Prologue: Into the Woods

Once upon a time in a far-off kingdom

There lay a small village

At the edge of the woods

I wish

And in this village

More than anything

Lived a young maiden

More than life, more than jewels

A carefree young lad

I wish more than life

And a childless baker

I wish

With his wife

More than anything

More than the moon

I wish

The King is giving a Festival

More than life

I wish

I wish to go to the Festival

More than riches

And the ball

I wish my cow would give us some milk

More than anything

I wish we had a child

Please, pal

I want a child

Squeeze, pal

I wish to go to the Festival

I wish you'd give us some milk or even cheese

I wish we might have a child

I wish

You wish to go to the Festival?

The poor girl's parents had died

You, Cinderella, the Festival?

What, you, Cinderella, the Festival?

You wish to go to the Festival?

The Festival?

The King's Festival?

And now she lived with her stepmother

The Festival? Ha!

Who had two daughters of her own

Look at your nails!

Look at your dress!

People would laugh at you

Nevertheless

I still wish to go to the Festival

And dance before the Prince

All three were beautiful of face

But vile and black of heart

The young lad had no father and his mother

I wish

Well, she was at her wit's end

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

What in heaven's name are you doing

With the cow inside the house?

I thought if he got nice and warm

He might produce some milk

It's a she

How many times do I have to tell you

That only "she"s can give milk?

And then there was a hungry little girl

Who always wore a red cape

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

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

Yes, Mother

Good luck

Come, little birds, down from the eaves

And the leaves over fields

Out of castles and ponds

Now, squeeze, pal

Quick, little birds

Flick through the ashes

Pick and peck, but swiftly

Sift through the ashes into the pot

Now listen to me well, son

Milky White must be taken to market

Mother, no, he's the best cow in the world

Was, she has been dry for weeks now

We've no food or money

And no choice but to sell her

But Milky White's my best friend

Look at her

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

But, mom

We've no time to sit and dither

While her wither's wither with her

And no one keeps a cow for a friend

Sometimes I wonder what's going on in that head of yours

Into the woods, it's time to go

I hate to leave, I have to go

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

Now you're certain of your way?

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?

Yes, we do

I don't suppose you're planning on buying any of these

Oh, shh, now, don't stray and be late, alright?

You might save some of those sweets for Granny

Oh, my

Just leave it

She's a thief!

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

Cinderella, get up here!

Fly, birds, back to the sky

We're waiting!

Back to the eaves and the leaves

And the fields and the

Hurry up and do my hair, Cinderella!

Are you really wearing that?

Here, I found a little tear, Cinderella

Can't you hide it with a hat?

You look beautiful

I know

She means me

No, she didn't

Mother said, "Be good"

Father said, "Be nice"

That was always their advice

So be nice, Cinderella

Good, Cinderella

Nice good, good nice

Tighter!

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

Oh! Not that tight!

God!

Who might that be?

We've sold our last loaf of bread!

It's the witch from next door

We have no bread

I don't want your bread

Then what is it you wish?

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

What curse?

The one I placed on this house

What are you talking about?

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 greens, greens

Nothing but greens

Parsley, peppers, cabbages and celery

Asparagus and watercress

And fiddle ferns and lettuce

He said, "Alright," 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 we'll call it square"

I had a brother?

No. But, you had a sister

Where is she?

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

Lost what?

The beans

Beans?

The special beans

I'd 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

How could you do that?

And when your mother died, your father deserted you

Your father was no father so why should you be?

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

Yeah, but why do we have to go to the next village?

Because, everyone in this village

Knows the cow hasn't given a drop of milk in weeks

That's cheating!

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?

Yes

How much are you to ask?

No more than five pounds

Less than five!

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

Into the woods to sell a friend

You wish to have the curse reversed?

I'll need a certain potion first

Go to the woods 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 day's 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

Go to the wood!

Ladies, our carriage waits

Now may I go to the Festival?

The Festival?

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!

The Festival lasts three nights

Surely, you could let me be there for one of them

The King is trying to find his son a wife

Not a scullery maid!

We must be gone! Go!

I wish

Beans?

Oh, these must be the witch's beans!

We'll take them with us

We?

Yes!

We?

You're not coming, it's not safe out there

I can help you!

No! I can do this on my own

The spell is on my house

Only I can lift the spell

The spell is on my house (No, no, the spell is on our house)

We must lift the spell together

The spell is on our house!

Now tell me what am I to return with?

Ugh, you don't remember!

The cow as white as milk

The cape as red as blood

The hair as yellow as corn

The slipper as pure as gold

The cow as white as milk

The cape as red as blood

The hair as yellow as corn

The slipper as pure as gold

I still wish to go to the Festival (The cow as white as milk)

But how am I ever to get to the Festival? (The cape as red as blood)

(The hair as yellow as corn) I know!

I'll visit Mother's grave (The slipper)

The grave at the willow tree (The slipper as pure as gold)

And tell her I just want to go to the King's Festival

(The cow, the cape, the slipper, the hair, let's go)

Into the woods, it's time to go

It may be all in vain, I know

Into the woods but even so

I have to take the journey

Into the woods the path is straight

You know it well

But who can tell

Into the woods to lift the spell

Into the woods to visit Mother

Into the woods to sell the cow

To get the money!

To go to the Festival!

Into the woods to grandmother's house!

Into the woods to grandmother's house!

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

There's something in the glade there

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

Into the woods to see the King

To sell the cow

To make the potion

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!