Act
One
We discover three dwellings in a large forest.
In one, we see Cinderella cleaning; in the second, we see Jack trying
to milk his pathetic-looking cow, Milky-White; and in the third,
we see the Baker and the Baker's Wife preparing tomorrow's bread.
The Narrator leads the company through “The
Prologue” as we learn about a series of wishes that are more
important than anything - even life itself - to these characters.
Cinderella wants to go to the King's Festival; Jack wishes his cow
could give milk; and the Baker (who believes his parents were killed
in a baking accident) wishes he and his Wife could have a child.
As these characters express their wishes, we meet Cinderella's Stepmother
and Stepsisters who laugh at the idea of her going to a ball; Jack's
aging mother who wishes for a lot of gold and a less foolish son;
and Little Red Riding Hood, who comes to buy bread, sticky buns
and pies from the Baker and his Wife before starting her journey
into the woods to see her sick Grandmother.
We learn Jack's cow (whom Jacks foolishly persists
in referring to as "he") is no longer giving milk. Jack's
Mother says he must sell the cow so they can survive. He is crushed
because he thinks the cow is his best friend, but sets off to the
market to sell it. Meanwhile, leaving Cinderella in tears, her family
rides off to the ball without her.
The Baker and his Wife learn the Witch next door
has placed a curse on them to prevent their having a child. She
explains the Baker's father had stolen various vegetables from her
garden many years ago to satisfy his wife's insatiable desire for
greens whilst pregnant. He also accidentally stole the Witch's magic
beans. To punish him for the theft, she demanded and had been given
the Baker's sister, a sibling the Baker never knew existed. She
claims she still has the Baker's sister hidden away and that he
can break the spell that makes him childless only by bringing her
a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as
corn and a slipper as pure as gold.
The Baker puts on his father's old hunting jacket
as he prepares to journey into the woods. He finds six beans in
the pockets and wonders if they are the Witch's magic beans. He
forbids his Wife to join him on this dangerous quest as he tries
to memorize the list of things the Witch says he must deliver. As
“The Prologue” ends, Cinderella decides to visit her
mother's grave.
At this point, the show takes on a rapid pace.
Cinderella tells her mother her wish and is given
a fancy dress and slippers to wear to the ball. While walking through
the Woods to market, Jack encounters a Mysterious Man who tells
Jack his cow is only worth a sack of beans. Little Red Riding Hood
meets a Wolf who targets her and her grandmother as his next meal
("Hello, Little Girl"). The Baker appears and is concerned
harm will come to Little Red Riding Hood. The Witch warns him not
to worry about the child's welfare; his task is simply to steal
her cape. We hear the sound of a woman singing in the distance;
it is the voice of the Baker's lost sister, Rapunzel.
As the Baker struggles to remember the four objects
on his list, his Wife appears, with another offer to help him. They
argue about her presence as they encounter Jack and his cow, a beast
like the one the Witch has demanded. The Baker's Wife persuades
Jack to sell the cow for five of their beans (which leaves them
with one remaining bean). After Jack sings a sad farewell to the
cow ("I Guess This Is Goodbye"), the Baker is upset they
used deceit to acquire the animal. The Baker's Wife insists they
did Jack a favor. ("Maybe They're Magic"). She says you
have to go after what you want and not hesitate. The Baker sends
his wife home with the cow and continues on his way, as Rapunzel
sings again.
The Witch visits Rapunzel at the tower where she
is kept prisoner. A handsome prince sees the Witch climb Rapunzel's
hair and decides to try it himself the following day.
The Baker makes an unsuccessful try at stealing
Little Red Riding Hood's cape - thievery does not come naturally
to him. Little Red enters her Grandmother's house to find the Wolf,
in bed, pretending to be the old woman (whom he has eaten). After
the Wolf eats Little Red, he takes a nap. The Baker sees a corner
of the red cloak hanging out of the Wolf's mouth and hoping to get
the whole thing cuts his stomach open, releasing Little Red and
her Grandmother. After the ordeal, Little Red realizes that "I
Know Things Now." Grateful to the Baker for saving her life,
Little Red gives him her cloak.
Jack's Mother is furious with him for selling
their cow for five seemingly worthless beans and she throws them
away. The Baker's Wife, leading Milky-White through the forest,
encounters Cinderella, who is running from the Prince (the brother,
coincidentally, of the prince who is smitten with Rapunzel) and
his Steward. When Cinderella reveals she isn't sure she wants the
Prince, the Baker's Wife thinks she is being very foolish ("A
Very Nice Prince.") The Baker's Wife tries to take one of Cinderella's
gold shoes, but is forced to chase after the runaway cow instead.
The next morning the characters realize one midnight
has gone and they have not realized their wishes. Jack discovers
a beanstalk has grown up overnight.
As the Baker sleeps beneath a tree, Jack appears
with an oversized money sack. He sings about "Giants In The
Sky" and relates his adventure. He describes the sensation
of being high in the sky and meeting a lady giant who drew him close.
