Into the Woods Playtext

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Desperate for a child, a baker and his wife journey into the woods to reverse a curse and change their luck. As the couple venture into the unknown, their story collides with Cinderella, Jack, Little Red Ridinghood, Rapunzel, witches, princes and giants.

Featuring such classic songs as ‘Giants in the Sky’, ’Moments in the Woods’, ‘No One is Alone’ and ‘Children Will Listen’, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s audacious and beloved musical intertwines the Brothers Grimm’s most famous fairy tales and reckons with the realities of ‘happy ever after’.

Into the Woods was first staged at the Old Globe Theatre, California, in 1986, and opened on Broadway the following year. That production went on to win three Tony Awards, including Best Book of a Musical.

This edition was published alongside the 2025 revival at the Bridge Theatre, London, directed by Jordan Fein and with set and costume design by Tom Scutt. It features an exclusive introduction by David Benedict, Sondheim’s authorised biographer.

Stephen Sondheim is the lyricist of West Side Story and Gypsy, and the composer/lyricist of Company, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd and Follies, amongst others. James Lapine is a theatre director, playwright and librettist who also collaborated with Sondheim on Sunday in the Park with George and Passion.