1.Prologue: Into The Woods Narrator: Once upon a time-- Cinderella: I wish... Narrator (NA): --in a far-off kingdom-- Cinderella: More than anything... NA: --lived a young maiden-- Cinderella: More than life... NA: --a sad young lad-- Cinderella: More than jewels... Jack: I wish... NA: --and a childless baker-- Jack: More than life... Cinderella, Baker: I wish... NA: --with his wife. Jack: More than anything... Cinderella, Baker, Jack: More than the moon... Wife: I wish.. Cinderella: the King is giving a Festival. Baker, Wife: More than life.. Jack: I wish.. Cinderella: I wish to go to the Festival-- Baker, Wife: More than riches.. Cinderella: --and the Ball.. Jack: I wish my cow would give us some milk. Cinderella, Wife: More than anything.. Baker: I wish we had a child. Jack (to cow): Please, pal-- Wife: I want a child.. Jack: Squeeze, pal.. Cinderella: I wish to go to the Festival. Jack (Overlapping): I wish you'd give us some milk Or even cheese.. Baker, Wife (Overlapping): I wish we might have a child. All Four: I wish.. Stepmother (to Cinderella): You wish to go to the Festival? NA: The poor girl's mother had died-- Stepmother: You, Cinderella, the Festival? You wish to go to the Festival? Florinda (Over): What, you, Cinderella, the Festival? The Festival?! Lucinda (Over): What, you wish to go to the Festival?! All Three: The Festival?! The King's Festival!!!??? NA: --and her father had taken for his new wife-- Stepmother: The Festival!!!??? NA: --a woman with two daughters of her own. Florinda: Look at your nails! Lucinda: Look at your dress! Stepmother: People would laugh at you-- Cinderella: Nevertheless-- Cinderella: Stepsisters: Stepmother: I still wish to go You still wish to go She still wants to go To the Festival. To the Festival-- To the Festival-- Stepsisters, Stepmother: --and dance before the Prince?! (They chortle with laughter musically, then fall about out of control.) NA: All three were beautiful of face, but vile and black of heart. Jack, on the other hand, had no father, and his mother-- Jack's Mother: I wish.. NA: Well, she was not quite beautiful-- 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 Jack) You foolish child! What in heaven's name are you doing with the cow inside the house? Jack: A warm environment might be just what Milky White needs to produce his milk. Jack's Mother: It's a she! How many times do I have to tell you? Only "she"s can give milk. [Two knocks on the Baker's door; Wife opens door; it is Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH)] Wife: Why, come in, little girl. LRRH: 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.. [Insistent] Just a loaf of bread, please.. [Baker gives her a loaf of bread.] NA: Cinderella's stepmother had a surprise for her. [Stepmother throws a pot of lentils into the fireplace] Stepmother: 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 with us. LRRH: And perhaps a sticky bun?.. Or four?.. Cinderella: Birds in the sky, Birds in the eaves, In the leaves, In the fields, In the castles and ponds.. LRRH: ..and a few of those pies, Please.. Cinderella (Over): Come, little birds, Down from the eaves And the leaves, Over fields, Out of castles and ponds.. Jack: No, Squeeze, pal.. Cinderella (falling into a trance): Ahhh.. [birds descend to the fireplace] Quick, little birds, Flick through the ashes. Pick and peck, but swiftly, Sift through the ashes Into the pot.. Jack's Mother: Listen well, son. Milky-White must be taken to market. Jack: But, Mother, no--he's the best cow-- Jack's Mother: Was. Was! SHE'S been dry for a week. We've no food nor money, and no choice but to sell her while she can still command a price. Jack: But Milky-White is my best friend in the whole world! Jack's Mother: 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-- Jack: But-- Jack's Mother: Son, We've no time to sit and dither, While her withers wither with her-- And no one keeps a cow for a friend! Sometimes I fear you're touched. [LRRH has been compulsively eating sweets at the Baker's house; she now swallows, wiping her hands and mouth.] LRRH: 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 begin my journey. Into the woods And through the trees to where I am Expected, ma'am, Into the woods to Grandmother's house-- [mouth full] Into the woods To Grandmother's house-- Wife: You're certain of your way? LRRH: 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? Baker: Don't stray and be late. Wife: And save some of those sweets for Granny! LRRH: 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: Fly, birds, Back to the sky, Back to the eaves And the leaves And the fields And the-- Florinda: Hurry up and do my hair, Cinderella! [to Lucinda] Are you really wearing that? Lucinda: Here, I found a little tear, Cinderella! [to Florinda] Can't you hide it with a hat? Cinderella: You look beautiful. Florinda: I know. Lucinda: She means me. Florinda [to Cinderella]: Put it in a twist. Lucinda: Who will be there?.. [She and Florinda continue babbling underneath.] Cinderella [to herself]: Mother said be good, Father said be nice, That was always their advice. So be nice, Cinderella, Good, Cinderella, Nice good good nice-- Florinda: Tighter! Cinderella: What's the good of being good If everyone is blind And you're always left behind? Never mind, Cinderella, Kind Cinderella-- [accenting each word with a twist of a strand of hair] Nice good good kind good nice-- Florinda [screams and slaps Cinderella]: Not that tight! Cinderella: Sorry. Florinda: Clod. Lucinda: Hee he hee-- [Florinda glares at her] hee hee-- [stops] NA: Because the baker had lost his mother and father in a baking accident-- well, at least that is what he believed--he was eager to have a family of his own, and concerned that all efforts until now had failed. [Knock on Baker's door] Baker: Who might that be? Wife: We have sold our last loaf of bread.. Baker: It's the witch from next door! [Witch enters] Wife, Baker: We have no bread. Witch: Of course you have no bread! Baker: What do you wish? Witch: It's not what I wish. It's what you wish. (Points to Wife's belly) Nothing cooking in there now, is there? NA: The old enchantress went on to tell the couple that she had placed a spell on their house. Baker: What spell? Witch: 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 handsome couple, but not handsome neighbors. You see, your mother was with child and she had developed an unusual appetite. She took one look at my beautiful garden, and told your father that what she wanted, more than anything in the world, was Greens, greens, and nothing but greens: Parsley, peppers, cabbages and celery, Asparagus and watercress and Fiddleferns and lettuce--! He said 'all right,' 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. Could have turned him into stone, Or a dog, or a chair, Or a sn-- [drifts off into a momentary trance] 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.' Baker: I had a brother? Witch: No. But you had a sister. NA: But the witch refused to tell him any more of his sister. Not even that her name was Rapunzel. She went on: Witch: I thought I had been more than reasonable, and that we all might live happily ever after. But how was I to know what your father had also hid in his pocket?! You see, when I had inherited that garden, my mother had warned me that I would be punished if I ever were to lose any of the Beans. Baker, Wife: Beans? Witch: The SPECIAL beans. I let him go, I didn't know He'd stolen my beans! I was watching him crawl Back over the wall--! And then bang! Crash! And the lightning flash! And--well, that's another story, Never mind-- Anyway, at last The big day came And 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. And 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... [laughs] So 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. Jack's Mother: Now listen to me, Jack. Lead Milky-White to market and fetch the best price you can. Take no less than five pounds. Are you listening to me? Jack: Yes. Jack's Mother: Now how much are you to ask? Jack: No more than five pounds. [she pinches his ear] Jack's mother, Jack: Less! Than five. Jack's Mother: Jack Jack Jack, Head in a sack, The house is getting colder, This is not a time for dreaming. Chimney-stack Starting to crack, The mice are getting bolder, The floor's gone slack. Your mother's getting older, Your father's not back, And you can't just sit here dreaming pretty dreams. To wish and wait From day to day Will never keep The wolves away. So 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 through the woods And don't delay-- We have to face The marketplace. Into the woods to journey's end-- Jack: Into the woods to sell a friend-- Jack's Mother: Someday you'll have a real pet, Jack. Jack: A piggy? [Mother shakes her head in disbelief] NA: Meanwhile, the witch, for purposes of her own, explained how the baker might lift the spell: Witch: You wish to have The curse reversed? I'll need a certain Potion first. Go to the wood 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 days' time, And you shall have, I guarantee, A child as perfect As child can be. Go to the wood! [disappears] Stepmother: Ladies, our carriage waits. Cinderella: Now may I go to the Festival? Stepmother: 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! Cinderella's Father: The carriage is waiting. Stepmother: We must be gone. [they exit with a flourish] Cinderella: Good night, Father. [he grunts and exits] I wish... [cries] Baker: Look what I found in Father's hunting jacket. Wife: Six beans. Baker: I wonder if they are the-- Wife: Witch's beans? We'll take them with us. Baker: No! You are not coming. Wife: I know you are fearful of the woods at night. Baker: The spell is on MY house. Only I can lift the spell, The spell is on MY house. Wife [over]: No, no, the spell is on OUR house. We must lift the spell together, The