Into The Woods

INTO THE WOODS
Book by James Lapine
Music by Stephen Sondheim
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Based on Classic Fairy Tales

Directed by Debbie Endris
Musical Direction by Dan Endris

Cast :
CINDERELLA-Meredith Maree Cunningham
CINDERELLA’S FATHER-Hy
CINDERELLA’S MOTHER-Beth Olliges
CINDERELLA’S PRINCE – Robbie Smith
CINDERELLA’S STEPMOTHER – Anne
FLORINDA Cinderella’s stepsister, lovely but black of heart. C4 – Ab5 SopranoMezzo-Soprano
GIANT
GRANNY Red’s fiesty, savage grandmother.
JACK The feckless Giant Killer, almost a man. B2 – G4 Tenor
JACK’S MOTHER Browbeating and weary. Bb3 – Gb5 Mezzo-Soprano
LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD A spoiled smart aleck. Bb3 – F5 Soprano (light Mezzo-Soprano)
LUCINDA Cinderella’s stepsister, lovely but black of heart. C3 – F5 (Ab5) Mezzo-Soprano
MYSTERIOUS MAN A mischievous vagrant. G2 – Eb4 Baritone
NARRATOR Intellectual and pleasant. G2 – E4 Baritone
RAPUNZEL A loopy-but-lovely maiden. B3 – A5 Soprano
RAPUNZEL’S PRINCE Just as vain and gorgeous. Baritone: C sharp – High E
SLEEPING BEAUTY
SNOW WHITE
STEWARD Surly and bureaucratic.
THE BAKER Harried and insecure. Ab2 – G4 Baritone
THE BAKER’S WIFE Determined and bright. F3 – G5 Mezzo-Soprano
THE WITCH Sarcastic, ugly-then-gorgeous. F3 – G5 Mezzo-Soprano
WOLF Hungry and insatiable. Bb2 – Gb4 Baritone

Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters’ performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason’s portrayal of the Baker’s Wife brought acclaim to the production during its original Broadway run. Into the Woods won several Tony Awards, including Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), in a year dominated by The Phantom of the Opera. The musical has been produced many times, with a 1988 national tour, a 1990 West End production, a 1991 television production, a 1997 tenth anniversary concert, a 2002 Los Angeles production and a 2002 Broadway revival. It was later loosely adapted into the hip-hop dance musical, Into the Hoods. 

The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales and follows them further to explore the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, tied together by a more original story involving a baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, most likely taken from the original story of Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm. It also includes references to several other well-known tales.

Musical Numbers

Act I

• “Prologue (Act One)” – Narrator, company (the Act One Prologue is divided into nine parts which are often viewed as individual songs)
• “Cinderella at the Grave” – Cinderella, Cinderella’s Mother
• “Hello, Little Girl” – Wolf, Little Red Ridinghood (with a second wolf and the three little pigs added in the 2002 revival)
• “I Guess This Is Goodbye” – Jack
• “Maybe They’re Magic” – Baker, Baker’s Wife
• “Our Little World” – Witch, Rapunzel (added during the original London production)
• “Maybe They’re Magic (reprise)” - Baker
• “I Know Things Now” – Little Red Ridinghood
• “A Very Nice Prince” – Cinderella, Baker’s Wife
• “One Midnight Gone” – Company
• “Giants in the Sky” – Jack
• “Agony” – Cinderella’s Prince, Rapunzel’s Prince
• “A Very Nice Prince (reprise)” – Cinderella, Baker’s Wife
• “It Takes Two” – Baker, Baker’s Wife
• “Two Midnights Gone” – Company
• “Stay With Me” – Rapunzel, Witch
• “On the Steps of the Palace” – Cinderella (with Jack and Little Red Ridinghood in 2002 revival)
• “Finale (Act One)” – company (the Act One Finale is divided into seven parts which are often viewed as individual songs

Act II

• “Prologue (Act Two)” – Narrator, company (the Act Two Prolougue is divided into nine parts which are often viewed as individual songs)
• “Agony” (reprise) – Cinderella’s Prince, Rapunzel’s Prince
• “Witch’s Lament” – Witch
• “Any Moment” – Cinderella’s Prince, Baker’s Wife
• “Any Moment (reprise)” - Cinderella’s Prince, Baker’s wife
• “Moments in the Woods” – Baker’s Wife
• “Your Fault” – Jack, Baker, Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood, Witch
• “Last Midnight” – Witch
• “No More” – Baker, Mysterious Man
• “No One Is Alone (part 1)” – Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood
• “No One Is Alone (part 2)” - Cinderella, Baker, Little Red Ridinghood, Jack
• “Finale (Act Two)” – company (the finale is divided into five parts which are often viewed as individual songs)