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Into the Woods

Into the Woods is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.

The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from "Little Red Riding Hood" (spelled "Ridinghood" in the published vocal score), "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Rapunzel", "Cinderella", and several others. The musical is tied together by a story involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family (the original beginning of the Grimm Brothers' "Rapunzel"), their interaction with a witch who has placed a curse on them, and their interaction with other storybook characters during their journey.

The second collaboration between Sondheim and Lapine after Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Into the Woods debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986 and premiered on Broadway on November 5, 1987, where it won three major Tony Awards (Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical for Joanna Gleason), in a year dominated by The Phantom of the Opera. The musical has since been produced many times, with a 1988 U.S. national tour, a 1990 West End production, a 1997 10th-anniversary concert, a 2002 Broadway revival, a 2010 outdoor Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production in London, which transferred to a Shakespeare in the Park production in New York City, and a 2022 Broadway revival.

A Disney film adaptation, directed by Rob Marshall, was released in 2014. The film grossed over $213 million worldwide, and received three nominations at both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards.

Act 1
The narrator introduces four groups of characters: Cinderella, who wishes to attend the king's festival; Jack, who wishes his cow, Milky White, would give milk; a baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; and Little Red Ridinghood, who wishes for bread that she can bring to her grandmother.

The baker’s neighbor, an ugly and aging witch, reveals she once caught his father stealing vegetables from her garden to mollify his pregnant wife’s cravings. The witch allowed it on the condition she take claim of the child, Rapunzel, but it was later discovered he also took a handful of magic beans, which prompted the witch's own mother to punish her with the curse of age and ugliness; the witch responded by cursing his family line with infertility in retaliation. She explains the curse will be lifted if she is brought four ingredients—"the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold"—within three days. If they fail to do so for any reason, they will forever be barren. All begin the journey into the woods: Jack to sell his beloved cow; Cinderella, after a cruel prank by her vain stepmother, to her mother's grave; Little Red to her grandmother's house; and the baker, refusing his wife's help, to find the ingredients ("Prologue").

Cinderella receives a gown and golden slippers from her mother's spirit ("Cinderella at the Grave"). A mysterious man mocks Jack for valuing his cow more than a "sack of beans". Little Red meets a hungry wolf, who persuades her, with ulterior motives, to take a longer path and admire the beauty of the woods ("Hello, Little Girl"). The baker, followed by his wife, meets Jack. They convince him that the beans in the baker's father's jacket are magic and trade them for the cow; Jack bids Milky White a tearful farewell ("I Guess This Is Goodbye"). The baker has qualms about their deceit, but his wife reassures him that there's no way they can be sure they lied ("Maybe They're Magic").

The witch has raised Rapunzel in a tall tower accessible only by climbing Rapunzel's long, golden hair ("Our Little World"); a prince spies Rapunzel. The baker, in pursuit of Little Red's cape ("Maybe They're Magic" Reprise), slays the wolf and rescues Little Red and her grandmother. Little Red rewards him with her cape, and reflects on her experiences ("I Know Things Now"). Jack's mother tosses aside his beans, which grow into an enormous stalk. Cinderella flees the festival, pursued by another prince, and the baker's wife hides her; asked about the ball, Cinderella is unimpressed ("A Very Nice Prince"). Spotting Cinderella's gold slippers, the baker's wife chases her and loses Milky White. The characters recite morals as the day ends ("First Midnight").

Jack describes his adventure climbing the beanstalk ("Giants in the Sky"). He gives the baker gold he stole from the giants to buy back his cow, and returns up the beanstalk to find more; the mysterious man steals the money. Cinderella's prince and Rapunzel's prince, who are brothers, compare their unobtainable amours ("Agony"). The baker's wife overhears their talk of a girl with golden hair. She fools Rapunzel and takes a piece of her hair. The mysterious man returns Milky White to the baker.

The baker's wife again fails to seize Cinderella's slippers. The baker admits they must work together ("It Takes Two"). Jack arrives with a hen that lays golden eggs, but Milky White keels over dead as midnight chimes ("Second Midnight"). The Witch discovers the prince's visits and demands Rapunzel stay sheltered from the world ("Stay with Me"). Rapunzel refuses, and the witch cuts off Rapunzel's hair and banishes her. The mysterious man gives the baker money for another cow. Jack meets Little Red, now sporting a wolfskin cape and knife. She goads him into returning to the giants' home to retrieve a golden harp.

Torn between staying with her prince and escaping, Cinderella leaves him a slipper as a clue ("On the Steps of the Palace") and trades shoes with the baker's wife. The baker arrives with another cow; they now have all four items. A great crash sounds, and Jack's mother reports a dead giant in her backyard. Jack returns with the harp. The witch discovers the new cow is useless, and resurrects Milky White, who is fed the ingredients but fails to give milk. The witch explains that Rapunzel's hair will not work because she touched it, and the mysterious man offers corn silk instead; Milky White produces the potion. The witch reveals the mysterious man is the baker's father, and drinks the potion. The mysterious man falls dead, the curse is broken, and the witch regains her youth and beauty.

