Prologue: Into The Woods

[NARRATOR, spoken]
Once upon a time in a far-off kingdom, there lay a small village at the edge of the woods.

[CINDERELLA]
I wish

[NARRATOR, spoken]
And in this village—

[CINDERELLA]
More than anything

[NARRATOR, spoken]
Lived a young maiden—

[CINDERELLA]
More than life
More than jewels

[NARRATOR, spoken]
A carefree young lad—

[JACK]
I wish
More than life

[NARRATOR, spoken]
And a childless baker—

[CINDERELLA & BAKER]
I wish

[NARRATOR, spoken]
With his wife.

[BAKER]
More than anything

[BAKER'S WIFE]
More than the moon

[BAKER & BAKER'S WIFE]
I wish

[CINDERELLA]
The King is giving a Festival

[BAKER & BAKER'S WIFE]
More than life

[JACK]
I wish

[CINDERELLA]
I wish to go to the Festival

[BAKER & BAKER'S WIFE]
More than riches

[CINDERELLA]
And the ball

[JACK]
I wish my cow would
Give us some milk

[CINDERELLA & BAKER'S WIFE]
More than anything

[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 some
Milk or even cheese
I wish

[BAKER & BAKER'S WIFE]
I wish we might have a child
I wish

[STEPMOTHER]
You wish to go to the Festival?

[NARRATOR, spoken]
The poor girl's parents 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?

[STEPMOTHER, FLORINDA & LUCINDA]
The Festival?
The King's Festival?

[NARRATOR, spoken]
And now she lived with her stepmother—

[STEPMOTHER, spoken]
The Festival?
Ha!

[NARRATOR, spoken]
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
I still wish to go to the Festival
And dance before the Prince

[STEPMOTHER & STEPSISTERS]
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[NARRATOR, spoken]
All three were beautiful of face, but vile and black of heart. The young lad had no father, and his mother—

[JACK'S MOTHER]
I wish

[NARRATOR, spoken]
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
(spoken)
Ooh! What in heaven's name are you doing with the cow inside the house?

[JACK, spoken]
I thought if he got nice and warm he might produce some milk.

[JACK'S MOTHER, spoken]
It's a she. How many times do I have to tell you that only she's can give milk?

[NARRATOR, spoken]
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, spoken]
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, spoken]
Yes, Mother.

[LUCINDA, spoken]
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]
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Quick, little birds
Flick through the ashes
Pick and peck, but swiftly
Sift through the ashes
Into the pot

[JACK'S MOTHER, spoken]
Now listen to me well, son. Milky-White must be taken to market.

[JACK, spoken]
Mother, no, he's the best cow in the world!

[JACK'S MOTHER, spoken]
Was. She has been dry for weeks now. We've no food or money and no choice but to sell her.

[JACK, spoken]
But Milky-White's my best friend.

[JACK'S MOTHER, spoken]
Look at her!
(sung)
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, spoken]
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!
(spoken)
Sometimes I wonder what's going on in that head of yours.

[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, spoken]
Are you 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?

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Yes, we do.

[BAKER, spoken]
I don't suppose you're planning on buying any of these.

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Oh, shh. Now, don't stray and be late, alright?

[BAKER, spoken]
You might save some of those sweets for Granny. Oh my—

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Just leave it.

[BAKER, spoken]
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, spoken]
Cinderella!

[LUCINDA, spoken]
Get up here!

[CINDERELLA]
Fly, birds
Back to the sky

[FLORINDA, spoken]
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, spoken]
Ow! Not that tight! Clod!

[BAKER, spoken]
Who might that be?

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
We've sold our last loaf of bread!

[BAKER, spoken]
It's the witch from next door.

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
We have no bread.

[WITCH, spoken]
I don't want your bread.

[BAKER, spoken]
Then what is it you wish?

[WITCH, spoken]
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, spoken]
What curse?

[WITCH, spoken]
The one I placed on this house.

[BAKER, spoken]
What are you talking about?

[WITCH, spoken]
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—
(sung)
Greens, greens, nothing but greens:
Parsley, peppers, cabbages and celery
Asparagus and watercress and
Fiddle ferns 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 call it square"

[BAKER, spoken]
I had a brother?

[WITCH, spoken]
No. But, you had a sister.

[BAKER, spoken]
Where is she?

[WITCH, spoken]
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, spoken]
Lost what?

[WITCH]
The beans.

[BAKER & BAKER'S 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
When bang! Crash!
A lightning flash!

Well, that's another story
Never mind—

Anyway, at last
The big day came
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

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

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Oh!

[BAKER, spoken]
How could you do that?

[WITCH, spoken]
And when your mother died, your father deserted you. Your father was no father, so why should you be?

(sung)
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, spoken]
Yeah, but why do we have to go to the next village?

[JACK'S MOTHER, spoken]
Because everyone in this village knows the cow hasn't given a drop of milk in weeks.

[JACK, spoken]
That's cheating!

[JACK'S MOTHER, spoken]
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, spoken]
Yes.

[JACK'S MOTHER, spoken]
How much are you to ask?

[JACK, spoken]
No more than five pounds.

[JACK'S MOTHER, spoken]
Less than five!

[JACK, spoken]
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 wood 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 days' time
Tis' then the blue moon reappears
Which comes but once each hundred years
Bring them and I guarantee
A child as perfect as child can be
(spoken)
Go to the wood!

[STEPMOTHER, spoken]
Ladies, our carriage awaits.

[CINDERELLA]
Now may I go to the Festival?

[STEPMOTHER, spoken]
The Festival?
(sung)
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, spoken]
The Festival lasts three nights. Surely, you could let me be there for one of them.

[STEPMOTHER, spoken]
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, spoken]
Beans? Oh, these must be the witch's beans! We'll take them with us.

[BAKER, spoken]
We?

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Yes!

[BAKER, spoken]
We? You're not coming. It's not safe out there.

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
I can help you!

[BAKER, spoken]
No! I can do this on my own.
(sung)
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 together
The spell is on our house!

[BAKER, spoken]
Now tell me what am I to return with?

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Ugh, you don't remember?
(sung)
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

[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 willow 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 & 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

[BAKER'S WIFE]
Into the woods
The path is straight
You know it well

[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—

[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

[STEPMOTHER & STEPSISTERS]
Into the woods to see the King

[JACK]
To sell the cow

[BAKER]
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! (To see, to sell, to get, to bring)
Into the woods! (To make, to lift, to go to the Festival)
Into the woods, into the woods (To see, to sell, to get, to bring)
Into the woods, into the woods (To make, to lift, to go to the Festival)
Into the woods
Then out of the woods
(To see, to sell, to get, to bring)
(To make, to lift, to go to the Festival)
Into the woods
Then out of the woods
And home before dark!