The appearance of her husband, an even bigger giant who intended
to harm him, sent him scrambling back to earth with one of the giant's
sacks of gold. Jack's Mother, delighted by his acquisition, has
let him keep five gold pieces which he wants to use to buy back
Milky-White. He finds the Baker and demands his cow. The Baker cannot
sell the cow because the Witch wants it. Jack, thinking the Baker
is holding out for more money, goes off in search of additional
funds, leaving the gold with the Baker. The Baker's Wife appears,
confessing she has lost the cow.
Rapunzel's Prince and Cinderella's Prince exchange
tales of woe ("Agony"), each insisting his romantic problem
is more serious than his brother's.
The Baker's Wife, who is searching for the hair
as yellow as corn, encounters Jack's Mother, who is looking for
Jack. The Mysterious Man returns the cow to the Baker. The Witch
warns the Mysterious Man to stay out of her business. The Baker's
Wife, recognizing Rapunzel's hair as the perfect shade to satisfy
the Witch's hair demand, grabs one of the girl's substantial tresses,
rips it out, and runs into Cinderella, who is on her way home from
another night at the Festival. The Baker's Wife tries, without success,
to take Cinderella's shoe. The Baker and his Wife run into each
other and he finally agrees it will take both of them to accomplish
their goal ("It Takes Two").
Jack appears with the hen that lays golden eggs.
The Baker's Wife realizes the Baker has considered selling the cow
for money. The cow drops dead and all seems lost for the Baker and
his Wife. Two midnights are gone.
The Baker goes in search of another cow. The Baker's
Wife goes off to try again to grab a golden slipper. The Witch warns
Rapunzel to obey her ("Stay With Me") and to remain shielded
from the world. Rapunzel says she is no longer a child and wants
to see the world. Infuriated, the Witch cuts off most of Rapunzel's
hair and exiles her. The Narrator reveals, while pursuing Rapunzel,
Rapunzel's Prince has fallen into a patch of thorns and blinded
himself.
Little Red has turned bloodthirsty, replacing
her red cloak with one made from the skins of the Wolf. Jack, questing
after more money for his mother, has returned to the giant's domain
to steal more gold.
Leaving her third visit to the royal ball with
only one slipper, Cinderella reflects on her indecision about leaving
her miserable home for the unknown aspects of life with the Prince
("On The Steps of the Palace"). She decides not to decide.
She has left a shoe for the Prince to find and it will be his decision.
The Baker's Wife gives Cinderella her own shoes
in exchange for the remaining gold slipper. She then has a struggle
with the Prince's Steward who also wants the second gold slipper.
The Mysterious Man becomes involved in the struggle. The Prince
decides they only need one shoe. There is a horrible thud. Jack's
Mother screams that a dead giant has fallen from the sky. No one
seems to care. The third midnight is near.
The Baker and his Wife report to the Witch with
their four objects, but she rejects the new cow which they have
covered with flour to look like the dead Milky-White. The Witch
demands they bring the dead Milky-White to her and she'll bring
it back to life. Jack appears with a golden harp. The Witch restores
Milky-White to life and commands the Baker to feed the cow the other
objects. A clock chime begins to strike. The Witch insists the cow
be milked to fill a silver goblet. Jack tries, but no milk flows.
When the Baker's Wife says she pulled the hair as yellow as corn
from a maiden in the tower, the Witch explains she, the Witch, cannot
have touched any of the objects needed to break the spell. The Mysterious
Man says to feed the cow an ear of corn. The Witch reveals the Mysterious
Man is the Baker's father. The cow eats the corn, the milk flows
into the goblet and the Witch drinks it. She is transformed into
a beautiful woman and the Baker's father dies as the third midnight
strikes.
The Narrator explains the Witch had been cursed
with ugliness after her beans were stolen, but is now beautiful
once again. Milky-White is reunited with Jack. The Prince searches
for Cinderella with the golden slipper. Lucinda and Florinda try
to fit into the slipper by cutting off parts of their feet, but
their tricks are discovered and the Prince finally finds Cinderella.
The Narrator states Rapunzel, who has had twins,
has been reunited with her blind husband and Rapunzel's tears restored
his vision. The Witch attempts a reconciliation with her adopted
daughter, but Rapunzel refuses. When the Witch tries to enchant
Rapunzel and her prince, she realizes that in exchange for her own
youth and beauty, she has lost her magical power over others.
At Cinderella's wedding, her stepsisters are blinded.
The Baker's Wife appears, very pregnant.
The Narrator observes that everything which seemed
wrong is now right. The kingdoms are filled with joy and those who
deserve happiness to are certain to live long and satisfying lives.
Only tenderness and laughter are foreseen forever after. As everyone
congratulates themselves on their unswerving determination to get
their wishes, a giant beanstalk emerges from the ground and stretches
to heaven. No one notices it.
Act Two
As in the opening of Act I, we discover three
structures. The first is the castle where Cinderella lives with
the Prince; the second is Jack's house which is filled with all
the conveniences gold will buy; the third is the home of the Baker
and his Wife, which is cluttered with nursery items.
While the characters seem content ("So Happy"),
minor disturbances are quietly disrupting the joyous scene. The
Baker's Wife wants a bigger cottage and she is squabbling with her
husband over the baby's care. Suddenly a huge crash is heard and
their home caves in.