Cinderella's prince seeks the girl who fits the slipper; Cinderella's desperate stepsisters mutilate their feet ("Careful My Toe"). Cinderella succeeds and becomes his bride. Rapunzel bears twins and is found by her prince. The witch finds her, and attempts to claim her back, but the witch's powers have been lost in exchange for her youth and beauty. At Cinderella's wedding, birds blind her stepsisters, and the baker's wife, now very pregnant, thanks Cinderella for her help ("So Happy" Prelude). Congratulating themselves on living "happily ever after", the characters fail to notice another beanstalk growing ("Ever After").

Act 2
The narrator continues, "Once upon a time... later." Everyone still has wishes—the baker and his wife face new frustrations with their infant son, newly rich Jack misses the kingdom in the sky, Cinderella is bored with life in the palace ("So Happy")—but is relatively content.

With a tremendous crash, a giant's foot destroys the witch's garden and damages the baker's home. The baker travels to the palace, but his warning is ignored by the prince's steward and by Jack's mother. Returning home, he finds Little Red on her way to her grandmother's; he and his wife escort her. Jack decides to slay the new giant and Cinderella investigates her mother's disturbed grave. Everyone returns to the woods, but notices that the weather is more ominous ("Into the Woods" Reprise).

Rapunzel, driven mad by the Witch's mistreatment, also flees to the woods. Her prince follows and meets his brother; they confess their lust for two new women, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty ("Agony" Reprise).

The baker, his wife, and Little Red find Cinderella's family and the steward, who reveal that the giant set upon the castle. The witch brings news that the giant destroyed the village and the baker's house. The giantess—widow of the giant Jack killed—appears, seeking revenge. As a sacrifice, the group offer up the narrator, who is killed. Jack's mother defends her son, angering the giantess, and the steward silences Jack's mother, inadvertently killing her. As the giantess leaves in search of Jack, Rapunzel is trampled to death leaving the distraught Witch to mourn ("Witch's Lament").

The royal family flee despite the baker's pleas to stay and fight. The witch vows to find Jack and give him to the giantess, and the baker and his wife split up to find him first. Cinderella's prince seduces the baker's wife ("Any Moment"). The baker finds Cinderella and convinces her to join their group. The baker's wife reflects on her adventure and tryst with the prince ("Moments in the Woods"), but stumbles into the giantess's path and is killed.

The baker, Little Red, and Cinderella await the return of the baker's wife when the witch arrives holding Jack hostage, who is found weeping over the baker's wife's body. The baker turns against Jack, and the two, along with Cinderella and Little Red, blame each other for the situation before the four turn on the witch for cursing the father in the first place ("Your Fault"). Chastising their inability to accept their actions' consequences, the witch pelts them with her remaining beans, and is struck by a curse for losing the magic beans again, killing herself in the process by turning into a pit of tar ("Last Midnight").

Grief-stricken, the baker flees, but is convinced by his father's spirit to face his responsibilities ("No More"). He returns and forms a plan to kill the giantess. Cinderella stays behind with the baker's child and confronts her prince over his infidelity. He explains his feelings of unfulfillment and that he wasn't raised to be sincere, and she asks him to leave.

Little Red discovers the giantess has killed her grandmother, as the baker tells Jack that his mother is dead. Jack vows to kill the steward but the baker dissuades him, while Cinderella comforts Little Red. The baker and Cinderella explain that choices have consequences, and everyone is connected ("No One Is Alone").

The four together slay the giantess by using the tar pit to trap her with, and the other characters—including the royal family, who have starved to death, and the princes and their new paramours—return to share one last set of morals. The survivors band together to hail the quartet as their heroes, and the spirit of the baker's wife comforts her mourning husband, encouraging him to tell their child their story. The baker begins to tell his son the tale, while the witch's spirit appears and warns the audience: "Careful the things you say, children will listen". All join in on a last reprise of the title song, surmising that we all must venture into the woods while remembering the choices we've made and learning from each endeavour we come across ("Finale: Children Will Listen"). As the characters conclude the song singing, "Into the woods, then out of the woods and happily ever after", Cinderella closes the show with one last "I wish..."

