fairy tales — Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood — and intertwined them with a tale of their own.
A baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) are sent on a quest by a witch (Streep) to find the following items in order to have a baby: “A cow white as milk, cape red as blood, hair yellow as corn, and slipper pure as gold.”
During their adventures in the woods they encounter classic characters including Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), her evil stepmother (Christine Baranski) and the big bad wolf (Johnny Depp).
The first act (or 1:15 into the film) ends with the success of their quest and everyone perhaps living happily ever after.
Something quite different happens in the second act (final 45 minutes). The story moves away from fairy tales and begins to resemble the way we live now; that is to say, it gets a lot darker. Some will survive; some won’t.
The finale rewards us with a hopeful ending, two of Sondheim’s loveliest songs — “Children Will Listen” and “No One Is Alone” — and perhaps a few tears.
If you would like to step up from the usual holiday movies, gather the family and watch this wonderful show. Stream on Disney, rent on Amazon.
‘Sweeney Todd’
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is definitely not a family show — unless you are the Addams Family. I saw the stage version during a 1989 revival at Circle In The Square, which was like having a front row seat at a slaughterhouse.
Tim Burton (“Edward Scissorhands,” “Batman”) directed the 2007 DreamWorks film and was the perfect man for the job. Johnny Depp was cast as Todd, not an obvious choice — Jack Nicholson must have been tied up (“Here’s Sweeney!”) — but Depp gave a fine performance that won him a Golden Globe and an Oscar. Helena Bonham Carter plays Mrs. Lovett, and Sacha Baron Cohen makes a brief but splashy appearance.
Many of you will recall the plot. Todd returns to London after a false imprisonment, obsessed with avenging the judge who sent him away and took custody of his lovely daughter, Johanna. He gets his revenge but not before entering into a scheme to provide meat for Mrs. Lovett’s pies. Much slaughter ensues. The conclusion is a shocking stew of intrigue, retribution and carnage, with some relief being provided by the romance between a young sailor and Johanna.
The thrilling Sondheim score holds this dark melodrama together. Some songs may be familiar — “Pretty Women” and “Johanna” — but, as in all of his shows, the action does not pause for songs; they move the story along, like dialogue or opera. The director of the Metropolitan Opera reportedly was willing to stage “Sweeney” at the Met.
Turn up the brightness on your TV and stream it on Hulu or rent on Amazon.
Elm Drive Elementary School in Millbrook.
MILLERTON — The beginning of September is quickly approaching, which means that summer is coming to an end for many kids in the Hudson Valley.
Webutuck, Millbrook, and Pine Plains schools are looking forward to the first day of school next week. On Wednesday, Sept. 4, children enrolled in the Millbrook or Pine Plains school district will start their academic year. The following day, Thursday, Sept. 5, students in the Webutuck district will have their first day of school. These school districts are starting the year with a short week for students, allowing the children to get a sense of routine without overwhelming them.
According to the Weather Channel, the school week starts Wednesday and Thursday will be slightly cloudy and in the low 70s, with a chance of rain later Friday evening.
Fairgoers at this year’s Dutchess County Fair from Aug. 20-25 enjoyed thrilling rides on the Midway, including on this flying chair ride. The annual fair in Rhinebeck is one of the largest attractions in Dutchess County with 12 acres of fairgrounds and barns showcasing livestock, along with three show arenas, free entertainment and plenty to eat.
RHINEBECK — The Dutchess County Fair has ended for the season, which ran from Aug. 20 until Sunday, Aug. 25.
The Dutchess County Fair designated 12 acres of the fairgrounds to showcase local livestock. This included 12 barns housing dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, and rabbits, three show arenas with daily scheduled events, and workroom demonstrations.
Besides offering dozens of themed gardens, waterfalls, and ponds filled with koi and colorful flowers, the fair also travels back in time with the “turn of the century treasures.” It features a century museum village, the firefighters’ museum, a working blacksmith shop, and a gas-powered engine show.
Classic treats like candy apples and cotton candy fed the masses at the Dutchess County Fair. The annual fair in Rhinebeck is one of the largest attractions in Dutchess County with 12 acres of fairgrounds and barns showcasing livestock, along with three show arenas, free entertainment and plenty to eat.Photo by Olivia Valentine
Free entertainment included live music, frisbee dogs, a stilt circus, racing pigs, a petting zoo, dock dogs, a fishing tank, and a VR tractor ridealong. Musicians who performed included Tracy Byrd, Kameron Marlowe, Conner Smith, Kissnation, Bluffett, and Grammy-winning artist Rick Springfield.
