Prologue: Into the Woods

Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Music: Stephen Sondheim Narrator: Once upon a time in a far-off kingdom There lay a small village at the edge of the woods Cinderella: I wish Narrator: And in this village Cinderella: More than anything Narrator: Lived a young maiden Cinderella: More than life More than jewels Narrator: A carefree young lad Jack: I wish More than life Narrator: And a childless baker The bakers: I wish Narrator: With his wife The Baker: More than anything Baker's Wife: More than the moon The Bakers: I wish Cinderella: The King is giving a Festival The Bakers: More than life Jack: I wish Cinderella: I wish to go to the Festival The Bakers: More than riches Cinderella: And the ball Jack: I wish my cow would give us some milk Cinderella and Baker's wife: More than anything The Baker: I wish we had a child (Jack: Please, pal) Baker's wife: I want a child (Jack: Squeeze, pal) Cinderella: I wish to go to the Festival Jack: I wish you'd give us somemilk or even cheese The Bakers: I wish we might have a child C, B&J: I wish

Stepmother: You wish to go to the Festival? Narrator: The poor girl's parents had died Stepmother: You Cinderella the Festival? You wish to go to the Festival? Stepmother, Florinda & Lucinda: The Festival? The King's Festival? Narrator: And now she lived with her stepmother Stepmother: The Festiva? HA! Narrator: who had two daughters of her own Florinda: Look at your nails Lucinda: Look at your dress Stepmother: People would laugh at you Cinderella: Nevertheless All: I/She still wish to go to the Festival And dance before the Prince Stepmother: Ha-ha... Narrator: All three were beautiful of face But vile and black of heart

Narrator: The young lad had no father And his mother Jack's mother: I wish Narrator: Well, she was at her wit's end 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 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? Jack: I thought if he got nice and warm He might produce some milk Jack's mother: It's a she How many times do I have to tell you That only shes can give milk?

Narrator: And then there was a hungry little girl who always wore a red cape 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

Stepmother: 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 Stepsisters: Yes, Mother Good luck

Cinderella: Come little birds Down from the eaves And the leaves Over fields Out of castles and ponds Jack: Now, squeeze, pal Cinderella: Ahh... Quick, little birds Flick through the ashes Pick and peck, but swiftly Sift through the ashes Into the pot

Jack's mother: Now listen to me well son Milky-White must be taken to market Jack: Mother, no He's the best cow in the world Jack's mother: Was She has been dry for weeks now With no food or money We've got no choice but to sell her Jack: But Milky-White's my best friend 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: We've no time to sit and dither While her withers wither with her And no one keeps a cow for a friend Sometimes I wonder what's goin' on in that head in yours

Little Red Riding Hood: Into the woods It's time to go I hate to leave I have to go 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: Are you certain 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 Baker's Wife: Yes, we do The Baker: Doesn't suppose you're planning on buying any of these Baker's Wife: Oh, shhhhh... Now, don't stray and be late, alright? The Baker: You might save some of those sweets for Granny Oh my... Baker's Wife: Just leave it Baker: She's a thief Little Red Riding Hood: 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

Florinda: Cinderella Lucinda: Get up here Cinderella: Fly, birds Back to the sky Florinda: We're waiting Cinderella: 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: No she didn't Cinderella: Mother said be good Father said 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 Always leaving you behind? Never mind, Cinderella Kind Cinderella Nice good nice kind good nice Florinda: OW! Not that tight Clod

The Baker: Who might that be? Baker's Wife: We've sold our last loaf of bread The Baker: It's the witch from next-door Baker's Wife: We have no bread The Witch: I don't want your bread The Baker: Then what is it you wish? The Witch: 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 Baker's Wife: What curse? The Witch: The one I placed on this house The Baker: What are you talking about? The Witch: 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" The Baker: I had a brother? The Witch: No But you had a sister The Baker: Where is she? The Witch: 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 Baker's Wife: Lost what? The Witch: The beans The Bakers: Beans? Witch: 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 The Baker: How could you do that? The Witch: And when your mother died Your father deserted you Your father was no father So why should you be? Now 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

Jack: Yeah, but why do we have to go to the next village? Jack's mother: Because everyone in this village Knows the cow hasn't given a drop of milk in weeks Jack: That's cheating Jack's mother: 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? Jack: Yes Jack's mother: How much are you to ask? Jack: No more than five pounds Jack's mother: Less than five (Jack: Than five) Jack's mother: 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 Jack: Into the woods to sell a friend

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 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

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: The Festival lasts three nights Surely you could let me be there for one of them Stepmother: The King is trying to find his son a wife Not a scullery maid We must be gone GO! Cinderella: I wish

Baker's Wife: Beans? These must be the witch's beans We'll take them with us The Baker: We Baker's Wife: Yes The Baker: We? You're not coming It's not safe out there Baker's Wife: : I can help you The Baker: No I can do this on my own The spell is on my house Only I can lift the spell Baker's Wife: No-no, the spell is on our house We must lift the spell together The spell is on our house The Baker: Now tell me what am I to return with? Baker's Wife: Uh, 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 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 Cinderella: I still wish to go to the Festival The Baker: The cow as white as milk... Cinderella: But how am I ever to get to the Festival? 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 Baker's Wife: The hair Cinderella & The Baker：Into the woods It's time to go It may be all In vain, I/you know Into the woods But even so I have to take the journey Baker's Wife: Into the woods The path is straight You know it well The Baker: But who can tell Baker's Wife: Into the woods to lift the spell Cinderella: Into the woods to visit Mother Jack's mother: Into the woods to sell the cow Jack: To get the money 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 Nor no one should The woods are just trees The trees are just wood No need to be afraid there The Baker: There's something in the glade there All: 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 Stepmother & Stepsisters: To see the King Jack & Mother: To sell the cow The Baker & 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 Into the woods And out of the woods And home before dark