A guide to all the songs from 'Into the Woods'

Stephen Sondheim's subversive fairy-tale musical includes "Giants in the Sky", "It Takes Two", and "Children Will Listen".

Into the words! Stephen Sondheim’s musicals are famous for their lyrical knottiness and complex rhythms and melodies, and Into the Woods is no exception. But it's also one of Sondheim’s most popular and accessible works with its cast of fairy-tale characters and many infectiously catchy tunes. If you haven’t seen a Sondheim musical before, this is an excellent place to start.

The show returns to London this autumn in a new production by Jordan Fein (Fiddler on the Roof). Read our guide to its extraordinary score and magically brilliant lyrics.

Book Into the Woods tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

“Into the Woods”

“Once upon a time in a far off kingdom”… we meet our protagonists, all of whom are wishing for something. The put-upon Cinderella longs for an escape from drudgery by going to the ball and dancing before the prince, but is taunted by her stepmother and stepsisters. Meanwhile, Jack’s mother is tired of poverty and announces that their cow Milky White must be sold, to her absent-minded son’s dismay. Little Red Riding Hood is on her way to visit her granny in the woods and craves sweet things. Finally, the Baker and his Wife long for a child.

The Witch from next door explains (in a rap) that the Baker’s parents stole her plants and beans when expecting their second child. In revenge, she took custody of the baby girl, whom she named Rapunzel, and cursed their family with infertility. However, there is hope: if they’re able to present her with “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” in three days’ time, the curse will be lifted. At almost 12 minutes long, the number is packed with wordplay and conveys a whole world. It’s one of the greatest openings to any musical.

“Cinderella at the Grave”

Cinderella visits her mother’s grave. She’s been good and kind her entire life and yet everything has gone wrong. Her mother’s ghost asks, “Are you certain what you wish is what you want?” and gives her a ballgown and gold slippers.

“Hello Little Girl”

Little Red Riding Hood encounters a hungry Wolf on her way to Granny’s house. “Mother said straight ahead, not to delay or be misled”, but she’s intrigued. The carnivorous stranger senses a two-meal opportunity. ‘Think of those crisp ageing bones / Then something fresh on the palette...”

“I Guess This is Goodbye” / “Maybe They’re Really Magic”

Jack sells Milky White to the Baker and Baker’s Wife in exchange for “magic” beans and bids a tearful farewell to his friend. The Baker feels guilty about the deceit but his clever and resourceful wife has a more pragmatic approach: “If you know what you want then you go and you find and you get it / And you give and you take and you bid and you bargain or you live to regret it”. After all, “Everyone tells tiny lies / What makes a difference is the size”. Besides, maybe the beans really are magical.

“I Know Things Now”

Little Red Riding Hood emerges from the Wolf’s belly. It’s been a learning experience for sure, summarised by the way in which “Scary is exciting / [but] Nice is different than good”. She thanks the Baker for saving her and Granny by giving him her cape.

“A Very Nice Prince / "First Midnight”

On her way home from the ball, Cinderella literally runs into the Baker’s Wife, who is desperate for all the gossip. None of it is what Cinderella expected: “How do you know what you want till you get what you want and you see if you like it?” The Baker’s Wife seizes her golden slipper. One midnight has passed and the characters recall the lessons they have learned from the day (“Slotted spoons don’t hold much soup...”). .

“Giants in the Sky”

A giant beanstalk has sprung into being. Jack returns to ground level with money he has stolen from the giant’s castle and is full of stories about what he has experienced up above. It’s all been very exciting but frightening too. After the Baker refuses to sell Milky White back, Jack heads back up the beanstalk in search of more treasure.

“Agony”

Cinderella’s Prince and Rapunzel’s Prince compare notes about their respective lady loves. Why are they both playing hard to get? One always runs away at the last moment and the other won’t leave her tower. Yet, “What’s so intriguing / Or half so fatiguing / As what’s out of reach?” A masterpiece of comic one-upmanship.

“It Takes Two”

The quest has reignited the spark in the Bakers’ marriage. Both have developed as individuals and they’re stronger together than they were before: “It takes care / It takes patience and fear and despair / To change”. They’re nearly there with three out of four of the required items and their longed-for baby is in sight.

“Stay With Me”

The Witch has essentially kept Rapunzel prisoner her entire life and she’s horrified to learn about her relationship with the prince. She begs her to “Stay a child while you can be a child”.

“On the Steps of the Palace”

Cinderella is in a fix. Knowing that she’s likely to run away again, the prince spreads pitch on the stairs and she’s stuck. She weighs up her options and decides to step out of her shoes and run. It’s a fiendish number to sing!

“Ever After”

Following a complex and magical sequence of events, everything is resolved. The “good” get their happy endings and the “bad” are suitably punished. Where can we go from here? No one notices another beanstalk springing up as we go into the interval.

“Prologue: So Happy”

Our protagonists have got what they want but are they content? Mostly. Although there’s always room for improvement. Suddenly, there’s a crash and the Bakers’ house and the Witch’s garden are destroyed. The characters return to the woods for another journey.

“Agony” (Reprise)

Cinderella’s Prince and Rapunzel’s Prince have both grown tired of marriage and are pursuing new love interests in the form of the comatose Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, both of whom are even further out of reach than their wives when they first met them. “What unbearable bliss!”

“Lament”

Rapunzel is trampled to death by the Giant’s Wife. The Witch is devastated. You can do everything to guide your child and yet they won’t listen.

“Any Moment” / “Moments in the Woods”

The Baker’s Wife is romantically propositioned by Cinderella’s Prince. “This is ridiculous, what am I doing here, I’m in the wrong story!” He encourages her to seize the moment (“Life is often so unpleasant / You must know that as a peasant”).

In the aftermath of her adultery, the Baker’s Wife heads back to real life with her husband and son but with a new outlook after what she has experienced. “Just remembering you’ve had an “and” when it’s back to “or” / Makes the “or” seem more than it did before…” It’s one of the absolute highlights of the show and a piece that exemplifies Sondheim’s cleverness and compassion. Alas, before the Baker’s Wife can return to her family, she becomes the next victim of the Giant’s Wife’s enormous footsteps.

“Your Fault” / “Last Midnight”

In the aftermath of the Baker’s Wife’s death, the Baker, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and Cinderella all turn on each other. The Witch mocks the humans’ self-absorption and inability to take responsibility for their own actions. She throws away the last beans and vanishes.

“No More”

The Baker is about to abandon his son when the Mysterious Man (the narrator figure) reveals himself to be his father. Running away doesn’t solve anything and he vows not to repeat his father’s mistakes.

“No One is Alone”

Jack’s Mother and Little Red Riding Hood’s Granny have also been killed in the destruction. In the aftermath of all the carnage, Jack, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and the Baker reflect on their wishes. No one is alone and yet everyone is alone as self-reliance is one of the only certainties in life.

“Finale: Children Will Listen”

The spirit of the Baker’s Wife tells the Baker to be both father and mother to their child and to tell him the story of what happened. The Witch returns to warn the audience to be careful of the stories they tell to children (“Wishes are children”). The group finally leaves the woods.

Book Into the Woods tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.