Agencies represented included the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, Medical Reserve Corps, Animal Response Team, and more.
A major partnership with the fair is ThinkDifferently, implementing accommodations for individuals and families with disabilities.
“ThinkDIFFERENTLY Thursday was born half a dozen years ago with the understanding that institutions like this and places like this often are difficult for individuals with any amount of disability to access,” U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-19) said.
Elizabeth “Tilly” Strauss’, the Town of North East’s clerk, and her father, Julian, won two blue ribbons at the Dutchess County Fair for his maple syrup. From a third-generation farm in Dutchess County, Julian started making maple syrup about 14 years ago, naming it Home Farm Maple Syrup. This was his first year competing at the fair, winning four ribbons. To learn more about Julian’s syrup, visit @homefarmmaplesyrup on Instagram or email homefarmmaple@optonline.com
Photo by Olivia Valentine
The ferris wheel at the Dutchess County Fair ran all week, taking visitors high into the sky. The annual fair in Rhinebeck is one of the largest attractions in Dutchess County with 12 acres of fairgrounds and barns showcasing livestock, along with three show arenas, free entertainment and plenty to eat.
A. Gregg Pulver
POUGHKEEPSIE — Dutchess County Comptroller A. Gregg Pulver filed an audit request of the New York Department of Public Service Commission Thursday, Aug. 15.
Pulver sent the letter to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli over concerns about recent rate hikes by electric and gas utility provider Central Hudson. Pulver said the utility has practiced bad corporate citizenship by hiking rates and refusing to address problems in its billing department despite soaring corporate profits.
As of Friday, Aug. 23, the state comptroller’s office has not responded to Pulver’s audit request. “Tom DiNapoli is very responsive to needs, I’m sure we will hear something shortly,” Pulver said.
Pulver’s concerns center around the approval process for the rate increase. He said he wants more information about how exactly the PSC balances customer concerns with the financial materials supplied by Central Hudson.
The PSC requires utilities in New York to file regular rate plan approvals. That process takes 10 to 12 months to complete. “It was a litigated case,” Central Hudson Director of Media Relations Joe Jenkins said. “Which means it was essentially put on trial.”
During that process, interested parties, industry experts, employees of Central Hudson and concerned customers give their testimony and recommendations to the PSC. In this case, the Office of Investigations and Enforcement conducted an investigation of Central Hudson’s billing issues and PA Consulting was hired as an independent monitor to verify Central Hudson had rectified the issues and to make further recommendations to the PSC.
After that deliberative process, the PSC issued a rate plan that allowed the utility to increase revenues from electric by 5.5% and from gas by 7.3%. The average customer would see an approximate $12 increase on electric bills and a $9 increase on gas as a result.
Pulver also raised concerns over Central Hudson’s billing practices. “People were getting billed for three or four or five times what they used to do,” Pulver said. “It was an atrocious time.”
Jenkins said Central Hudson has ironed out these issues. In July PA Consulting, the independent monitor hired by the PSC, issued a report stating Central Hudson had resolved its billing issues and that bills were accurate moving forward.
As part of the approved rate plan, the PSC mandated Central Hudson must make recommended investments in billing and customer service, including implementing monthly meter readings, and that ratepayer funds could not be used to pay for those investments.
MILLERTON — The Town of North East’s planning board is holding a public hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 28, to consider the Bank of Millbrook’s site plan application.
The Bank of Millbrook applied to open another branch on Route 44, where Elizabeth’s Jewelry and Fine Gifts is located. The Site Plan is seeking approval to have the bank contain a drive-through within that location. With the relocation, Elizabeth’s Jewelry announced they are not closing and are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.
The location of the building caught the Bank of Millbrooks’ attention, and they have been applying for approval since April. When they were looking to move their Amenia branch, it took the bank about 30 days to get approval.
The public hearing will occur at 7:35 p.m., Aug. 28, at the North East Town Hall. The application is open to be looked at. To request a copy, email pb@townofnortheastny.gov.