Prologue: Into The Woods

Once upon a time

In a far-off kingdom

There lay a small village

At the edge of the woods

I wish

And in this village

More than anything

Lived a young maiden

More than life

More than jewels

A carefree young lad

I wish

More than life

And a childless baker

I wish

With his wife

More than anything

More than the moon

I wish

The king is giving a festival

More than life

I wish

I wish to go to the festival

More than riches

And the ball

I wish my cow would

Give us some milk

More than anything

I wish we had a child

Please, pal

I want a child

Squeeze, pal

I wish to go to the festival

I wish you'd give us some

Milk or even cheese

I wish

I wish we might have a child

I wish

You wish to go to the festival?

The poor girl's parents had died

You, cinderella, the festival?

You wish to go to the festival?

What, you, cinderella, the festival?

The festival?!

What, you wish to go to the festival?

The festival?

The king's festival?

And now she lived with her stepmother

The festival...ha!

Who had two daughters of her own

Look at your nails!

Look at your dress!

People would laugh at you

Nevertheless

I still want to go to the festival

And dance before the prince

All three were beautiful of face

but vile and black of heart

The young lad had no father and his mother

I wish

Well, she was at her wit's end

I wish my son were not a fool

I wish my house was not a mess

I wish the cow was full of milk

I wish the walls were full of gold

I wish a lot of things

What in heaven's name are

you doing with the cow inside the house?

I thought if he got nice and warm

He might produce some milk

It's a she

How many times do I have to tell you

Only shes can give milk?

And then there was a hungry little girl

Who always wore a red cape

I wish

It's not for me

It's for my granny in the woods

A loaf of bread, please

To bring my poor old hungry

Granny in the woods

Just a loaf of bread, please

Cinderella, if you can pick up these lentils

And finish your chores in time

Then you may go to the ball with us

Come along ladies

Yes, mother

Good luck

Come, little birds

Down from the eaves

And the leaves

Over fields

Out of castles and ponds

Now, squeeze, pal

Ahhhhhhhhhh

Quick, little birds

Flick through the ashes

Pick and peck, but swiftly

Sift through the ashes

Into the pot

Now listen to me well, son

Milky-white must be taken to market

But, mother, no- he's the best cow in the world

Was

She has been dry for weeks now

With no food or money

We've got no choice but to sell her

Look at her

But, Milky-white's my best friend

Look at her

There are bugs on her dugs

There are flies in her eyes

There's a lump on her rump

Big enough to be a hump

But

We've no time to sit and dither

While her wither's wither with her

And no one keeps a cow for a friend!

Sometimes I wonder what's goin' on in that head of yours

Into the woods

It's time to go

I hate to leave

I have to, though

Into the woods

It's time, and so

I must begin my journey

Into the woods

And through the trees

To where I am

Expected ma'am

Into the woods

To grandmother's house

Into the woods

To grandmother's house

Now you're certain of your way?

The way is clear

The light is good

I have no fear

Nor no one should

The woods are just trees

The trees are just wood

I sort of hate to ask it

But do you have a basket?

Yes, we do

I don't suppose you're planning on buying any of these

Oh, shhhhh

Now, don't stray and be late, alright?

You might save some of those sweets for granny?

Oh my

Just, leave it

She's a thief!

Into the woods

And down the dell

The path is straight

I know it well

Into the woods

And who can tell

What's waiting on the journey?

Into the woods

To bring some bread

To granny who

Is sick in bed

Never can tell

What lies ahead

For all that I know

She's already dead

But into the woods

Into the woods

Into the woods

To grandmother's house

And home before dark

Cinderella!

Get up here!

Fly, birds

Back to the sky

We're waiting!

Back to the eaves

And the leaves

And the fields

And the

Hurry up and do my hair, Cinderella!

Are you really wearing that?

Here, I found a little tear, Cinderella

Can't you hide it with a hat?

You look beautiful

I know

She means me

No she didn't

Mother said: Be good

Father said: Be nice

That was always their advice

So be nice, Cinderella

Good, Cinderella

Nice good good nice

Tighter!

What's the good of being good

If everyone is blind

Always leaving you behind?

Never mind, Cinderella

Kind Cinderella

Nice good nice kind good nice

Ow! Not that tight!

God!

Who might that be?

We've sold our last loaf of bread!

It's the witch from next-door

We have no bread

I don't want your bread

Then what is it you wish?

It's not what I wish

It's what you wish

Nothing cooking in that belly now is there?

And there will never be

Unless you do exactly as I say

In three days time a blue-moon will appear

Only then can the curse be, undone

What curse?

The one I placed on this house

What are you talking about?

In the past, when you were no more than a babe

Your father brought his young wife and you to this cottage

They were a lovely couple

But not lovely neighbors

You see

Your mother was with child

And she developed an unusual appetite

She admired my beautiful garden

And she told your father that

What she wanted more than anything

In the world, was

Greens, greens, nothing but greens

Parsley, peppers, cabbages and celery

Asparagus and watercress and

Fiddleferns and lettuce!

