INTO THE WOODS BROADWAY CAST NYC 1988 STEPHEN SONDHEIM JAMES LAPINE MARTIN BECK

Description

INTO THE WOODS BROADWAY CAST NYC 1988 STEPHEN SONDHEIM JAMES LAPINE MARTIN BECK.
A Narrator introduces four characters: Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's festival; Jack who wishes his cow, Milky White, would give milk; a Baker; and his Wife, both of whom wish to have a child. Cinderella's step-family mocks her wish while Jack's mother condemns Jack for never listening and how she wishes to be wealthy. Little Red Ridinghood appears at the bakery wishing for bread and sweets to bring to her grandmother's house. They give her a loaf of bread and allow her to take some sweets; she ends up taking more than they offered. Cinderella's stepmother puts a pot of lentils into the fireplace for Cinderella to clean up, promising that only then, they will let her go to the festival. She calls birds from the skies to help her clean up which they do. Meanwhile, an ugly old witch appears at the bakery revealing to the baker and his wife that they are infertile because of a spell she placed on the baker's father many years ago. She tells them that when the baker's mother was pregnant, she craved vegetables so his father stole them from witch's garden. He stole supposedly normal beans which turned out to be magic. Because she had lost the beans, the witch's mother turned her ugly and in return, the witch stole their daughter, Rapunzel, and placed the spell. She explains that the only way to lift the spell is to find four ingredients in the woods: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold and bring them to her in three days before midnight. She hurries off and Cinderella's step-family prepares to leave for the festival. Cinderella asks if she can go, but her stepmother points out that, while she picked up the lentils, she is dirty from the ashes. They leave and even Cinderella's father barely acknowledges her existence. All begin the journey into the woods: Jack to sell his beloved cow; Cinderella to her mother's grave; Little Red to her grandmother's house; and the Baker, refusing his Wife's help, to find the ingredients. Cinderella receives a gown and golden slippers from her mother's spirit after wishing she could live a life in the palace. A Mysterious Man mocks Jack for valuing his cow more than a "sack of beans". Little Red meets a hungry Wolf who persuades her to take a longer path and admire the beauty, with his own thoughts of eating both her and her grandmother. The Baker, secretly followed by his Wife, meets Jack. They convince Jack that the beans found in the Baker's father's jacket are magic, trade them for the cow and Jack bids Milky White a tearful farewell. The Baker feels guilty about their deceit, but his wife reassures him. The Witch has raised Rapunzel in a tall tower accessible only by climbing Rapunzel's long, golden hair; a Prince spies Rapunzel and plans to meet her. The Baker, in pursuit of the red cape, slays the Wolf and rescues Little Red and her grandmother. In return, Little Red gives him her cape, and reflects on her experiences. Jack's Mother tosses his beans aside, which grow into an enormous stalk, and sends him to bed without food. Cinderella flees the Festival, pursued by another Prince, and the Baker's Wife hides her; asked about the ball, Cinderella is unimpressed. Spotting Cinderella's gold slippers, the Baker's Wife chases her and loses Milky White. The characters recite morals as the day ends. Jack describes his adventure climbing the beanstalk. He gives the Baker gold stolen from the giants to buy back his cow, and returns up the beanstalk to find more; the Mysterious Man questions the Baker's price of a child, and steals the money. Cinderella's Prince and Rapunzel's Prince, who are brothers, compare their unobtainable amours. The Baker's Wife overhears their talk of a girl with golden hair. She fools Rapunzel and takes a piece of her hair. The Mysterious Man returns Milky White to the Baker. The Baker's Wife again fails to seize Cinderella's slippers. The Baker admits they must work together. Jack arrives with a hen that lays golden eggs, but Milky White keels over dead as midnight chimes. The Witch discovers the Prince's visits and demands Rapunzel stay sheltered from the world. She refuses, and the Witch cuts off Rapunzel's hair and banishes her. The Mysterious Man gives the Baker money for another cow. Jack meets Little Red, now sporting a wolf skin cape and knife. He brags about his adventures in the sky, and mentions a golden Giant's harp. She skeptically goads him into returning to the Giant's home to retrieve it. Cinderella, torn between staying with her Prince or escaping, leaves him a slipper as a clue, and trades shoes with the Baker's Wife. The Baker arrives with another cow; they now have all four items. A great crash is heard, and Jack's mother reports a dead Giant in her backyard, which no one seems to care about. Jack returns with a magic harp. The Witch discovers the new cow is useless, and resurrects Milky White, who is fed the ingredients but fails to give milk. The Witch explains Rapunzel's hair will not work, and the Mysterious Man offers corn silk instead; Milky White produces the potion. The Witch reveals the Mysterious Man is the Baker's father, and she drinks – he falls dead, the curse is broken, and the Witch regains her youth and beauty. Cinderella's Prince seeks the girl who fits the slipper; the desperate stepsisters mutilate their feet. Cinderella succeeds and becomes his bride. Rapunzel bears twins and is found by her Prince. The Witch finds her, and attempts to claim her back, but the Witch's powers are gone. At Cinderella's wedding, her stepsisters are blinded by birds, and the Baker's Wife, very pregnant, thanks Cinderella for her help. Congratulating themselves on living happily, the characters fail to notice another beanstalk growing.