Musical numbers

 * Act I
 * Prologue: "Into the Woods" – Narrator, Cinderella, Jack, Baker, Baker's Wife, Cinderella's Stepmother, Florinda, Lucinda, Jack's Mother, Little Red Ridinghood, Witch, Cinderella's Father
 * "Cinderella at the Grave" – Narrator, Cinderella, Cinderella's Mother
 * "Hello, Little Girl" – Wolf, Little Red Ridinghood
 * "I Guess This Is Goodbye" – Jack
 * "Maybe They're Magic" – Baker's Wife, Baker
 * "Maybe They're Magic" (reprise) – Baker *
 * "I Know Things Now" – Little Red Ridinghood
 * "A Very Nice Prince" – Cinderella, Baker's Wife
 * "First Midnight" – Company
 * "Giants in the Sky" – Jack
 * "Agony" – Cinderella's Prince, Rapunzel's Prince
 * "A Very Nice Prince" (reprise) – Cinderella, Baker's Wife *
 * "It Takes Two" – Baker's Wife, Baker
 * "Second Midnight" – Witch, Cinderella, Cinderella's Prince, Rapunzel's Prince, Cinderella's Stepmother, Florinda, Lucinda, Granny, Narrator *
 * "Stay with Me" – Witch, Rapunzel
 * "On the Steps of the Palace" – Cinderella
 * "Careful My Toe" – Narrator, Florinda, Cinderella's Stepmother, Lucinda, Cinderella's Mother, Cinderella's Prince, Cinderella's Father *
 * "So Happy" (Prelude) – Cinderella, Cinderella's Prince, Baker, Baker's Wife *
 * "Ever After" – Narrator, Florinda, Lucinda, Witch, Company

 * Act II
 * Prologue: "So Happy" – Narrator, Cinderella, Jack, Baker, Baker's Wife, Baker's Child, Cinderella's Prince, Jack's Mother, Cinderella's Stepmother, Florinda, Lucinda, Witch
 * Prologue: "Into the Woods" (reprise) – Baker, Baker's Wife, Jack, Little Red Ridinghood, Cinderella, Rapunzel
 * "Agony" (reprise) – Cinderella's Prince, Rapunzel's Prince
 * "Lament" – Witch
 * "Any Moment" – Cinderella's Prince, Baker's Wife
 * "Moments in the Woods" – Baker's Wife
 * "Your Fault" – Jack, Baker, Witch, Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood
 * "Last Midnight" – Witch, Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood, Baker
 * "No More" – Baker, Mysterious Man
 * "No One Is Alone" – Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood, Baker, Jack
 * "Finale: Children Will Listen" – Company

 * * Not included in the original Broadway cast recording
 * ** Added for the 1990 London production

Pre-Broadway San Diego production
Into the Woods premiered at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, on December 4, 1986, and ran for 50 performances, under the direction of James Lapine. Many of the performers from that production appeared in the Broadway cast, except for John Cunningham as the Narrator/Wolf/Steward, George Coe as the Mysterious Man/Cinderella's Father, Kenneth Marshall as Cinderella's Prince, LuAnne Ponce as Little Red, and Ellen Foley as the Witch. Kay McClelland, who played Rapunzel and Florinda, went with the cast to Broadway but only played Florinda.

The show evolved, the most notable change being the addition of the song "No One Is Alone" in the middle of the run. Because of this, the finale was also altered. It was originally "Midnight/Ever After (reprise)/It Takes Two (reprise)/Into the Woods (reprise 2)" but evolved into its present form. Another notable change was that, originally, the baker and Cinderella became a couple during the finale and kissed before singing the reprise of "It Takes Two".

Original Broadway production
Into the Woods opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on November 5, 1987, and closed on September 3, 1989, after 765 performances. It starred Bernadette Peters as the Witch, Joanna Gleason as the Baker's Wife, Chip Zien as the Baker, Robert Westenberg as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Tom Aldredge as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Kim Crosby as Cinderella, Danielle Ferland as Little Red Ridinghood, Ben Wright as Jack, Chuck Wagner as Rapunzel's Prince, Barbara Bryne as Jack's Mother, Pamela Winslow as Rapunzel, Merle Louise as Cinderella's Mother/Granny/Giant's Wife, Edmund Lyndeck as Cinderella's Father, Joy Franz as Cinderella's Stepmother, Philip Hoffman as the Steward, Lauren Mitchell as Lucinda, Kay McClelland as Florinda, Jean Kelly as Snow White, and Maureen Davis as Sleeping Beauty. It was directed by Lapine, with musical staging by Lar Lubovitch, settings by Tony Straiges, lighting by Richard Nelson, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward (based on original concepts by Patricia Zipprodt and Ann Hould-Ward), and makeup by Jeff Raum. The original production won the 1988 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical, and the original cast recording won a Grammy Award. The show was nominated for ten Tony Awards, and won three: Best Score (Sondheim), Best Book (Lapine) and Best Actress in a Musical (Gleason).

