Anyone who's seen Pitch Perfect has heard Anna Kendrick belt out a stunning vocal performance with nothing but plastic cup percussion accompaniment. However, those unfamiliar with her golden pipes can hear Kendrick's singing voice in Disney’s forthcoming production of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical, Into the Woods. In this reimagining of classic Brothers Grimm tales, Kendrick plays Cinderella to Chris Pine's prince.
And, the very first song from the highly anticipated adaptation has just been released. In “On the Steps of the Palace,” you can listen to Kendrick gracefully hit a series of high notes as her Cinderella ponders if she should accidentally (but really on purpose) leave her slipper behind for the prince to find. Unfortunately, you’ll have to sit tight until December 15 for the entire soundtrack to be released.
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In October, Kendrick told Playbill, "I had never considered myself a Cinderella, I always thought of myself as Little Red because I'm a little weirdo…so playing Cinderella, not only did I have to wrap my brain around being the sweet ingénue, but I had to get my voice ready to be more sweet and light and more of a true soprano.”
After listening to this sneak peak of the movie’s soundtrack, it’s obvious that her preparation paid off.
Kendrick also got to work closely with living legend Stephen Sondheim as he tweaked the song’s lyrics to fit the film adaptation. Between getting nominated for an Oscar and a Tony award, that’s probably another experience she can check off of her bucket list.
Into the Woods opens in theaters on Christmas and also stars Johnny Depp, Christine Baranski,and Meryl Streep. Not too shabby. (Vanity Fair)