Product Description

The Tony Award-winning musical,
now adapted into a lavishly illustrated book

Into the Woods is the imaginative account of what happens when the lives of new and old fairy-tale characters dramatically and humorously come together. Cinderella, Jack (of bean-stalk fame), Little Red Ridinghood, and the Baker and his Wife set out for the forest on a quest to find "happily ever after." Along the way they meet Rapunzel, a Wicked Witch, a lascivious Wolf, vengeful Giants, a couple of charming Princes, and their own destiny. With wit and wisdom, the authors have given us a parable about the loss of innocence, the joys and sorrows of adulthood, and the price paid for getting the things you really want.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112008 in Books
• Published on: 1993-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780930452933
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
This picture book-adaptation of the Broadway musical brings together many favorite characters in one tale, including the childless baker and his wife, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack with his beanstalk. Talbott's adaptation retains the flavor of Sondheim's lyrics, and those who know the score will find themselves singing along. All ages.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Stephen Sondheim's musical compositions and lyrics have earned him a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, and numerous Tonys among other awards and honors. His credits include music and lyrics for Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, Company, Follies, and A Little Night Music, as well as the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Once Upon A Time,

in a far-off kingdom, there lived...

a fair young maiden, a sad young lad, and a childless baker with his wife.

The maiden, called Cinderella, wished more than anything, more than life, to go to the King's festival.

The lad, named Jack, also had a wish. He wished., more than anything, more than fife, more than riches, that his cow would give him some milk.

The Baker and the Baker's Wife were wishing, too. They wished more than anything, more than life, more than riches, more than the moon, that they had a child.

Cinderella's mother had died, and her father had taken for his new wife a woman with two daughters of her own. All three were beautiful of face but vile and black of heart. And, jealous of Cinderella's good qualities, they cruelly thrust upon her the dirtiest tasks around the house.

"You wish to go to the festival?" the Stepmother asked mockingly.

"Look at your nails!" chuckled Lucinda, one of Cinderella's stepsisters.

"Look at your dress!" giggled Florinda, the other.

"You wish to go to the festival and dance before the Prince?!" they all exclaimed, and fell down laughing out of control.

Jack, on the other hand, had no father. And his mother was concerned about her son and his devotion to his cow, Milky-White.

"You foolish child! What in Heaven's name are you doing with the cow inside the house?" she demanded.

"A warm environment might be just what Milky-White needs to produce his milk," replied Jack.

"It's a she! How many times must I tell you? Only shes can give milk! Besides, she's been dry for a week straight. We've no food or money and no choice but to sell her while she can still command a price.

"But Milky-White is my best friend in the whole world," Jack pleaded.

"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. Weve no time to sit and dither while her withers wither with her. And no one keeps a cow for a friend!"

Meanwhile, the Stepmother was playing a cruel joke on Cinderella. "I have emptied a pot of lentils into the ashes," she told the girl. "If you have picked them out again in two hours' time, you shall go to the festival with us."

But the Stepmother was unaware that Cinderella had friends in high places. No sooner had the cruel woman left than Cinderella sang out:

"Birds in the sky,

Birds in the eaves,

In the leaves,

In the fields,

In the castles and ponds.

Quick, little birds,

Flick through the ashes.

Pick and peck and sift,

But swiftly.

Put the lentils into my pot."

As she sang, flocks of birds fluttered down into the ashes and busily set to work sorting out the lentils and dropping them into the pot. The task completed, Cinderella thanked them, bade them farewell, and awaited the Stepmother's return.

Because the Baker had lost his mother and father in a baking accident -- or so he believed -- he was eager to have a family of his own and was concerned that all efforts had failed. The reason for this misfortune was explained to him that afternoon when the creepy old Witch from next door paid them a visit.

"What do you wish?" the Baker asked.

"It's not what I wish. It's what you wish," the hag cackled as she pointed to his wife's belly. "Nothing cooking in there now, is there?"

The ancient enchantress went on to tell the couple that she had placed a spell on their house. "In the past," she informed the Baker, "when you were no more than a baby, your father brought your mother and you to this cottage. She was with child, and she 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 lattice!

"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..."

At which point, the Witch went into a trance, shuddering and gurgling with ghastly noises of joy. The Baker and the Wife could only stand by, trembling with fear, when without warning the Witch continued chattily.

"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.'"

"I had a brother?" asked the Baker.

"No...but you had a sister," the Witch hissed. However, she refused to tell him any more of his sister -- not even that her name was Rapunzel.

"I thought I had been more than reasonable," the Witch continued petulantly, "and we all might have lived happily thereafter. But how was I to know what he'd also put in his pocket?! You see, when I had inherited that garden, my mother warned me that I would be punished if ever I were to lose any of the beans."

"Beans?" asked the couple.

"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 when bang! crash! and the lightning flash! and the -- never mind, that's another story.

This book is adapted from the play Into the Woods copyright © 1987 by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Inc.

Illustrations and adaptation copyright © 1988 by Hudson Talbott

Customer Reviews

A MUST for any lover of this show...
I cannot mention how much I loved this book. I recently finished a production of this show and we gave this book as a gift to the production crew members. After looking through it, most of the cast placed their own orders. Not only is it a new way to look at this great story, but there are also small pieces of insight into certain characters and situations that you do not get anywhere else.
Every illustration in this book is exquisite...I would frame any of them. My favorite is of the pulling out of Rapunel's hair by the Baker's Wife. The illustrations are just like the show, funny where they should be (Little Red in the Fur) and grim where they should be (Rapunzel's death).
This is a great and rarely seen collector's piece, as well as a great gift for anyone with a love of the show.

Once Upon A Time (I Wish!)
First off I wanted to comment on that I'm not under 13, I'm 18. But after reading "Discerning Viewer" said about "Into the Woods." I had to say something.

Sondheim used the original, unedited versions of the Fairy Tales. Case being that the stories were more for adults AND children. And there are universal morals. Don't smother your children (Rapunzel), Don't deviate from the path (Red Ridding Hood), Despite being unappreciated and condemned to serving others, as long as you are kind natured and a truly good person, your dreams will come true (Cinderella). And many argue that Jack and the Beanstalk's is moral is learning to survive and fend for one's self and family.

The second act asks the questions and consequences that the Fairy Tales never answer, like does marrying a handsome Prince really make someone happy? Is a Giant always wrong, and how do you deal with his angry widow? Is killing the wolf the best solution? And does it pay to be charming and not sincere? And two other powerful points of the musical, that are also morals are told; That no one is alone, that everyone depends/needs on someone to survive. And finally that what ever we do, children will SEE and HEAR it, so they LEARN from it, so be careful of our actions and what we tell (and stories) when we say "Listen to Me..."

Don't be fooled! Doesn't include the score!
This is a wonderful musical, I love it, etc. etc. BUT contrary to "David"'s review, it DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SCORE! I ordered this item specifically because I needed the music (and rush-shipped it). Needless to say, I was VERY disappointed.