Peters left the show after almost five months due to a prior commitment to film the movie Slaves of New York. The Witch was then played by Betsy Joslyn (from March 30, 1988); Phylicia Rashad (from April 14, 1988); Betsy Joslyn (from July 5, 1988); Nancy Dussault (from December 13, 1988); and Ellen Foley (from August 1, 1989, until the closing). Understudies for the part included Joslyn, Marin Mazzie, Lauren Vélez, Suzzanne Douglas, and Joy Franz.

Other cast replacements included Dick Cavett as the Narrator (as of July 19, 1988, as a temporary engagement after which Aldredge returned), Edmund Lyndeck as the Mysterious Man, Patricia Ben Peterson as Cinderella, LuAnne Ponce returning as Little Red, Jeff Blumenkrantz as Jack, Marin Mazzie as Rapunzel (as of March 7, 1989), Dean Butler and Don Goodspeed as Rapunzel's Prince, Susan Gordon Clark as Florinda, Teresa Burrell as Lucinda, Adam Grupper as the Steward, Cindy Robinson and Heather Shulman as Snow White, and Kay McClelland, Lauren Mitchell, Cynthia Sikes, and Mary Gordon Murray as the Baker's Wife.

In 1989, from May 23 to May 25 the full original cast (with the exception of Cindy Robinson as Snow White instead of Jean Kelly) reunited for three performances to tape the show in its entirety for the Season 10 premiere episode of PBS's American Playhouse, which first aired on March 15, 1991. The show was filmed professionally with seven cameras on the set of the Martin Beck Theatre in front of an audience, with certain elements slightly changed for the recording in order to better fit the screen, such as the lighting and minor costume differences. There were also pick-up shots not filmed in front of an audience for various purposes. This video has since been released on VHS and DVD and, on occasion, remastered and rereleased.

Tenth Anniversary benefit performances were held on November 9, 1997, at the Broadway Theatre (New York), with most of the original cast. Original cast understudies Chuck Wagner and Jeff Blumenkrantz played the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince and the Steward in place of Robert Westenberg and Philip Hoffmann, while Jonathan Dokuchitz (who joined the Broadway production as an understudy in 1989) played Rapunzel's Prince in place of Wagner. This concert featured the duet "Our Little World", written for the first London production of the show.

On November 9, 2014, most of the original cast reunited for two reunion concerts and discussion in Costa Mesa, California. Mo Rocca hosted the reunion and interviewed Sondheim, Lapine, and each cast member. Appearing were Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason, Chip Zien, Danielle Ferland, Ben Wright and husband and wife Robert Westenberg and Kim Crosby. The same group presented this discussion/concert on June 21, 2015, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City.

1988 US tour production
A U.S. tour started performances on November 22, 1988. The cast included Cleo Laine as the Witch, Rex Robbins as the Narrator and Mysterious Man, Ray Gill and Mary Gordon Murray as the Baker and his Wife, Kathleen Rowe McAllen as Cinderella, Chuck Wagner as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Douglas Sills as Rapunzel's Prince, Robert Duncan McNeill and Charlotte Rae as Jack and his Mother, Marcus Olson as the Steward, and Susan Gordon Clark reprising her role as Florinda from the Broadway production. The set was almost completely reconstructed, and there were certain changes to the script, changing certain story elements.

Cast replacements included Betsy Joslyn as the Witch, Peter Walker as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, James Weatherstone as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Jonathan Hadley as Rapunzel's Prince, Marcus Olson as the Baker, later replaced by Adam Grupper (who understudied the role on Broadway), Judy McLane as the Baker's Wife, Nora Mae Lyng as Jack's Mother, later replaced by Frances Ford, Stuart Zagnit as the Steward, Jill Geddes as Cinderella, later replaced by Patricia Ben Peterson, and Kevin R. Wright as Jack.

The tour played cities around the country, such as Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. The tour ran at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from June to July 16, 1989, with The Washington Post 's reviewer writing: "his lovely score—poised between melody and dissonance—is the perfect measure of our tenuous condition. The songs invariably follow the characters' thinking patterns, as they weigh their options and digest their experience. Needless to say, that doesn't make for traditional show-stoppers. But it does make for vivacity of another kind. And Sondheim's lyrics...are brilliant.... I think you'll find these cast members alert and engaging."

Original London production

The original West End production opened on September 25, 1990, at the Phoenix Theatre and closed on February 23, 1991, after 197 performances. It was directed by Richard Jones and produced by David Mirvish, with set design by Richard Hudson, choreography by Anthony Van Laast, costumes by Sue Blane, and orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. The cast featured Julia McKenzie as the Witch, Ian Bartholomew as the Baker, Imelda Staunton as the Baker's Wife and Clive Carter as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince. The show received seven Olivier Award nominations in 1991, winning Best Actress in a Musical (Staunton) and Best Director of a Musical (Jones).

