 Into the Woods won three Tony Awards during its original run in 1987, including Best Score and Best Book for a musical.
The plot of Into the Woods is novel indeed. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine have intertwined the stories of various familiar fairy tales with an original story of a childless Baker and his Wife, who are the focus of the story by attempting to reverse a curse on their family in order to have a child.
In the first act, the characters set out to achieve their goal of living "Happily Ever After" through familiar routes. Cinderella goes to the Ball and captures the heart of Prince Charming, Jack climbs the Beanstalk and finds a land of Giants and Gold, Little Red Riding Hood survives her clash with the wolf at Grandma's house, and Rapunzel manages to escape her tower with the aid of a handsome prince who climbs her long hair.
Act Two, however, deals with the consequences that traditional fairy tales conveniently ignore. |