He said: All right

But it wasn't, quite

'Cause I caught him in the autumn

In my garden one night!

He was robbing me

Raping me

Rooting through my rutabaga

Raiding my arugula and

Ripping up the rampion

My champion! My favorite!

I should have laid a spell on him

Right there

I could have turned him into stone

Or a dog

Or a chair

But I let him have the rampion

I'd lots to spare

In return, however

I said: Fair is fair

You can let me have the baby

That your wife will bear

And we'll call it square

I had a brother?

No. But, you had a sister

Where is she?

She's mine now!

And you'll never find her

Small price to pay for what

Else your father stole from me

It cost me my youth, my beauty

My mother warned me

She would punish me

With the curse of ugliness

If I ever lost any of them

Lost what?

The beans

Beans?

The special beans

I'd let him go, I didn't know

He'd stolen my beans

I was watching him crawl

Back over the wall!

Then bang! Crash!

A lightning flash!

Well, that's another story

Never mind

Anyway, at last

The big day came

And I made my claim

Oh, don't take away the baby

They shrieked and screeched

But I did

And I hid her

Where she'll never be reached

And your father cried

And your mother died

When for extra measure

I admit it was a pleasure

I said: Sorry, I'm still not mollified

And I laid a little spell on them

You, too, son

That your family tree

Would always be a barren one

How could you do that?

And when your mother died

Your father deserted you

Your father was no father so why should you be?

So there's no more fuss

And there's no more scenes

And my garden thrives

You should see my nectarines!

But I'm telling you the same

I tell kings and queens

Don't ever never ever

Mess around with my greens!

Especially the beans

Yeah, but why do we have to go to the next village?

Because, everyone in this village

Knows the cow hasn't given a drop of milk in weeks

That's cheating!

We're starving, jack!

Don't you understand that?

Now, you're not to accept less than five pounds for her

Are you listening to me?

Yes

How much are you to ask?

No more than five pounds

Less than five!

Than five!

Into the woods

The time is now

We have to live

I don't care how

Into the woods to sell the cow

You must begin the journey!

Straight to the woods

And don't delay

We have to face

The marketplace

Into the woods to journey's end

Into the woods to sell a friend

You wish to have

The curse reversed?

I'll need a certain

Potion first

Go to the woods and bring me back

One: The cow as white as milk

Two: The cape as red as blood

Three: The hair as yellow as corn

Four: The slipper as pure as gold

Bring me these

Before the chime

Of midnight

In three day's time

Tis' then the blue moon reappears

Which comes but once each hundred years

Just bring them and

I guarantee

A child as perfect

As child can be

Go to the wood!

Ladies

Our carriage waits

Now may I go to the festival?

The festival?

Darling, those nails!

Darling, those clothes!

Lentils are one thing but

Darling, with those

You'd make us the fools of the festival

And mortify the prince!

The festival lasts three nights

Surely, you could let me be there for one of them

The king is trying to find his son a wife!

Not a scullery maid!

We must be gone!

Go!

I wish

Beans?

These must be the witch's beans!

We'll take them with us

We?

Yes!

We?

You're not coming

It's not safe out there

I can help you!

No!

I can do this on my own

The spell is on my house

Only I can lift the spell

The spell is on my house

No, no, the spell is on our house

We must lift the spell together

The spell is on our house!

Now tell me what am I to return with?

Ugh, you don't remember?

The cow as white as milk

The cape as red as blood

The hair as yellow as corn

The slipper as pure as gold

The cow as white as milk

The cape as red as blood

The hair as yellow as corn

The slipper as pure as gold

I still wish to go to the festival

But how am I ever to get to the festival?

The cow as white as milk

The cape as red as blood

The hair as yellow as corn-

I know!

I'll visit mother's grave

The grave at the willow tree

And tell her I just want to

Go to the king's festival

The slipper as pure as gold

The cow, the cape

The slipper as pure as gold

The hair!

Into the woods

It's time to go

It may be all

In vain, you/I know

Into the woods

But even so

I have to take the journey

Into the woods

The path is straight

You know it well

But who can tell

Into the woods to lift the spell

Into the woods to visit mother

Into the woods to sell the cow!

To get the money!

To go to the festival!

Into the woods to grandmother's house!

The way is clear

The light is good

I have no fear

Nor no one should

The woods are just trees

The trees are just wood

No need to be afraid there

There's something in the glade there

Into the woods

Without delay

But careful not

To lose the way

Into the woods

Who knows what may

Be lurking on the journey?

Into the woods

To get the thing

That makes it worth

The journeying

Into the woods

To see the king

To sell the cow

To make the potion

To see

To sell

To get

To bring

To make

To lift

To go to the festival

Into the woods!

Into the woods!

Into the woods

Then out of the woods

And home before it's dark!