The song "Our Little World" was added. This song was a duet for the Witch and Rapunzel giving further insight into the Witch's care for her self-proclaimed daughter and the desire Rapunzel has to see the world outside her tower. The show's overall feel was darker than that of the original Broadway production. Critic Michael Billington wrote: "But the evening's triumph belongs also to director Richard Jones, set designer Richard Hudson and costume designer Sue Blane who evoke exactly the right mood of haunted theatricality. Old-fashioned footlights give the faces a sinister glow. The woods themselves are a semi-circular, black-and-silver screen punctuated with nine doors and a crazy clock: they achieve exactly the 'agreeable terror' of Gustave Dore's children's illustrations. And the effects are terrific: doors open to reveal the rotating magnified eyeball or the admonitory finger of the predatory giant."

1998 London revival production
A new intimate production of the show opened (billed as the first London revival) at the Donmar Warehouse on 16 November 1998, closing on 13 February 1999. It was directed by John Crowley and designed by his brother, Bob Crowley. The cast included Clare Burt as the Witch, Nick Holder as the Baker, Sophie Thompson as the Baker's Wife, Jenna Russell as Cinderella, Sheridan Smith as Little Red, Damian Lewis as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, and Frank Middlemiss as the Narrator. Russell later appeared as the Baker's Wife in the 2010 Regent's Park production. Thompson won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical, while the production was nominated for Outstanding Musical Production.

2002 Broadway revival production

A revival opened at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, running from February 1 to March 24, 2002. It was directed and choreographed with the same principal cast that later ran on Broadway.

The 2002 Broadway revival, directed by Lapine and choreographed by John Carrafa, began previews on April 13, 2002, and opened April 30 at the Broadhurst Theatre, closing on December 29 after a run of 18 previews and 279 regular performances. It starred Vanessa Williams as the Witch, John McMartin as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Stephen DeRosa as the Baker, Kerry O'Malley as the Baker's Wife, Gregg Edelman as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Christopher Sieber as the Wolf/Rapunzel's Prince, Molly Ephraim as Little Red, Adam Wylie as Jack, and Laura Benanti as Cinderella. Judi Dench provided the giantess's pre-recorded voice.

Lapine revised the script slightly for this production, with a cameo appearance of the Three Little Pigs restored from the earlier San Diego production. Other changes, apart from numerous small dialogue changes, included the addition of the song "Our Little World", the addition of a second Wolf who ogles The Three Little Pigs (portrayed by the same actor as Rapunzel's Prince), the portrayal of Jack's cow by a live performer (Chad Kimball) in an intricate costume, and new lyrics for "Last Midnight", now a menacing lullaby sung by the Witch to the Baker's baby.

This production featured scenic design by Douglas W. Schmidt, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier and projection design by Elaine J. McCarthy. The revival won Tonys for the Best Revival of a Musical and Best Lighting Design. This Broadway revival wardrobe is on display at the Costume World in South Florida.

London Royal Opera House, 2007
A revival at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio in Covent Garden had a limited run from June 14 to 30, 2007, followed by a short stint at The Lowry theatre, Salford Quays, Manchester on 4–7 July. The production mixed opera singers, musical theatre actors, and film and television actors, including Anne Reid as Jack's Mother and Gary Waldhorn as the Narrator. Directed by Will Tuckett, it received mixed reviews, although there were clear standout performances.

The production completely sold out three weeks before opening. As this was an "opera" production, the show and its performers were overlooked in the "musical" nominations for the 2008 Laurence Olivier Awards. It featured Suzie Toase (Little Red), Peter Caulfield (Jack), Beverley Klein (Witch), Anna Francolini (Baker's Wife), Clive Rowe (Baker), Nicholas Garrett (Wolf/Cinderella's Prince), and Lara Pulver (Lucinda). This was the second Sondheim musical to be staged by the Opera House, following 2003's Sweeney Todd.

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production, 2010
The Olivier Award-winning Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production, directed by Timothy Sheader and choreographed by Liam Steel, ran for a six-week limited season from 6 August to 11 September 2010. The cast included Hannah Waddingham as the Witch, Mark Hadfield as the Baker, Jenna Russell as the Baker's Wife, Helen Dallimore as Cinderella, Michael Xavier as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, and Judi Dench as the recorded voice of the Giant. Gareth Valentine was the Musical Director. The musical was performed outdoors in a wooded area. Whilst the book remained mostly unchanged, the subtext of the plot was dramatically altered by casting the role of the Narrator as a young school boy lost in the woods following a family argument – a device used to further illustrate the musical's themes of parenting and adolescence.

