That Ms. Adams can sing and dance is no news to anyone who saw her in “Enchanted.” She worked for years on the dinner theater circuit in Colorado and Minnesota before finally getting a few breaks in Hollywood. But sitting with Ms. Murphy in a tiny cinder-block dressing room at the Delacorte one recent afternoon, she said that though she had been working for months with a private singing coach, there were times during rehearsal when she had felt she was in way over her head. “It’s been 13 years since I was on a proper stage,” she said. “But at this level? I was never at this level. I was a dancer and a chorus girl.”
“I’ve had no formal training, and I can’t read music,” she said, laughing. Referring to Paul Gemignani, the music director, she added: “Paul will yell at me, ‘Amy, it’s in 12/8,’ and I’m like, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ ”She went on: “This is a huge challenge for me, and it’s very humbling to see how talented everyone is and how hard they work. There were moments when I thought, ‘What have I got myself into?’ ”
Ms. Adams remarked that being part of an ensemble as large as that in “Into the Woods” was a little like belonging to a big family. “You guys all live in this world, and you’re all so gifted,” she said, her eyes welling. “That’s why I feel so much pressure. I feel like you deserve a top-of-the-line performance. I owe you all a huge debt of gratitude, and I don’t take it lightly.”
Ms. Murphy smiled and said, “You were very well prepared, and you bring an openness and a work ethic that is very conducive to all the work we’re doing.”
Ms. Adams said that what appealed to her about acting onstage, instead of on screen, was the chance to do a performance from beginning to end. “I wanted to take responsibility,” she said. “I wanted my performance not to be up to an editor.” She added: “I don’t know how it will go over with an audience, but what I wanted to get out of this, I’ve already gotten. I wanted to take on a challenge that seemed insurmountable. I wanted to do something I didn’t think I could do.”