spell is on OUR house. Baker [Over]: No. You are not to come and that is final. Now, what am I to return with? Wife [Annoyed]: 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-- Baker [memorizing]: The cow as white as milk, The cape as red as blood, The hair as yellow as corn, The slipper as pure as gold... NA [Over]: And so the baker, reluctantly, set off to meet the enchantress's demands. As for Cinderella: Cinderella: I still wish to go to the Festival, But how am I ever to get to the Festival? Baker [simultaneously]: The cow as white as milk, The cape as red as blood, The hair as yellow as corn-- Wife: the slipper-- Baker: The slipper as pure as gold... Cinderella [Over]: I know! I'll visit Mother's grave, The grave at the hazel tree, And tell her I just want to Go to the King's Festival... Baker: The cow, the cape, The slipper as pure as gold-- Wife: The hair--! Baker, Cinderella: Into the woods, It's time to go, It may be all In vain, you (I) know. Into the woods-- But even so, I have to take the journey. Baker, Cinderella, Wife: Into the woods, The path is straight, You (I) know it well, But who can tell--? Baker, Wife: Into the woods to lift the spell-- Cinderella: Into the woods to visit Mother-- Wife: Into the woods to fetch the things-- Baker: To make the potion-- Cinderella: To go to the Festival-- Baker, Wife, Cinderella, Jack, Jack's Mother: Into the woods Without regret, The choice is made, The task is set. Into the woods, But not forget- Ting why I'm (you're) on the journey. Into the woods To get my (our) wish, I don't care how, The time is now. Jack's Mother: Into the woods to sell the cow-- Jack: Into the woods to get the money-- Wife: Into the woods to lift the spell- Baker: To make the potion-- Cinderella: To go too the Festival-- LRRH: Into the woods to Grandmother's house... Into the woods to Grandmother's house... All: The way is clear, The light is good, I have ho fear, Nor no one should. the woods are just trees, The trees are just wood. No need to be afraid there-- Baker, Cinderella: There's something in the glade there... All: 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-- Stepmother, stepsisters: To see the King-- Jack, Jack's Mother: To sell the cow-- Baker, Wife: To make the potion-- All: To see- To sell- To get-- To bring-- To make-- To lift-- To go to the Festival--! Into the woods! Into the woods! Into the woods, Then out of the woods, And home before dark! 2.Cinderella At the Grave Cinderella: I've been good and I've been kind, Mother, Doing only what I learned from you. Why, then, am I left behind, Mother, Is there something more that I should do? What is wrong with me Mother? Something must be wrong! I wish.. Mother: Do you know what you wish? Are you certain what you wish is what you want? If you know what you want, then make a wish. Ask the tree, And you shall have your wish. Cinderella: Shimmer and glimmer, little tree. Silver and gold throw down on me. I'm off to get my wish! 3.Hello, Little Girl Wolf: Mmmh.. Unhh... Look at that flesh, pink and plump. Hello, little girl... Tender and fresh, not one lump. Hello, little girl... This one's especially lush, Delicious... Mmmh... Hello, little girl, what's your rush? You're missing all the flowers. The sun won't set for hours, Take your time. LRRH: Mother said, "Straight ahead," Not to delay or be misled. Wolf: But slow, little girl, Hark! And hush-- the birds are singing sweetly. You'll miss the birds completely, You're traveling so fleetly. Grandmother first, then Miss Plump... What a delectable couple: Utter perfection, one brittle, one supple-- One moment, my dear--! LRRH: Mother said, "Come what may, Follow the path and never stray." Wolf: Just so, little girl-- any path. So many worth exploring. Just one would be so boring. And look what you're ignoring... Think of those crisp, aging bones, Then something fresh on the palate. Think of that scrumptious carnality twice in one day--! there's no possible way to describe what you feel When you're talking to your meal! LRRH: Mother said not to stray. Still, I suppose, a small delay... Granny might like a fresh bouquet... Goodbye, Mr. Wolf. Wolf: Goodbye, little girl. And hello... [howls] 4.I Guess This Is Goodbye Jack: I guess this is goodbye, old pal. You've been a perfect friend. I hate to see us part, old pal, Someday I'll buy you back. I'll see you soon again. I hope that when I do, It won't be on a plate. 5.Maybe They're Magic Wife: If you know what you want, Then you go and you find it And you get it-- Baker: [pointing off] Home. Wife: Do we want a child, or not? --and you give and you take And you bid and you bargain, Or you live to regret it. Baker: Will you please go home. Wife: There are rights and wrongs and in-betweens-- No one waits when fortune intervenes. And maybe they're really magic. Who knows? Why you do what you do, That's the point, All the rest of it is chatter. Baker: [about Milky-White] Look at her, she's crying. Wife: If the thing you do is pure in intent, If it's meant, and it's just a little bent, Does it matter? Baker: Yes. Wife: No, what matters is that everyone tells tiny lies-- What's important, really, is the size. Only three more tries, and we'll have our prize. When the end's in sight, you'll realize: If the end is right, it justifies The beans! 