Theatre
By Numbers
Into The Woods By Numbers: Every song in the stage musical of Into The Woods
Here’s your breakdown of every song on the Into The Woods soundtrack
Sondheim’s endlessly inventive Brother’s Grimm adaptation is back in London, in the form of an exciting new revival at the Bridge Theatre. Into The Woods is a masterful piece of musical theatre writing, weaving together familiar characters and stories and reflecting them in a new light in the show’s mysterious forest. Sondheim’s work is always lyrically dense, and Into The Woods might exemplify that better than any of his other shows. If you can’t make out the words for the trees, we’ve got you covered. Here’s your breakdown of every song in the stage musical of Into The Woods.
‘Prologue: Into The Woods’
The main Brothers Grimm characters are introduced in this extensive prologue, which sets up the main desires of characters like Cinderella, the childless Baker and his wife, Jack and his mother and Little Red Riding Hood. We’re also introduced to the various obstacles they face, such as Cinderella’s wicked stepmother and Jack’s poverty. Ultimately, each of their wants leads them towards the woods, where worlds will inevitably collide.
Crucially, the Baker and his wife are given a quest by the Witch – to find ‘the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold.’ If they bring her these items, she will reverse the curse she once placed on the Baker’s family and allow him and his wife to have a child.
Key lyric: “Into the woods to get my wish”
‘Cinderella At The Grave’
Cinderella mourns at the grave of her mother in the woods, and her mother’s spirit appears to grant her a gown and slippers so that she can go to the King’s festival. Satisfied, she sets off through the woods to get her wish.
Key lyric: “Shiver and quiver, little tree/Silver and gold throw down on me”
‘Hello, Little Girl’
Setting off confidently through the woods, Little Red is soon waylaid by the predatory wolf. When he learns that she’s off to visit her grandmother, he fantasises about devouring both of them. Cannily, he sends her off a detour to collect flowers for her grandmother and plots his next move.
Key lyric: “There’s no possible way to describe what you feel/When you’re talking to your meal”
‘I Guess This Is Goodbye’
Jack bids a tearful goodbye to Milky White, the cow he’s forced to sell at market to provide for himself and his mother. He accepts a handful of beans from the Baker in exchange for her, and the Baker feels conflicted about deceiving Jack, as he doesn’t believe the beans to be magic. He’ll soon be proven wrong, of course…
Key lyric: “I guess this is goodbye, old pal/You’ve been a perfect friend”
‘Maybe They’re Magic’
The Baker’s Wife insists that they have to go after their greatest wish – having a child – however they can. If paying Jack in beans was deceitful, she thinks the deceit is worth it if it helps them achieve their goal.
Key lyric: “If the end is right, it justifies the beans.”
‘I Know Things Now’
Little Red and her grandmother are eaten by the wolf, but the Baker, chasing after the red cape, saves them and kills the wolf. Little Red gifts the cape to the Baker and reflects on the important life lesson she has learned about trusting strange figures in the woods.
Key lyric: “And take extra care with strangers/Even flowers have their dangers”
‘A Very Nice Prince’
After getting her wish and attending the festival, Cinderella runs away from the Prince, overwhelmed by the fact that he has fallen in love with her. She meets the Baker’s Wife, who helps her escape. The Baker’s Wife presses her for details, seeking escapism from the realities of her marriage. The Baker’s Wife realises that Cinderella is wearing golden slippers, but Cinderella hurries home before she is able to ask for them.
Key lyric: “[CINDERELLA] When I entered, they trumpeted
[BAKER’S WIFE] And—? The Prince—?
[CINDERELLA] Oh, the Prince…
[BAKER’S WIFE] Yes, the Prince!
[CINDERELLA] Well, he’s tall
[BAKER’S WIFE] Is that all?”
‘First Midnight’
All the fairytales collide once again on the first midnight – we hear snippets from each crucial character, tracking where they all find themselves at this point in the story.
Key lyric: “Into the woods/Then out of the woods/And home before—”
‘Giants In The Sky’
Jack interrupts the ensemble to announce that he has met “giants in the sky” after the magic beans grew a tall beanstalk next to his cottage. He meets a sympathetic lady giant and a far less sympathetic male giant, and barely escapes with his life, stealing what he can on his way out. His return from the sky has given him a new perspective on his life.
Key lyric: “There are big tall terrible awesome scary/Wonderful giants in the sky!”
‘Agony’
Two brothers meet in the woods – one is the prince who has fallen in love with Cinderella, the other the prince who has fallen in love with Rapunzel. Both believe their love causes them more pain, and their competing agonies make for a comedic duet.
Key lyric: “Agony! Misery! Woe! Though it’s different for each”
‘It Takes Two’
After going it alone on separate missions for a while, the Baker and his Wife reconnect and comment on the changes that the woods have enacted on their marriage. Despite all the obstacles, their bond is growing stronger.
