About the musical

Four decades since its Broadway premiere, Into the Woods has established itself as a beloved musical classic.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, Into the Woods follows iconic and well-loved characters like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and Rapunzel. In a world where fairy tales collide, this timeless musical asks what happens when the story ends and “… everyone lives happily ever after”…

Fast Facts

• This is the first time Opera Queensland, Queensland Theatre Company and Queensland Symphony Orchestra will be stepping onto the stage together.
• Into the Woods contains characters from many different fairy tales. An early draft included Rumpelstiltskin and The Three Pigs, which were cut, though the Pigs were restored in the 2002 revival.
• The first ever production of Into the Woods premiered in 1986, at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California before making its debut on Broadway in 1987.

The Composer and The Music

Stephen Sondheim was an American composer and lyricist born in 1930. Sondheim is regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century theatre.

He was mentored at an early age by Oscar Hammerstein II and later frequently collaborated with Harold Prince and James Lapine. His Broadway musicals tackle themes that range beyond the genre’s traditional subjects, addressing darker elements of the human experience. His music and lyrics are characterised by their complexity, sophistication and ambivalence.

Image: The New Yorker

The Key Players 

Into the Woods brings together some of the most iconic and beloved characters from fairy tales, including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and his mother, Rapunzel, two Princes and a Witch. Alongside these familiar faces are the Baker and the Baker’s Wife, whose story brings a touch of reality to the magical world of fairy tales.

As their stories intertwine and their wishes lead them into the woods, this timeless musical explores what happens when fairy tales collide and, more importantly, what happens after “happily ever after”.

See who is playing each character here.

Iconic music moments

The Prologue
The Prologue for Into the Woods runs for approximately 15 minutes and it introduces all the key characters. This song is one of the most well-known pieces from the score and cannot be missed!

Agony
“Agony” is a comedic and satirical duet between Cinderella’s Prince and Rapunzel’s Prince and dramatically compares the agonisingly difficult pursuits of the Prince’s respective romantic interests – Cinderella, who keeps fleeing from the ball, and Rapunzel, who is locked away in a tower.

Last Midnight
“Last Midnight” is one of the most iconic songs sung by the Witch. The song is the culmination of one of Sondheim’s central themes: actions have consequences, and everyone shares responsibility for what happens.

Also see…

James Lapine’s script and dialogue
James Lapine wrote the original book (script and dialogue) for Into the Woods, in collaboration with composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. The story was later adapted by Hudson Talbott into an illustrated children’s storybook.

Original Broadway production of Into the Woods
Listen to the full Original Broadway production of Into the Woods!

Disney’s Into the Woods adaptation
Released in 2014, directed by Rob Marshall and produced by Walt Disney Pictures, this movie adaptation features iconic stars such as Meryl Streep as the Witch, Emily Blunt as the Baker’s Wife, James Corden as the Baker, Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince and Johnny Depp as the Wolf.