Prologue: Into the Woods

[Narrator]

Once upon a time

[Cinderella]

I wish

[Narrator]

In a far-off kingdom

[Cinderella]

More than anything

More than life

[Narrator]

Lived a fair maiden

[Cinderella]

More than jewels

[Narrator]

A sad young lad

[Jack]

I wish

[Narrator]

And a childless baker

[Jack]

More than life

[Cinderella and Baker]

I wish

[Narrator]

With his wife

[Jack]

More than anything

[Cinderella, Baker and Jack]

More than the moon

[Baker's Wife]

I wish

[Cinderella]

The King is giving a Festival

[Baker and Wife]

More than life

[Jack]

I wish

[Cinderella]

I wish to go to the Festival

[Baker and Wife]

More than riches

[Jack]

I wish my cow would

Give us some milk

[Baker's Wife]

More than anything

[Cinderella]

And the Ball

[Jack]

Please, pal-

[Baker]

I wish we had a child

[Baker's Wife]

I want a child

[Cinderella]

I wish to go to the Festival

[Jack]

Squeeze, pal

[Jack]

I wish you'd give us some

Milk or even cheese

I wish

[Baker and Wife]

I wish we might have a child

I wish

[Cinderella]

I wish

[Stepmother]

You wish to go to the Festival?

[Narrator]

The poor girl's mother had died

[Stepmother]

You, Cinderella, the Festival?

You wish to go to the Festival?

[Florinda]

What, you, Cinderella, the Festival?

The Festival?!

[Lucinda]

What, you wish to go to the Festival?

[All Three]

The Festival?

The King's Festival?

[Narrator]

And her father had taken for his new wife

[Stepmother]

The Festival

[Narrator]

A woman with two daughters of her own

[Florinda]

Look at you nails!

[Lucinda]

Look at your dress!

[Stepmother]

People would laugh at you-

[Cinderella]

Nevertheless

I still want to go to the Festival

And dance before the Prince

[Stepmother and Stepsisters]

She still wants to go to the Festival

And dance before the Prince?!

[Narrator]

All three were beautiful of face, but vile and black of heart

Jack, on the other hand, had no father, and his mother-

[Jack's Mother]

I wish

[Narrator]

Well, she was not quite beautiful-

[Jack's Mother]

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 house was full of gold-

I wish a lot of things

[Baker's Wife]

Why, come in, little girl

[Little Red Riding Hood]

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

[Narrator]

Cinderella's Stepmother had a surprise for her

[Stepmother]

I have emptied a pot of lentils into the ashes for you

If you have picked them out again in two hours' time

You shall go to the ball with us

[Little Red Riding Hood]

And perhaps a sticky bun?

Or four?

[Cinderella]

Birds in the sky

Birds in the eaves

I the leaves

In the fields

In the castles and ponds

[Little Red Riding Hood]

And a few of those pies please

[Cinderella]

Come, little birds

Down from the eaves

And the leaves

Over fields

Out of castles and ponds

[Jack]

No, squeeze, pal

[Cinderella]

Ah

Quick, little birds

Flick through the ashes

Pick and peck, but swiftly

Sift through the ashes

Into the pot

[Jack's Mother]

Listen well, son. Milky-White must be taken to market

[Jack]

But, mother, no-

He's the best cow-

[Jack's Mother]

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-

[Jack]

But-

[Jack's Mother]

Son

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 fear your touched

[Little Red Riding Hood]

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-

[Baker's Wife]

You're certain of your way?

[Little Red Riding Hood]

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?

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]

Fly, birds

Back to the sky

Back to the eaves

And the leaves

And the fields

And the-

[Florinda]

Hurry up and do my hair, Cinderella!

Are you really wearing that?

[Lucinda]

Here, I found a little tear, Cinderella

Can't you hide it with a hat?

[Cinderella]

You look beautiful

[Florinda]

I know

[Lucinda]

She means me

[Florinda]

Put ut in a twist

[Lucinda]

Who will be there?

[Cinderella]

Mother said be good

Father siad be nice

That was always their advice

So be nice, Cinderella

Good, Cinderella

Nice good good nice-

[Florinda]

Tighter!

[Cinderella]

What's the good of being good

If everyone is blind

And you're always left behind?

Never mind, Cinderella

Kind Cinderella-

Nice good nice kind good nice-

[Florinda]

Not that tight!

[Cinderella]

Sorry

[Florinda]

Clod

[Baker's Wife]

Who minght that be?

[Baker]

It's the witch from next door

[Narrator]

The old enchantress told the couple she had

Placed a spell on their house

[Baker]

What spell?

