Stephen Sondheim
Prologue: So Happy
[NARRATOR, spoken]
Once upon a time—
—later—

[CINDERELLA]
I wish…

[NARRATOR]
—in that same far-off kingdom—

[CINDERELLA]
More than anything…

[NARRATOR]
—lived a young Princess—

[CINDERELLA]
More than life…

[NARRATOR]
—the lad Jack—

[CINDERELLA]
More than footmen…

[JACK]
I wish…
[NARRATOR]
—and the baker with his family—

[BABY]
Waah!

[JACK]
No, I miss…

[CINDERELLA & BAKER]: I wish…

[BABY]
Waah!

[JACK]
More than anything…

[CINDERELLA, BAKER & JACK]
More than the moon…

[BAKER’S WIFE, spoken]
There, there…

[CINDERELLA]
I wish to sponsor a Festival
[BABY]
Waah!

[BAKER]
More than life…

[JACK]
I miss…

[CINDERELLA]
The time has come for a Festival…

[BABY]
Waah!

[BAKER’S WIFE]
Shh…

[BAKER]
More than riches…

[CINDERELLA]
And a Ball…

[JACK]
I miss my kingdom up in the sky
[CINDERELLA & BAKER]
More than anything…

[BAKER’S WIFE]
I wish we had more room…

[JACK]
Play, harp…

[BAKER]
Another room…

[NARRATOR, spoken]
But despite some minor inconveniences, they wеre all content…

[CINDERELLA]
I nevеr thought I'd wed a Prince…

[CINDERELLA'S PRINCE]
I never thought I'd find perfection…

[CINDERELLA & CINDERELLA'S PRINCE]
I never thought I could be so happy!

[CINDERELLA]
Not an unhappy moment since…

[JACK & JACK'S MOTHER]
I didn't think we'd be this rich…

[CINDERELLA'S PRINCE]
Not a conceivable objection…

[BAKER & BAKER’S WIFE]
I never thought we'd have a baby…

[CINDERELLA, CINDERELLA'S PRINCE, JACK, & JACK'S MOTHER]
I never thought I could be so happy!

[BAKER & BAKER’S WIFE, overlapping]
I'm so happy!

[STEPMOTHER]
Happy now
Happy hence
Happy ever after—

[STEPMOTHER, FLORINDA, & LUCINDA]
We're so happy you're so happy!
Just as long as you stay happy
We'll stay happy!

[CINDERELLA & CINDERELLA'S PRINCE]
Not one row…

[JACK'S MOTHER]
Pots of pence…

[JACK]
With my cow…

[BAKER & BAKER’S WIFE]
Little gurgles…

[CINDERELLA'S PRINCE]
Darling, I must go now…

[JACK'S MOTHER]
We should really sell it

[BAKER]
Where's the cheesecloth?

[ALL EXCEPT BAKER]
Wishes may bring problems
Such that you regret them

[ALL]
Better that, though
Than to never get them…

[CINDERELLA]
I'm going to be a perfect wife!

[JACK]
I'm going to be a perfect son!

[BAKER’S WIFE & JACK'S MOTHER]
I'm going to be a perfect mother!

[BAKER]
I'm going to be a perfect father!
I'm so happy!

[CINDERELLA, BAKER’S WIFE, JACK, & JACK'S MOTHER, overlapping]
I'm going to see that he (she)
Is so happy!

[ALL]
I never thought I'd love my life!
I would have settled for another!

[CINDERELLA]
Then to become a wife…

[JACK, & JACK'S MOTHER]
Then to be set for life…

[BAKER & BAKER’S WIFE]
Then to beget a child…

[ALL]
That fortune smiled…
I'm so happy!

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
If only this cottage were a little larger

[BAKER, spoken]
I will expand our quarters in due time

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Why would we expand when we can simply move to another cottage?

[BAKER, spoken]
We will not move. This was my father's house, now it will be my son's

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
You would raise your child alongside a Witch?

[BAKER, spoken]
Why does he always cry when I hold him?

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Babies cry. He's fine. You needn't hold him as if he were so fragile

[BAKER, spoken]
He wants his mother. Here

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
I can't take care of him all of the time!

[BAKER, spoken]
I'll care for him when he's older

[BAKER, BAKER'S WIFE, JACK, & JACK'S MOTHER]
We had to go through thick and thin

[STEPMOTHER, LUCINDA, & FLORINDA]
We had to lose a lot to win

[CINDERELLA]
I ventured out and saw within

[ALL]
I never thought
I'd be so much I hadn't been!
I'm so happy...

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Oh, my goodness

[BAKER, spoken]
Are you all right?

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
I think so

[BAKER, spoken]
And the baby?

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Yes, he's fine. Are you all right?

[BAKER, spoken]
You! Have you done this to our house?

[WITCH, spoken]
Always thinking of yourself! Look at my garden

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
What of your garden?

[WITCH, spoken]
Look!

[BAKER, spoken]
Destroyed

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
What has happened?

[WITCH, spoken]
I was thrown to the ground. I saw nothing

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
What could do such a thing?

[BAKER, spoken]
An earthquake

[WITCH, spoken]
No earthquake! My garden has been trampled. Those are footprints!

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
Who could do such a thing?

[WITCH, spoken]
Anything that leaves a footprint that large is no "who."

[BAKER, spoken]
Do you think it was a bear?

[WITCH, spoken]
A bear? Bears are sweet
Besides, you ever see a bear with forty-foot feet?

[BAKER'S WIFE, spoken]
A dragon?

[WITCH, spoken]
No scorch marks—
Usually they're linked

[BAKER, spoken]
Manticore?

[WITCH, spoken]
Imaginary

[BAKER’S WIFE & BAKER, spoken]
Griffin?

[WITCH, spoken]
Extinct

[BAKER, spoken]
Giant?

[WITCH]
Possible
Very, very possible…

[NARRATOR, spoken]
More than possible. Their fears would prove to be well-founded

[BAKER]
Into the woods
It's always when
You think at last
You're through, and then
Into the woods you go again
To take another journey

[BAKER’S WIFE]
Into the woods
The weather's clear
We've been before
We've naught to fear…
Into the woods, away from here—

[JACK]
Into the woods, to find a giant—!

[LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD]
Into the woods to Grandmother's house…

[BAKER]
Into the woods
The path is straight
No reason then
To hesitate—

[BAKER’S WIFE]
Into the woods
It's not so late
It's just another journey…

[CINDERELLA]
Into the woods
But not too long:
The skies are strange
The winds are strong
Into the woods to see what's wrong…

[JACK]
Into the woods to slay the giant!

[JACK, BAKER, CINDERELLA, BAKER'S WIFE, & LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD]
Into the woods

[BAKER’S WIFE]
To shield the child…

[LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD]
To flee the winds…

[BAKER]
To find a future…

[BAKER’S WIFE]
To shield…

[JACK]
To slay…

[LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD]
To flee…

[BAKER'S WIFE]
To find…

[CINDERELLA]
To fix…

[BAKER’S WIFE]
To hide…

[LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD]
To move…

[JACK]
To battle…

[CINDERELLA]
To see what the trouble is…