The production opened to wide critical acclaim, much of the press commenting on the effectiveness of the open air setting. The Telegraph reviewer, for example, wrote: "It is an inspired idea to stage this show in the magical, sylvan surroundings of Regent's Park, and designer Soutra Gilmour has come up with a marvellously rickety, adventure playground of a set, all ladders, stairs and elevated walkways, with Rapunzel discovered high up in a tree." The New York Times reviewer commented: "The natural environment makes for something genuinely haunting and mysterious as night falls on the audience". Sondheim attended twice, reportedly extremely pleased with the production. The production also won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and Xavier was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

The production was recorded in its entirety, available to download and watch from Digital Theatre.

Central Park Delacorte Theater production, 2012
The Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production transferred to the Public Theater's 2012 summer series of free performances Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, New York, with an American cast as well as new designers. Sheader again was the director and Steel served as co-director and choreographer. Performances were originally to run from July 24 (delayed from July 23 due to the weather) to August 25, 2012, but the show was extended till September 1. The cast included Amy Adams as the Baker's Wife, Donna Murphy as the Witch, Denis O'Hare as the Baker, Chip Zien (the Baker in the 1987 Broadway cast) as the Mysterious Man/Cinderella's Father, Ivan Hernandez as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Jessie Mueller as Cinderella, Jack Broderick as the young Narrator, Gideon Glick as Jack, Cooper Grodin as Rapunzel's Prince, Sarah Stiles as Little Red, Josh Lamon as the Steward, and Glenn Close as the Voice of the Giant. The set was a "collaboration between original Open Air Theatre designer Soutra Gilmour and...John Lee Beatty, [and] rises over 50 feet in the air, with a series of tree-covered catwalks and pathways." The production was dedicated to Nora Ephron, who had died earlier in 2012. In February and May 2012, reports of a possible Broadway transfer surfaced with the production's principal actors in negotiations to reprise their roles. In January 2013, it was announced that the production would not transfer to Broadway due to scheduling conflicts.

Hollywood Bowl production, 2019
For its annual fully staged musical event, the Hollywood Bowl produced a limited run of Into the Woods from July 26–28, 2019, directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom. The cast included Skylar Astin as the Baker, Sutton Foster as the Baker's Wife, Patina Miller as the Witch, Sierra Boggess as Cinderella, Cheyenne Jackson as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Chris Carmack as Rapunzel's Prince, Gaten Matarazzo as Jack, Anthony Crivello as the Mysterious Man, Edward Hibbert as the Narrator, Shanice Williams as Little Red, Hailey Kilgore as Rapunzel, Rebecca Spencer as Jack's Mother, original Broadway cast member Gregory North as Cinderella's Father, and Whoopi Goldberg as the voice of the Giant. The production featured Ann Hould-Ward's costumes from the Original Broadway Production.

2022 Encores! production
In November 2020, it was announced that New York City Center would stage Into the Woods as part of its Encores! series. In August 2021, it was announced that Christian Borle, Sara Bareilles, Ashley Park, and Heather Headley had joined the cast as, respectively, the Baker, his Wife, Cinderella, and the Witch. Park was initially scheduled to star in the Encores! production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Headley had played the Witch at The Muny in 2015.

In December 2021, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star Julia Lester joined the cast as Little Red Ridinghood, alongside Shereen Pimentel as Rapunzel, Jordan Donica as her Prince, and Cole Thompson as Jack. In March 2022, it was revealed that Denée Benton had replaced Park as Cinderella, with other cast members including Gavin Creel as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Annie Golden as Cinderella's Mother/Granny/Giant's Wife, Ann Harada as Jack's Mother, David Patrick Kelly as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Tiffany Denise Hobbs as Lucinda (later replaced by Ta'Nika Gibson), Brooke Ishibashi as Florinda, Kennedy Kanagawa as Milky White, Lauren Mitchell (who played Lucinda in the 1987 Broadway production) as Cinderella's Stepmother, and David Turner as the Steward. In April 2022, Neil Patrick Harris was announced as playing the Baker, replacing Borle due to a schedule conflict. Albert Guerzon also joined the cast as Cinderella's Father. Jason Forbach, Mary Kate Moore, and Cameron Johnson were the production's swings. After Jordan Donica tested positive for COVID-19, Jason Forbach played Rapunzel's Prince for the first week of performances.

The production ran from May 4–15, 2022, and was directed by Encores! artistic director Lear deBessonet. This was the final Encores! show to have Rob Berman conducting the Encores! orchestra.

2022 Broadway revival production
Fewer than two weeks after closing the limited engagement at Encores!, it was announced that the production would transfer to Broadway at the St. James Theatre. The Broadway production officially opened on July 10, 2022 (with previews having begun on June 28), to universally positive reviews.