[Witch]

In the past

When your mother was with child

She developed an unusual appetite

She took one look at my beautiful garden

And told your father that what she wanted more than

Anything in the world was

Greens, greens and 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 my rampion

(My champion! My favorite!)-

I should have laid a spell on him

Right there

Could have changed 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."

[Baker]

I had a brother?

[Witch]

No. But you had a sister

[Narrator]

But the witch refused to tell him anymore of his sister

Not even that her name was Rapunzel

[Witch]

I though I had been more than reasonable

But how was I to know what your father

Had also hidden in his pocket?!

[Baker]

What?

[Witch]

Beans

[Baker and Wife]

Beans?

[Witch]

The special beans

I let him go

I didn't know

He'd stolen my beans!

I was watching him crawl

Back over the wall!

Then bang! Crash!

And the lightning flash!

And- 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 little spell on them-

You, too, son-

That your family tree

Would always be a barren one

So there's no more fuss

And there's no more scenes

And my garden thrives-

You should see my nectarines!

But I'm tellling you the same

I tell kings and queens

Don't ever never ever

Mess around with my greens!

Especially the beans

[Jack's Mother]

Now closely to me, Jack

Lead Milky-White to market and

Fetch the best price you can

Are you listening to me?

Jack Jack Jack

Head in a sack

The house is getting colder

This is not the time for dreaming

Chimney stack

Starting to crack

The mice are getting bolder

The floor's gone slack

Your mother's getting older

Your father's not back

And you can't just sit here dreaming pretty dreams

To wish and wait

From day to day

Will never keep

The wolves away

So 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-

You have to face

The marketplace

Into the woods to journey's end-

[Jack]

Into the woods to sell a friend-

[Narrator]

Meanwhile, the Witch, for purposes of her own

Explained how the Baker might lift the spell

[Witch]

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

And you shall have

I guarantee

A child as perfect

As child can be

Go to the wood!

[Stepmother]

Ladies

Our carriage waits

[Cinderella]

Now may I go to the Festival?

[Stepmother]

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!

[Cinderella's Father]

Our carriage is waiting

[Stepmother]

We must be gone

[Cinderella]

Good night, Father

I wish

[Baker]

Look what I found in father's hunting jacket

[Baker's Wife]

Six beans. We'll take them with us

[Baker]

No!

The spell is on my house

Only I can lift the spell

The spell is on my house

[Baker's Wife]

No, no, the spell is on our house

We must lift the spell

[Baker]

No. You are not to come and that is final

Now what am I to return with?

[Baker's Wife]

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-

[Baker]

The cow as white as milk

The cape as red as blood

The hair as yellow as corn

The slipper as pure as gold

[Narrator]

And so the Baker, reluctantly, set off to meet the

Enchantress' demands

As for Cinderella

[Cinderella]

I still wish to go to the Festival

But how am I ever to get to the Festival?

[Baker]

The cow as white as milk

The cape as red as blood

The hair as yellow as corn-

[Cinderella]

I know!

I'll visit Mother's grave

The grave at the hazel tree

And tell her I just want to

Go to the King's Festival

[Baker]

The slipper as pure as gold

The cow, the cape

The slipper as pure as gold-

[Baker's Wife]

The hair!

[Cinderella and Baker]

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

[Cinderella, Baker and Wife]

Into the woods

The path is straight

You know it well

But who can tell-

[Baker and Wife]

Into the woods to lift the spell-

[Cinderella]

Into the woods to visit Mother-

[Baker's Wife]

Into the woods to fetch the things-

[Baker]

To make the potion-

[Cinderella]

To got to the Festival-

[Cinderella, Jack, Jack's Mother, Baker, Wife]

Into the woods

Without regret

The choice is made

The task is set

Into the woods

But not forget-

Ting why I'm on the journey

(Little Red Riding hood Joins)

Into the woods

To get my wish

I don't care how

The time is now

[Jack's Mother]

Into the woods to sell the cow-

[Jack]

Into the woods to get the money-

[Baker's Wife]

Into the woods to lift the spell-

[Baker]

To make the potion-

[Cinderella]

To go to the Festival-

[Little Red Riding Hood]

Into the woods to Grandmother's house

Into the woods to Grandmother's house

[All]

The way is clear

The light is good

I have no fear

No no one should

The woods are just trees

The trees are just wood

No need to be afraid there-

[Cinderella and Baker]

There's something in the glade there

[All]

Into the woods

Without delay

But careful no

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-

[Stepmother and Stepsisters]

To see the King-

[Jack and Mother]

To sell the cow-

[Baker and Wife]

To make the potion-

[All]

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 dark!