In Strange Woods Explained

Country:United States
Language:English
Num Episodes:5
Runtime:35–57 minutes

In Strange Woods is an American musical fiction podcast produced by Atypical Artists and created by Jeff Luppino-Esposito, Brett Ryback, and Matt Sav. The series is told in the style of a true crime documentary with an original folk-pop score.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

It was nominated for Best Fiction Podcast at the 2022 iHeart Radio Podcast Awards.[6]

Premise

After the tragic death of her brother in the Whitetail National Forest, 18-year-old Peregrine Wells seeks survivalist skills from the enigmatic old recluse who found her brother's body.[2] [3] [7] [4]

Cast and characters

Starring

Additional voices

Production

Music and sound

The series features original music composed by Matt Sav and Brett Ryback, with lyrics by Ryback and Jeff Luppino-Esposito. Matt Sav and Evan Cunningham produced the music, and it was mixed and mastered by Cunningham.[8]

Nicholas Quah of Vulture said of the show's sound that it "carries Spring Awakening vibes in its musical performances."[3] Maureen Lee Lenker, writing for EW, commented that the score "draws more on the sound of The Decemberists or Sufjan Stevens than theatrical composers."[5]

Sound design for the series was by Brandon Grugle and Stephen Jensen, and it was edited by Lauren Shippen and Jeff Luppino-Esposito.[8]

Recording

The original pilot for the series was recorded in 2018, featuring many of the show's eventual stars, including Donna Lynne Champlin, Patrick Page, and Lily Mae Harrington.[4]

After teaming up with Atypical Artists, In Strange Woods was recorded remotely during the 2020 lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] [4]

Release

Podcast

The series premiered on December 14, 2020, on all major podcast platforms.[10] [2]

Cast album

A cast album of original songs from the series was released independently through Atypical Artists on March 11, 2021.[11]

Reception

Critical response

In Strange Woods received positive critical attention from The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC.[12] [9] [13] [14] The series currently has a 4.9 rating out of 5 on Spotify and a 4.4 out of 5 on Apple Podcasts.[15] [2]

Speaking to the show's format, Miranda Sawyer of The Guardian described it as "A musical drama that actually works," going on to say, "I am not a fan of musicals, but somehow this ambitious drama transcends."[9] Rob Herting, CEO of Qcode Media writing for The Wall Street Journal, commented on the podcast's "part docu-fiction, part straight fiction and part musical" format, saying, "I love the ambition of it."[13] And Ella Watts of the BBC 4 Podcast Radio Hour said, "on paper it shouldn't work, but it does here."[14]

Other critics have focused on the work of the cast, including Phoebe Lett of The New York Times who said "the vocal performances are beautiful," and Chloe Rabinowitz of Broadway World who said that guest star Beth Leavel "makes a fierce dramatic turn with her tour-de-force performance."[12] [16]

On October 13, 2021, it was announced that In Strange Woods was nominated for Best Fiction Podcast at the 2022 iHeart Radio Podcast Awards.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Beth Leavel, Patrick Page and More Join IN STRANGE WOODS Musical Podcast. Broadway World. A.A.. Cristi. November 30, 2020. March 2, 2022. December 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201201000446/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Beth-Leavel-Patrick-Page-and-More-Join-IN-STRANGE-WOODS-Musical-Podcast-20201130. live.
  2. Web site: In Strange Woods . Apple Podcasts . March 2, 2022.
  3. Web site: Quah . Nicholas . Nicholas Quah . December 16, 2020 . According To Need, In Strange Woods, and 3 More Podcasts Worth Trying . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201216214315/https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/according-to-need-podcasts-worth-trying.html . December 16, 2020 . March 4, 2022 . Vulture.
  4. Web site: Podcast Studio Atypical Artists Teams With Musical Theatre Writers On 'Serial'-Meets-'Glee'-Style Audio Series. Deadline. Peter. White. November 6, 2019. March 4, 2022. November 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191106220103/https://deadline.com/2019/11/podcast-studio-atypical-artists-teams-with-musical-theatre-writers-on-true-crime-meets-broadway-scripted-podcast-1202778899/.
  5. Web site: Is the musical theater podcast the new concept album?. Entertainment Weekly. Maureen Lee. Lenker. January 15, 2020. March 4, 2022. January 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200116064046/https://ew.com/theater/2020/01/15/musical-theater-podcasts/.
  6. Web site: iHeartRadio Podcast Awards: 'SmartLess' Leads Nominations (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. J. Clara. Chan. October 13, 2021. March 2, 2022. October 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211013131617/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/iheartradio-podcast-awards-nominations-list-2022-1235030228/.
  7. Web site: In Strange Woods . IMDb . March 2, 2022.
  8. Web site: In Strange Woods Cast & Crew . Atypical Artists . March 2, 2022.
  9. Web site: Raves, musicals and a time-travelling diner: 20 must-listen indie podcast gems. The Guardian. Miranda. Sawyer. August 1, 2021. March 2, 2022. August 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210801143528/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/aug/01/indie-podcast-gems-you-might-have-missed.
  10. Web site: Meet The Cast Of New Musical Podcast In Strange Woods Premiering Monday Featuring Broadway's Beth Leavel and Patrick Page. Broadway Box. December 10, 2020. March 4, 2022. December 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201210150724/https://www.broadwaybox.com/daily-scoop/meet-the-cast-of-new-musical-podcast-in-strange-woods/.
  11. Web site: Musical Podcast IN STRANGE WOODS Cast Album Released. Broadway World. A.A.. Cristi. March 11, 2021. March 2, 2022. August 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210822222717/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Musical-Podcast-IN-STRANGE-WOODS-Cast-Album-Released-20210311.
  12. Web site: Icy Podcasts to Warm Your Cold, Cold Heart. The New York Times. Phoebe. Lett. January 2, 2021. March 2, 2022. January 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210103131021/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/02/at-home/winter-podcasts.html.
  13. Web site: An Expert Recommends: 'The Bright Sessions,' 'In Strange Woods,' 'Moonface'. The Wall Street Journal. Rob. Herting. December 23, 2020. March 2, 2022.
  14. Web site: Podcast Musicals . . March 4, 2022.
  15. Web site: In Strange Woods: A Musical Podcast . Spotify . March 2, 2022.
  16. Web site: Listen to a Sneak Peek of Beth Leavel's Fiction Podcast Debut on IN STRANGE WOODS. Broadway World. Chloe. Rabinowitz. December 30, 2020. March 4, 2022. December 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201230202743/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Listen-to-a-Sneak-Peek-of-Beth-Leavels-Fiction-Podcast-Debut-on-IN-STRANGE-WOODS-20201230.

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