Most of the Encores! cast transferred, with the additions of Brian d'Arcy James as the Baker, Patina Miller as the Witch, Phillipa Soo as Cinderella, and Joshua Henry as Rapunzel's Prince. Other new cast members included Nancy Opel as Cinderella's Stepmother, Aymee Garcia as Jack's Mother, Alysia Velez as Rapunzel, and Paul Kreppel, Diane Phelan, Alex Joseph Grayson, Felicia Curry, Delphi Borich, and Lucia Spina as understudies. From July 24 to August 2, Cheyenne Jackson temporarily filled in for Gavin Creel as the Wolf and Cinderella's Prince, reprising his roles from the Hollywood Bowl production. On July 18, 2022, Sara Bareilles revealed on her Instagram Stories that a cast album of this production was being recorded. During July, it was announced that the production, originally scheduled for an eight-week run, had extended its run through October 16.

On August 4, 2022, it was announced that the entire Broadway cast would remain with the show through September 4. On September 6, married couple Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus replaced Bareilles and James as the Baker's Wife and the Baker. Other replacements included Krysta Rodriguez as Cinderella, Katy Geraghty replacing Julia Lester as Little Red, and Jim Stanek replacing David Turner as the Steward. Montego Glover also began sharing the role of the Witch with Miller, and Andy Karl played a limited run as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince from September 6–15, filling in for Creel. Ann Harada joined the cast reprising her role as Jack's Mother from the Encores! production on September 27. During that same month, it was announced that the production was given a final extension through January 8, 2023. On September 22, it was announced that James would return to the cast as the Baker starting October 25, and Karl would also return, this time as Rapunzel's Prince, starting October 11. The cast album was released on September 30. On October 25, it was announced that Denée Benton would join the cast reprising her role as Cinderella from the Encores! production on November 21. She left the production on December 24. On November 17, it was announced that Joaquina Kalukango would start playing the Witch from December 16 to the show's closing date January 8. Karl's extended run ended December 2 for the return of Henry. That same day, the cast recording was released on CD. On December 15, it was announced that understudy Diane Phelan would take over as Cinderella on December 26 for the last two weeks of the show's run. It was also announced that Arcelus would return to the production, replacing James as the Baker, starting January 3.

The Broadway production closed on January 8, 2023. The final Broadway cast was Kalukango as the Witch, Arcelus and Block as the Baker and his Wife, Creel as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Phelan as Cinderella, Cole Thompson as Jack, Geraghty as Little Red Ridinghood, Henry as Rapunzel's Prince, David Patrick Kelly as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Harada as Jack's Mother, Opel as Cinderella's Stepmother, Velez as Rapunzel, Stanek as the Steward, Annie Golden as Cinderella's Mother/Granny/Giantess, Brooke Ishibashi as Florinda, Ta'Nika Gibson as Lucinda, Albert Guerzon as Cinderella's Father/Puppeteer, Kennedy Kanagawa as Milky White/Puppeteer, and Jason Forbach, Mary Kate Moore, Cameron Johnson, Kreppel, Grayson, Curry, Borich, Spina, and Sam Simahk as understudies. The production's cast recording won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The recording was released on vinyl on March 17, 2023. The production was nominated for six Tony Awards.

Theatre Royal, Bath, 2022
In December 2021, it was announced that a new production of Into the Woods would take place at the Theatre Royal in Bath for 4 weeks, starting on August 17. It is directed by Terry Gilliam and Leah Hausman, who already worked together for the staging of two operas by Berlioz at the English National Opera: The Damnation of Faust in 2011 and Benvenuto Cellini in 2014. The show was first booked for the Old Vic Theatre in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then canceled altogether. The cast included Julian Bleach as the Mysterious Man, Nicola Hughes as the Witch, Rhashan Stone as the Baker, Alex Young as the Baker's Wife, Nathanael Campbell as the Wolf and Cinderella's Prince, Audrey Brisson as Cinderella, Barney Wilkinson as Jack, Gillian Bevan as Jack's Mother, Charlotte Jaconelli as Florinda, Maria Conneeley as Rapunzel, and Lauren Conroy as Little Red Ridinghood in her first professional stage debut. Milky White is played in pantomime by the dancer Faith Prendergast. The music director is Stephen Higgins and Jon Bausor is in charge of the production design and Anthony McDonald of the costumes.

In contrast to the simultaneous Broadway revival, this production is quite visual, with elaborate sets and props, its conceit being that the characters are figures in a Victorian toy theatre a young girl is playing with. The toy theatre is taking full-stage with "giant" props (cans of beans, a watch, a vase, a doll) appearing throughout and used by the characters as elements of setting (for example, Rapunzel's tower is a pile of bean cans). Slapstick is also emphasized, "done in the spirit of what Sondheim has written".

Lapine and Sondheim supported this new vision, and Sondheim gave his approval for the cast before he died. Sondheim also discussed the production with the directors over Zoom. Allegedly he liked what he saw so much that he fell off his chair laughing.