6.I Know Things Now Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH): Mother said, 'straight ahead, Not to delay, or be mislead.' I should have heeded her advice. But he seemed so nice. And he showed me things, many beautiful things, That I hadn't thought to explore. They were off my path, so I never had dared. I had been so careful, I never had cared. And he made me feel excited.. Well, excited and scared. When he said, 'Come in,' with that sickening grin, How could I know what was in store? Once his teeth were bared, though, I really got scared. Well, excited and scared.. But he drew me close, and he swallowed me down, Down a dark, slimy path, where lie secrets that I never want to know, And when everything familiar seemed to disappear forever, At the end of the path, was Granny once again, So we wait in the dark, until someone sets us free, And we're brought into the light, And we're back at the start.. And I know things now, many valuable things, That I hadn't known before. Do not put your faith in a cape and a hood. They will not protect you the way that they should. And take extra care with strangers, even flowers have their dangers, And though scary is exciting, Nice is different than good. Now I know, don't be scared. Granny is right, just be prepared. Isn't it nice to know a lot? ..And a little bit.. not. 7.A Very Nice Prince Cinderella: He's a very nice Prince. Wife: And--? Cinderella: And-- It's a very nice Ball. Wife: And--? Cinderella: And-- When I entered, they trumpeted. Wife: And--? The Prince--? Cinderella: Oh, the Prince?... Wife: Yes, the Prince! Cinderella: Well, he's tall. Wife: Is that all? Did you dance? Is he charming? They say that he's charming. Cinderella: We did nothing but dance. Wife: Yes--? And--? Cinderella: And it made a nice change. Wife: No, the Prince! Cinderella: Oh, the Prince?... Wife: Yes, the Prince. Cinderella: He has charm for a Prince, I guess... Wife: Guess? Cinderella: I don't meet a wide range. And it's all very strange. 8.First Midnight Baker: One midnight gone... Mysterious Man: No knot unties itself... Witch: Sometimes the things you most wish for are not to be touched... Princes: The harder to get, the better to have... CP: Agreed? RP: Agreed. Florinda: Never wear mauve at a ball... Lucinda: Or pink... Stepmother [to stepdaughters]: Or open your mouth... Jack: The difference between a cow and a bean Is a bean can begin an adventure... Jack's Mother [at Jack]: Slotted spoons don't hold much soup... LRRH: The prettier the flower, the farther from the path... Cinderella's Father: The closer to the family, the closer to the wine... Rapunzel [offstage]: Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah... Witch: One midnight gone!... granny: The mouth of a wolf's not the end of the world... Steward: A servant is not just a dog, to a Prince.... Cinderella: Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor... Wife: You may know what you need, But to get what you want, Better see that you keep what you have. [All overlapping] Baker: One midnight gone... Witch: Sometimes the things you most wish for are not to be touched... Princes: The harder to get, the better to have... CP: Agreed? RP: Agreed. Baker: One midnight gone...one midnight gone... Florinda: Never wear mauve at a ball... Lucinda: Or pink... Jack's Mother: Slotted spoons don't hold much soup... Baker's Wife: To get what you want better keep what you... LRRH: The prettier the flower... All: One midnight one midnight one midnight gone.. Into the woods, Into the woods, Into the woods, then out of the woods and home before-- 9.Giants In the Sky Jack: There are giants in the sky! There are big, tall, terrible giants in the sky! When you're way up high, and you look below At the world you've left and the things you know, Little more than a glance is enough to show You just how small you are. When you're way up high, and you're on your own, In a world like none that you've ever known, Where the sky's like lead, and the earth's like stone, You're free to do whatever pleases you. Exploring things you'd never dared, 'Cause you don't care, When suddenly there's A big, tall, terrible giant at the door. A big, tall, terrible lady giant sweeping the floor. And she gives you food, and she gives you rest. And she draws you close to her giant breast. And you know things now, that you never knew before. After the sky. Only just when you've made a friend and all, And you know she's big, but you don't feel small, Someone bigger than her comes along the hall To swallow you for lunch! And your heart is lead, and your