Into the Woods

Story

A baker and his wife wish to have a child but cannot because a witch has placed a curse on them. They go on a journey to try and break the curse, and encounter others in the woods who are also hoping to have their wishes fulfilled. Among them are Cinderella, Little Red, Rapunzel and Jack. They soon learn that their wishes bring unwanted consequences…

Why we chose it

A popular musical that mixes well known fairy tales and fairy tale characters. Into the Woods has been successfully revived many times since its first performance.

Lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim has worked on a number of successful musicals with a variety of themes and has won a record eight Grammy awards.

Where it came from

This musical combines several fairy tales, bringing the different characters and plots together into one story. The music was written by Stephen Sondheim and the book by James Lapine, and it was first performed at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in 1986, before moving to Broadway the following year.

Where it went next

The original Broadway musical won three Tony awards and the musical has since been performed on stage in countries around the world including the UK and Australia.

Disney adapted the musical into a film in 2014, starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden and Anna Kendrick. It received three Academy Award nominations.

Associated stories

The characters in the musical appear in the fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault.

Other Stephen Sondheim musicals include West Side Story (lyricist), Company, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Merrily We Roll Along and Sunday in the Park with George.