Overview
Synopsis
“Be careful what you wish for” seems to be the ongoing theme in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Brothers Grimm-inspired musical, Into the Woods. The story follows The Baker and his wife who wish to have a child, Cinderella who wishes to go to the King’s Festival, and Jack who wishes his cow would give some milk. When the Baker and his wife are visited by the Witch from next door, who reveals to them that she placed a curse on their family, the two set off on a journey “into the woods'' to reverse the curse. There, we meet Little Red Riding Hood, on her way to visit her grandmother, the Wolf who loves tasty little girls, the Witch’s daughter Rapunzel, and two lovelorn Princes. By the end, everyone has gotten their wish and will seemingly live happily ever after.
Show Information
- Book
- James Lapine
- Music
- Stephen Sondheim
- Lyrics
- Stephen Sondheim
- Conceived By
- James Lapine
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- Genres
- Fairy Tale/Fantasy
- Settings
- Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- A Fairytale Kingdom and In the Woods
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Recording
- Dancing
- Musical Staging
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- Elementary School, Middle School, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male, Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA), Mostly Female Cast, Includes Child, Early Teen, Late Teen Characters, Large Cast
Context
Inspired by the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack and the Beanstalk, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine set out to create a single story out of these different fairytales. This idea brought about the hit musical, Into the Woods. Due to the shows success, they decided to adapt the show for elementary and middle school aged children centering around the the moral struggles of these famous characters. Tied together
to read the context for Into the Woods JR and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
At the top of the show, we are introduced to four characters, each with one tremendous desire: Cinderella, who is cleaning, wishes with all her heart that she might be able to attend the King’s Festival; Jack, who is trying to milk his sad, dry cow Milky-White, wishes that she would start producing milk again, so she wouldn’t have to be sold at market; and the Baker and his wife wish with all their hearts for a child. The Narrator leads the company in setting up the circumstances (Opening Parts
to read the plot for Into the Woods JR and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Either Gender |
Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Either Gender |
Silent |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
- Opening Part 1 - Narrator, Baker, Baker’s Wife, Cinderella, Jack, Stepmother, Florinda, Lucinda, Little Red, Jack’s Mother
- Opening Part 2 - Baker, Baker’s Wife, Little Red
- Opening Part 3 - Narrator, Jack, Jack’s Mother
- Opening Part 4 - Narrator, Baker, Baker’s Wife, Witch
- Opening Part 5 - Baker, Baker’s Wife, Witch
- Opening Part 6 - Narrator, Witch
- Opening Part 7 - Stepmother, Cinderella, Cinderella’s Father
- Opening Part 8 - Baker, Baker’s Wife, Cinderella, Narrator
- Opening Part 9 - Narrator, Baker, Baker’s Wife, Cinderella, Jack, Stepmother, Florinda, Lucinda, Little Red, Jack’s Mother, Cinderella’s Father
- Cinderella at the Grave - Cinderella, Cinderella’s Mother
- Hello, Little Girl - Wolf, Little Red
- After Hello, Little Girl- Baker’s Wife, Little Red
- I Guess This is Goodbye/Maybe They're Really Magic - Jack, Baker, Baker’s Wife
- Rapunzel - Rapunzel
- Baker’s Reprise - Baker
- I Know Things Now - Little Red
- A Very Nice Prince - Cinderella, Baker’s Wife
- Giants in the Sky - Jack
- Agony - Rapunzel’s Prince, Cinderella’s Prince
- Rapunzel’s Reprise - Rapunzel
- It Takes Two - Baker, Baker’s Wife
- Stay With Me - Witch, Rapunzel
- On the Steps of the Palace - Cinderella
- Ever After - Narrator, Company
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
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Videos
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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