into the woods opening number

8/13/2019 Into the Woods Opening Number

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NARRATOR: Once upon a time--

CINDERELLA: I wish...

NARRATOR: --in a far-off kingdom--

CINDERELLA: More than anything...

NARRATOR: --lived a fair maiden--

CINDERELLA: More than life...

NARRATOR: --a sad young lad--

CINDERELLA: More than jewels...

JACK: I wish...

NARRATOR: --and a childless Baker--

JACK: More than life...

CINDERELLA, BAKER: I wish...NARRATOR: --with his wife.

JACK: More than anything...

CINDERELLA, BAKER, JACK: More than the moon...

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..

3

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: (to cow) Please !al--

BAKER'S WIFE: I want a child..

JACK: "#uee$e !al..

CINDERELLA: I wish to go to the Festival.

JACK (Overlapping): I wish you%d give us some milk or even cheese..

BAKER, BAKER'S WIFE(Overlapping): I wish we might have a child.

ALL FOUR: I wish..

STEP-MOTHER: (to CI!"#"$$%) &ou wish to go to the Festival'

NARRATOR:&he poor girl's mother had died--


2/15

STEP-MOTHER: &ou (inderella the Festival' &ou wish to go to the Festival'

FLORINDA (Over): )hat you (inderella the Festival' The Festival'*

LUCINDA (Over): )hat 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--

STEP-MOTHER:&he estival***

NARRATOR: --a woman with two daughters of her own.

FLORINDA: +ook at your nails*

LUCINDA: +ook at your dress*

STEP-MOTHER: Peo!le would laugh at you--

CINDERELLA: ,evertheless--

+CINDERELLA, STEP-SISTERS, STEP-MOTHER:

I still wish to go &ou still wish to go "he still wants to go

To the Festival. To the Festival-- To the Festival--

STEP-SISTERS, STEP-MOTHER:--and dance efore the Prince'*

(&hey chortle with laughter musically, then fall into laughter.)

NARRATOR: %$$ three were eautiful of face, ut vile and lack of heart.

ack, on the other hand, had no father, and his mother--JACK'S MOTHER: I wish..

NARRATOR: /ell, she was not 0uite eautiful--

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..

(to %C1) 2ou foolish child /hat in heaven's name are you doing with the

cow inside the house*

JACK: % warm environment might e ust what 4ilky-/hite needs to produce

his milk.

JACK'S MOTHER: It's a she 5ow many times do I have to tell you* Only

she%s can give milk.

(&wo knocks on the Baker's door6 it is $ittle #ed #iding hood)

BAKER'S WIFE: /hy, come in, little girl.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: I wish..


3/15

It%s not for me

It%s for my /ranny in the woods.

0 loaf of read !lease--

To ring my !oor old hungry

/ranny in the woods..

(Insistent)

1ust a loaf of read !lease..

(Baker gives her a loaf of read.)

NARRATOR: Cinderella's 7tep-4other had a surprise for her.

(7tep-4other throws a pot of lentils into the fireplace)

STEP-MOTHER: 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 withus.

8

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD:0nd !erha!s a sticky un'..

2r four'..

CINDERELLA: Birds in the sky

Birds in the eaves

In the leavesIn the fields

In the castles and !onds..

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD:..and a few of those !ies

Please..

CINDERELLA (Over): (ome little irds

3own from the eaves

0nd the leaves

2ver fields

2ut of castles and !onds..

JACK: ,ow "#uee$e !al..

CINDERELLA: (falling into a trance)0h-ah-ah...

(irds descend to the fireplace)

4uick little irds

Flick through the ashes.

Pick and !eck ut swiftly

"ift through the ashes


4/15

Into the !ot..

JACK'S MOTHER: $isten well, son. 4ilky-/hite must e taken to market.

JACK: But, 4other, no--he's the est cow--

JACK'S MOTHER: /as. /as "56%" een dry for a week. /e've no food

nor money, and no choice ut to sell her while she can still command

a price.

JACK: But 4ilky-/hite is my est friend in the whole world

JACK'S MOTHER: +ook at her*

There are ugs on her dugs.

There are flies in her eyes.

There%s a lum! on her rum!