stomach's stone, And you're really scared, being all alone, And it's then that you miss all the things you've known, And the world you've left, and the little you own; The fun is done. You steal what you can, and run! And you scramble down, and you look below At the world you left, and the things you know.. The roof, the house, and your mother at the door. The roof, the house, and the world you'd never thought to explore. And you think of all of the things you'd seen. And you wish that you could live in-between. And you're back again, only different than before. After the sky. There are giants in the sky! There are big, tall, terrible, awesome, scary, Wonderful giants in the sky! 10.Agony Cinderella's Prince (CP): Do I abuse her, or show her disdain? Why does she run from me? If I pursue her, how shall I regain The heart she has won from me? Agony! Beyond power of speech, When the one thing you want Is the only thing out of your reach. Rapunzel's Prince (RP): High in her tower, she sits by the hour, Maintaining her hair. Blithe and becoming, and frequently humming A lighthearted air.. A-a-a-a-a-a-ah.. Agony! Far more painful than yours! When you know she would go with you, If there only were doors! Both: Agony! Oh the torture they teach! RP: What's as intriguing-- CP: Or half so fatiguing-- Both: As what's out of reach? CP: Am I not sensitive, clever, well-mannered, considerate, Passionate, charming, as kind as I'm handsome, And heir to the throne?! RP: You are everything maidens could wish for. CP: The why no? RP: Do I know? CP: The girl must be mad! RP: You know nothing of madness.. ..Till you're climbing her hair, and you see her Up there, as you're nearing her, All the while hearing her 'A-a-a-a-a-a-ah.' Both: Agony! CP: Misery! RP: Woe! Both: Though it's different for each. CP: Always ten steps behind-- RP: Always ten feet below-- Both: and she's just out of reach. Agony, that can cut like a knife! I must have her to wife. 11.It Takes Two Wife: You've changed. You're daring. You're different in the woods. More sure. More sharing. You're getting us through the woods. If you could see-- You're not the man who started, And much more open-hearted Than I knew you to be. Baker: It takes two. I thought one was enough, It's not true: It takes two of us. You came through When the journey was rough. It took you. It took two of us. It takes care, It takes patience and fear and despair To change. Though you swear to change, Who can tell if you do? It takes two. Wife: You've changed. You're thriving. There's something about the woods. Not just surviving, You're blossoming in the woods. At home I'd fear We'd stay the same forever. And then out here You're passionate, charming, considerate, clever-- Baker: It takes one To begin, but then once you've begun, It takes two of you. It's no fun, But what needs to be done You can do When there's two of you. If I dare, It's because I'm becoming aware of us As a pair of us, Each accepting a share Of what's there. Both: We've changed. We're strangers. I'm meeting you in the woods. Who minds What dangers? I know we'll get past the woods. And once we're past, Let's home the changes last Beyond woods, Beyond witches and slippers and hoods, Just the two of us-- Beyond lies, Safe at home with our beautiful prize, Just the few of us. It takes trust. It takes just a bit more and we're done. We want four, we had none. We've got three. We need one. It takes two. 12.Second Midnight Witch: Two midnights gone! Cinderella: Wanting a ball is not wanting a Prince... CP: Near may be better than far, But it still isn't there... RP [echo]: Near may be better than far, But it still isn't there... Cinderella: The ball... CP: So near... RP: So far... Stepmother: You can never love somebody else's child-- Florinda, Lucinda: Two midnights gone! Stepmother: --the way you love-- CP: So near... Stepmother: --your own. Cinderella: The Prince... RP: so far... Granny: The greatest prize can often lie At the end of the thorniest path... All: Two midnights gone! Two midnights gone! 13.Stay With Me Witch: What did I clearly say? Children must listen. Rapunzel: No, no, please! Witch: What were you not to do? Children must see-- Rapunzel: No! Witch: And learn. Why could you not obey? Children should listen. What have I been to you? What would you have me be? Handsome like a Prince? Ah, but I am old. I am ugly. I embarrass you. Rapunzel: No! Witch: You are ashamed of me. Rapunzel: No! Witch: You are ashamed. You don't understand. Rapunzel: It was lonely atop that tower. Witch: I was not company enough? Rapunzel: I am no longer a child; I wish to see the world! Witch: Don't you know what's out there in the world? Someone has to shield you from the world. Stay with me. Princes wait there in the world, it's true. Princes, yes, but wolves and humans, too. Stay at home. I am home. Who out there could love you more than I? What out there that I cannot supply? Stay with me. Stay