“I take it as text,” explains Miller, a strategy that also helps her navigate the lightning fast specificity of “The Witch’s Rap.” According to the actress, “elevating it to this Shakespearean-like way” helps her connect with the emotion behind Sondheim’s complex rhythms and rhyme schemes. She starts out with an aggressive tactic, but soon turns into a child herself as the Witch begs with her own child to stay safely at home. That’s how she approached the tender song “Stay With Me,” as the Witch bargains with her daughter. “What I love about his work is that you can take it as a monologue,” says Miller. Not only is the material musically complex, but the words are filled with poignancy and specificity. This centering of motherhood has also affected the way Miller relates to the music and lyrics of “Into the Woods” composer Stephen Sondheim. SEE Brian d’Arcy James interview: ‘Into the Woods’ “When you’re younger, you don’t really interpret it the same way…you don’t really realize how the Witch hits…what she’s fighting for.” But as an adult now raising a young woman, she identifies with the Witch’s instinct to protect Rapunzel at all costs.
“At the end of the day, The Witch is just this woman who loves her daughter so much and will do anything to protect her,” notes the actress. Motherhood is a core component of The Witch’s character and as a new mother herself, was the number one way in which Miller was able to pour herself into the role.