Big enough to e a hum!--JACK: But--

JACK'S MOTHER: "on

)e%ve no time to sit and dither

)hile her withers wither with her--

9

0nd no one kee!s a cow for a friend*

7ometimes I fear you're touched.($ittle #ed #iding 5ood has een compulsively eating sweets at the Baker's

house6 she now

swallows, wiping her hands and mouth.)

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 egin my journey.

Into the woods

0nd through the trees

to where I am

67!ected ma%am

Into the woods

to /randmother%s house--


5/15

(mouth full)

Into the woods

To /randmother%s house--

BAKER'S WIFE:2ou're certain of your way*

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: The way is clear

The light is good

I have no fear

,or 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 asket'BAKER: !on't stray and e late.

BAKER'S WIFE: %nd save some of those sweets for :ranny

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: Into the woods and down the dell

The !ath is straight

I know it well.

Into the woods

0nd who can tell)hat%s waiting on the journey'

Into the woods

To ring some read

To /ranny who

Is sick in ed.

,ever can tell

;

)hat lies ahead.

For all that I know

"he%s already dead.

But into the woods

into the woods

Into the woods

to /randmother%s house

0nd home efore dark*

CINDERELLA: Fly irds


6/15

Back to the sky

Back to the eaves

0nd the leaves

0nd the fields

0nd the--

FLORINDA: 5urry u! and do my hair (inderella*

(to $ucinda)

0re you really wearing that'

LUCINDA: 5ere I found a little tear (inderella*

(to lorinda) (an%t you hide it with a hat'

CINDERELLA:2ou look eautiful.

FLORINDA: I know.LUCINDA: 7he means me.

FLORINDA: (to Cinderella)< =ut it in a twist.

LUCINDA: /ho will e there*.. (7he and lorinda continue aling

underneath.)

CINDERELLA: (to herself)< Mother said e good

Father said e nice

That was always their advice."o e nice (inderella

/ood (inderella

,ice good good nice--

FLORINDA:&ighter

CINDERELLA: )hat%s the good of eing good

If everyone is lind

0nd you%re always left ehind',ever mind (inderella

Kind (inderella--

(accenting each word with a twist of a strand of hair)

>

ice good, good kind good nice--

FLORINDA: (screams and slaps Cinderella) ot that tight

CINDERELLA: 7orry.

FLORINDA: Clod.

LUCINDA: 5ee he hee--


7/15

($O#I!% glares at her)

hee hee-- (stops)

NARRATOR: Because the Baker had lost his mother and father in a aking

accident--

well, at least that is what he elieved--he was eager to have a family

of his own, and concerned that %$$ efforts until now had failed.

(1nock on Baker's door)

BAKER: /ho might that e*

BAKER'S WIFE: /e have sold our last loaf of read..

BAKER: It's the /itch from ne?t door

(/I&C5 enters)

BAKER'S WIFE, BAKER: /e have no read.WITCH: Of course you have no read

BAKER: /hat do you wish*

WITCH: It's not what I wish. It's what you wish. (=oints to /ife's elly)

othing cooking in there now, is there*

NARRATOR:&he old enchantress went on to tell the couple that she had

placed a

spell on their house.BAKER: /hat spell*

WITCH: In the past, when you were no more than a ae, your father rought

his young wife and you to this cottage. &hey were a handsome couple, ut

not handsome neighors.

2ou see, your mother was with child and she had developed an unusual

appetite. 7he took one

look at my eautiful garden, and told your father that what she wanted, morethan anything in the

world, was

/reens greens and nothing ut greens8

Parsley !e!!ers caages and celery

0s!aragus and watercress and

Fiddleferns and lettuce--*

@

5e said %0++ right%

But it wasn%t #uite


8/15

%(ause I caught him in the autumn

In my garden one night*

5e was roing me

9a!ing me

9ooting through my rutaaga

9aiding my arugula and

9i!!ing u! the ram!ion

:My cham!ion* My favorite*;--

I should have laid a s!ell on him right there.

(ould have turned him into stone

2r a dog or a chair

2r a sn-- (drifts off into a momentary trance)But I let him have the ram!ion

I%d lots to s!are.

In return however

I said %Fair is fair

into the woods opening number

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