An ambivalent Cinderella? A blood-thirsty Little Red Ridinghood? A Prince Charming with a roving eye? A Witch...who raps? They're all among the cockeyed characters in James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim's fractured fairy tale.

"To hear Stephen Sondheim’s final song of ‘Into the Woods’ is to be overwhelmed once more by the continuity of one of the American theater’s most extraordinary songwriting careers." — Frank Rich, The New York Times

Stephen Sondheim’s most popular musical blends various familiar fairy tales with an original story of a childless Baker and his Wife, who attempt to reverse a curse on their family in order to have a child. In the first act, they set out to achieve their goal of living "Happily Ever After" through familiar routes and characters — Cinderella goes to the ball, Jack climbs the beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood survives her clash with the wolf, and more.

At the end of Act One, the spell is lifted and they, indeed, live happily ever after. Act Two, however, deals with the consequences that traditional fairy tales conveniently ignore. What does one do with a dead Giant in the back yard? Does marrying a Prince really lead to a happy and fulfilling life? Is carving up the wolf the solution? All the characters must deal with what happens AFTER "Happily Ever After."

"‘Into the Woods’ is potent stuff — as old as time, or at least as old as fairy tales… Mr. Sondheim’s lyrics and Mr. Lapine’s book tap into the psychological mother load from which so much of life and literature spring." —The New York Times

Stephen Sondheim won a Tony AwardŽ for Best Score and James Lapine won for Best Book.

What begins a lively irreverent fantasy in the style of "The Princess Bride" becomes a moving lesson about community responsibility and the stories we tell our children.