The Baker goes off to tell the Royal Family. The
Witch, who has lost her garden in the incident, insists they will
not be of any help. When the Baker stops at Jack's house he is refused
help by Jack's Mother who is still angry because no one cared when
she had a giant in her backyard. The Baker is granted an audience
with Cinderella who seems unable to offer any concrete assistance.
Despite his mother's warnings, Jack goes out to investigate.
Little Red stops at the Baker's. She is on her
way to move in with her Grandmother because her own home was destroyed
and her mother has disappeared. The Baker and his Wife offer to
escort her through the woods. The birds come to lead Cinderella
through the woods, warning of trouble at her mother's grave. The
characters re-enter the woods "To flee the winds - To find
a future - To shield - To slay - To flee - To find - To fix - To
hide - To move - To battle - To see what the trouble is."
The royal brothers, Rapunzel's Prince and Cinderella's
Prince, meet and again compare their problems. Rapunzel's Prince
complains his wife finds it impossible to be happy because of her
pain-filled upbringing. He has fallen for Snow White. Cinderella's
Prince lusts after Sleeping Beauty (Reprise: "Agony").
The Baker, his Wife and child and Little Red are
lost in the now chaotic woods. They see the Royal Family staggering
down a path and learn the castle has been set upon by a giant. When
the Baker reminds the Steward he tried to warn them, the Steward
replies "I don't make policy, I just carry it out."
Suddenly the Giant appears and the group realizes
it is the wife of the giant Jack killed. She has come to exact revenge
and demands Jack be handed over to her. Since she is near-sighted,
the group thinks they can substitute someone else. Everyone in the
group has an idea who should be sacrificed. First they sacrifice
the Narrator. When the Giant realizes he isn't the boy she's after,
she destroys him and again demands Jack. Jack's Mother engages the
Giant in a furious verbal battle; the Steward bashes Jack's Mother
over the head to stop her from endangering everyone else and Jack's
mother is fatally wounded. The Steward reveals that Jack is hiding
in Rapunzel's tower. Then, hysterical, Rapunzel runs toward the
Giant and is crushed. The witch mourns that this is the world she
was trying to save Rapunzel from confronting ("Lament").
The group disagrees about turning Jack over to
the Giant. The Royal Family, without concern for anyone else, run
to another kingdom. The Baker and his Wife leave their child with
Little Red and go off to save Jack from the Witch, who is on her
way to turn him over to the Giant.
The Baker's Wife encounters Cinderella's Prince
in the woods and they have a romantic encounter in a glade. The
Prince is ready to forget his commitment to Cinderella, but The
Baker's Wife is ambivalent ("Any Moment"). The Baker meets
Cinderella next to her mother's ruined grave and invites her to
join his group. The Baker's Wife realizes she has to let the moment
go, but says she will never forget her time with the Prince ("Moments
In The Woods"). She knows it is time for her to leave the woods,
but she becomes lost, the giant appears and she is crushed.
Jack is discovered by the others. He reports the
Baker's Wife is dead. Everyone blames him, but he blames the Baker
for giving him the beans which set the scenario in motion ("Your
Fault"). As the song evolves, everyone blames every one else.
The Witch stops their accusations, declaring it's the "Last
Midnight." She says everyone is looking for someone to blame,
when they should look inward instead. She says "You can tend
the garden. Separate and alone." She disappears as they begin
to see the connections between their earlier individual actions
and the current problem.
The Baker starts to leave the Woods, believing
his child is better off with Cinderella than with him. Suddenly,
his father, the Mysterious Man, reappears. The Baker says, "I
thought you were dead." The Mysterious Man answers "Not
completely. Are we ever?" The Baker cries out that the whole
situation was caused by the father's invasion of the Witch's garden
years before. The Mysterious Man accuses the Baker of running from
his own guilt ("No More"). As his father leaves, the Baker
realizes he is just like him. He decides to stay and fight alongside
the others.
As the Baker, Jack, Little Red and Cinderella
plan their attack, a flock of birds whispers to Cinderella that
her prince has been unfaithful. She says she doesn't care and enlists
their help to kill the Giant. As each prepares to execute the plan,
the Prince reappears. Cinderella dismisses him saying, "My
father's house was a nightmare. Your house was a dream. Now I want
something in between."
Cinderella and the Baker try to reassure Little
Red and Jack, who are now orphans trying to make sense of right
and wrong ("No One Is Alone").
The Giant is killed and the dead in the community
appear as Ghosts, joining in a pronouncement of the moral lessons
learned from the experience in the woods. The Baker and Cinderella
become the responsible adults in a re-constituted family made up
of the Baker's child, Little Red and Jack. The ghost of the Baker's
Wife encourages him to believe in his power to raise their child
without her. The Witch reappears to warn the Baker to be careful
of the tales he tells his child ("Children Will Listen").
The final reprise of "Into The Woods"
reminds us there will be times when each of us must journey into
the woods but that we must mind the future and the past.
YOU JUST CAN'T ACT
YOU HAVE TO LISTEN
YOU CAN'T JUST ACT
YOU HAVE TO THINK.
The show ends as Cinderella says "I
wish ... "
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