Key lyric: “We’ve changed/We’re strangers/I’m meeting you in the woods”
‘Second Midnight’
Another midnight arrives and we check in with all the characters. Disaster has struck – Milky White has keeled over dead, and the Baker and his Wife no longer have the cow as white as milk to present to the Witch.
Key lyric: “The greatest prize can often lie/At the end of the thorniest path…”
‘Stay With Me’
The Witch discovers that the Prince has been visiting Rapunzel and demands that she stay hidden from the world, reproaching her for not listening. She tries to convince Rapunzel that she should fear the outside world, but when this doesn’t work, she banishes Rapunzel to a remote desert.
Key lyric: “Who out there could love you more than I?/What out there that I cannot supply?”
‘On The Steps Of The Palace’
Finding that the prince has spread sticky tar on the palace steps to prevent her from running away a third night in a row, Cinderella deliberates what to do. In wishing to go to the festival, she didn’t expect to be signing herself up for a marriage, and now she has to decide what she wants. Or not – maybe she can just leave him a clue. Like, a shoe…
Key lyric: “And how can you know/Who you are ‘til you know/What you want, which you don’t?”
‘Ever After’
When Cinderella is finally reconciled with her prince, a wedding takes place. The Baker and his Wife have completed their quest and the Witch regains her youth and beauty. All curses are lifted, the good characters will now live happily after, and the bad characters will be unhappy, just in time for the curtain to fall… on Act One? The audience know better.
Key lyric: “Don’t be careful, don’t be clever/When you see your wish, pursue/It’s a dangerous endeavour/But the only thing to do”
‘Prologue: So Happy’
As Act Two begins, we catch up with all our characters and find that they all have new wishes. Still, happy ever after has happened, so they’ll all remain in this state of blissful happiness forever, even despite minor inconveniences. Right?
When a rogue giant starts causing destruction, the characters must head into the woods one more time to preserve their happy endings.
Key lyric: “Into the woods/The weather’s clear/We’ve been before/We’ve naught to fear”
‘Agony (Reprise)’
Rapunzel has been driven mad by her long confinement and flees to the woods, where her prince pursues her and meets his brother. The two confess that they’re now interested in new women – as they sing, the audience recognises these women as Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.
Key lyric: “Agony/That can cut like a knife!/Ah well, back to my wife”
‘Witch’s Lament’
The angry giantess, searching for Jack, tramples Rapunzel as she flees through the woods. The Witch mourns her daughter, still angry that Rapunzel disobeyed her when she could have remained safe in her tower.
Key lyric: “Children can only grow/From something you love/To something you lose”
‘Any Moment’
Cinderella’s Prince seduces the Baker’s Wife, claiming that they could both be killed by giants at any moment. The Baker’s Wife is swept up in the moment but feels guilty for betraying the Baker.
Key lyric: “What am I doing here?/This is ridiculous/I’m in the wrong story”
‘Moments In The Woods’
The Baker’s Wife reflects on the fleeting moment she just shared with the prince, already unable to believe that it happened. She reflects on the fact that what happens in the woods can’t be carried into the rest of her life – she has responsibilities to uphold – and resolves to let the moment go, although never to forget it.
Key lyric: “If life were only moments/Then you’d never know you had one”
‘Your Fault’
This famous musical theatre tongue-twister is considered one of the most difficult group numbers ever put to stage. Accusations fly as the Baker discovers his wife has been trampled and the whole company looks for someone to blame. Jack, Cinderella and Little Red are all in the firing line, before all four round on the Witch with their accusations.
Key lyric: “You’re responsible/You’re the one to blame/It’s your fault!”
‘Last Midnight’
The Witch silences their accusations, mocking them for their wrongdoings and for their obsession with blame. When the group won’t turn Jack over to her, she sneers at their need to be ‘nice’ people and washes her hands of them. She throws away the rest of the beans and vanishing.
Key lyric: “I’m leaving you my last curse/I’m leaving you alone”
‘No More’
The Baker, half-mad with grief, decides to abandon his son and leave. However, the mysterious man he has been repeatedly running into in the woods reappears – it’s his father, come to plead with him not to repeat his old mistakes. The Baker ultimately decides to stay.
Key lyric: “Trouble is, son/The farther you run/The more you’ll feel undefined/For what you have left undone/And, more, what you’ve left behind”
‘No One Is Alone’
With Little Red’s grandmother and Jack’s mother dead, Cinderella separated from her cheating prince, and the Baker grappling with grief and fatherhood, they rally around each other. Happy ever after might have fallen through, but they must keep going.
Key lyric: “Witches can be right/Giants can be good/You decide what’s right/You decide what’s good”
‘Children Will Listen’
With the giant slain, the characters begin their journey back to the village. When the Baker doubts his ability to be a father, his wife’s spirit comes back to comfort him and fortify him for the journey ahead. To close the show, the Witch warns the audience to be wary of the stories they tell children, because children pay closer attention than they might imagine.
Key lyric: “Sometimes people leave you/Halfway through the woods/Do not let it grieve you/No one leaves for good”
Into The Woods is now playing at the Bridge Theatre until 30 May – find tickets here