with me, The world is dark and wild. Stay a child, while you can be a child. With me. 14.On the Steps of the Palace Cinderella: He's a very smart Prince. He's a Prince who prepares. Knowing this time I'd run from him, He spread pitch on the stairs. I was caught unawares. And I thought, Well, he cares. This is more than just malice. Better stop and take stock while you're standing here stuck On the steps of the palace. You think, What do you want? You think, Make a decision! Why not stay and be caught? You think, Well, it's a thought.. What would be his response? But then what if he knew who you were, When you know that you're not what he thinks that he wants? And then, what if you are What a Prince would envision? Although how can you know who you are, Till you know what you want, which you don't, So then which do you pick: Where you're safe out of sight, And yourself, but where everything's wrong, Or where everything's right, And you know that you'll never belong? And whichever you pick, do it quick, 'Cause you're starting to stick To the steps of the palace! It's your first big decision.. The choice isn't easy to make. To arrive at a Ball is exciting, and all, Once you're there, though, it's scary. And it's fun to deceive when you know you can leave, But you have to be wary. There's a lot that's at stake, but you've stalled long enough, 'Cause you're still standing stuck on the stuff on the steps.. Better run along home! And avoid the collision. Even though they don't care, you'd be better off there, Where there's nothing to choose, so there's nothing to lose, So you pry up your shoes... And then, out of the blue, And without any guide, You know what your decision is.. Which is not to decide. You just leave him a clue. For example: a shoe. And then see what HE'LL do. Now it's he and not you who is stuck with the shoe In a stew.. In the goo.. And you've learned something too, Something you never knew, On the steps of the Palace! 15.Ever After Cinderella: I didn't think I'd wed a Prince. CP: I didn't think I'd ever find you. Cinderella, CP, Baker, Wife: I didn't think I could be so happy!... NA: And it came to pass, all that seemed wrong was now right, the kingdoms were filled with joy, and those who deserved to were certain to live a long and happy life. Ever after... Company: Ever after! NA: Journey over, all is mended, And it's not just for today, But tomorrow, and extended Ever after! Company: Ever after! NA: All the curses have been ended, The reverses wiped away. All is tenderness and laughter For forever after! Company: Happy now and happy hence And happy ever after! NA: There were dangers-- Company: We were frightened-- NA: And confusions-- Company: But we hid it-- NA: And the paths would often swerve. Company: We did not. NA: There were constant-- Company: It's amazing-- NA: Disillusions-- Company: That we did it. NA: But they never lost their nerve. Company: Not a lot. NA, Company: And they (we) reached the right conclusions, And they (we) got what they (we) deserve! Company: Not a sigh and not a sorrow, Tenderness and laughter. Joy today and bliss tomorrow, And forever after! Florinda: I was greedy. Lucinda: I was vain. Florinda: I was haughty. Lucinda: I was smug. Both: We were happy. Lucinda: It was fun. Florinda: But we were blind. Both: Then we went into the woods To get our wish And now we're really blind. Witch [Over]: I was perfect. I had everything but beauty. I had power, And a daughter like a flower, In a tower. Then I went into the woods to get my wish And now I'm ordinary. Lost my power, and my flower. Florinda, Lucinda: We're unworthy. Florinda, Lucinda, Witch: We're (I'm) unhappy now, unhappy hence, As well as ever after. Had we used our common sense, Been worthy of our discontents... Company: To be happy, and forever, You must see your wish come true. Don't be careful, don't be clever. When you see your wish, pursue. It's a dangerous endeavor, But the only thing to do-- [in three groups: round] Though it's fearful, Though it's deep, though it's dark, And though you may lose the path, Though you may encounter wolves, You mustn't stop, You mustn't swerve, You mustn't ponder, You have to act! When you know your wish, If you want your wish, You can have your wish, But you can't just wish-- No, to get your wish [unison] You go into the woods, Where nothing's clear, Where witches, ghosts And wolves appear. Into the woods And through the fear, You have to take the journey. Into the woods And down the dell, In vain perhaps, But who can tell? Into the woods to lift the spell, Into the woods to lose the longing. Into the woods to have the child, To wed the Prince, To get the money, To save the house, To kill the wolf, To find the father, To conquer the kingdom, to have, to wed, To get, to save, To kill, to keep, To go to the Festival! Into the woods, Into the woods, Into the woods, Then out of the woods-- NA: To be continued... All: --And happy ever after!