Terry Gilliam had met with Sondheim in the 1990s for a film adaptation of the show that Paramount was supposed to produce, with Robin Williams and Emma Thompson as the Baker and Baker's Wife, but Gilliam refused to do it because he thought the script less good than the original.

The show opened to overall positive reviews, critics praising this "hallucinogenic take", with its "imaginative imagery" and "sheer spectacle" and acclaiming Leah Hausman's "particularly crisp" choreography, while some regretted a lack of an "emotional connection between the characters and the audience" and feeling that "nothing quite develops its emotional power as much as it might". Yet all recognize the strength and the vocal talent of the cast. Special compliments often go to the "outstanding work" of Faith Prendergast as Milky White, The Guardian going as far as calling it "the most characterful presence" on the stage.

The show was announced to transfer to a West End theatre in late 2022 or early 2023, however this never occurred.

2023 US tour production
On December 6, 2022, it was announced that the 2022 Broadway revival production would tour the U.S. in 2023, starting on February 18. It starred Montego Glover as the Witch, Sebastian Arcelus and Stephanie J. Block as the Baker and his Wife, Gavin Creel as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Cole Thompson as Jack, Katy Geraghty as Little Red, David Patrick Kelly as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Nancy Opel as Cinderella's Stepmother, Aymee Garcia as Jack's Mother (from Boston onward), Ta'Nika Gibson as Lucinda, Brooke Ishibashi as Florinda, Jim Stanek as the Steward, Alysia Velez as Rapunzel, and Kennedy Kanagawa as Milky White/Puppeteer, all reprising their Broadway roles. On December 15, it was announced that Diane Phelan would reprise her role as Cinderella on tour. On January 17, the rest of the cast was announced, including Broadway understudies Jason Forbach and Felicia Curry as Rapunzel's Prince and the Giant's Wife/Cinderella's Mother/Granny respectively. Other cast members included Rayanne Gonzales as Jack's Mother (in Buffalo and Washington, D.C. only), Josh Breckenridge as Cinderella's Father/Puppeteer, and Paul Kreppel, Sam Simahk, Erica Durham, Ellie Fishman, Marya Grandy, Ximone Rose, and Eddie Lopez as understudies.

On January 31, it was announced the production was extending its Boston engagement by another week. It was also announced Arcelus and Block would not perform six days of the engagement. On February 25–26, Andy Karl reprised his Broadway role of Rapunzel's Prince during the opening weekend of the tour's engagement in Washington D.C. while Forbach stepped into the role of the Baker for Arcelus, who was recovering from an injury sustained earlier in the week. Forbach filled in for Arcelus for over two weeks. On February 28, Forbach announced on his Instagram Stories that he would play the Baker during Arcelus's absence in Boston. Understudy Sam Simahk played Rapunzel's Prince in his place. On March 1, it was announced during "Wonderstudy Wednesday" on Instagram that understudy Ximone Rose would play the Baker's Wife during Block's absence in Boston. From March 28 to April 2, Cameron Johnson reprised his role as an understudy while Simahk played Rapunzel's Prince. Durham took over from Ishibashi as Florinda on July 5 and Sabrina Santana joined the cast as an understudy. Krysta Rodriguez and Albert Guerzon reprised their roles of Cinderella and Cinderella's Father/Puppeteer from the Broadway production on July 13 and July 18 respectively and played the roles until the tour closed on July 30.

The production ran for a ten-city engagement tour, visiting Shea's Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, New York, the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C., the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, the Miller Theater in Philadelphia, the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, the James M. Nederlander Theatre in Chicago, the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Florida.

Other productions
A production played in Sydney from 19 March 1993 to 5 June 1993 at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. It starred Judi Connelli as the Witch, Geraldine Turner as the Baker's Wife, Tony Sheldon as the Baker, Philip Quast as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Pippa Grandison as Cinderella, Sharon Millerchip as Little Red Ridinghood, and D. J. Foster as Rapunzel's Prince. Melbourne Theatre Company played from 17 January 1998 to 21 February 1998 at the Playhouse, Victorian Arts Centre. It starred Rhonda Burchmore as the Witch, John McTernan as the Baker, Gina Riley as the Baker's Wife, Lisa McCune as Cinderella, Robert Grubb as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Peter Carroll as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, and Tamsin Carroll as Little Red Ridinghood. In 2000, there was a production starring Pat Harrington, Jr. as the Narrator, Brian d'Arcy James as the Baker, Leah Hocking as the Baker's Wife, Tracy Katz as Little Red, Liz McCartney as the Witch, and Patricia Ben Peterson as Cinderella at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.

In 2009, a production was done in Sacramento, California by the Wells Fargo Pavilion. It starred Yvette Cason as the Witch, Jeffry Denman as the Baker, Vicki Lewis as his Wife, Tracy Katz reprising her role as Little Red Ridinghood from the first national tour, Jason Forbach as the Wolf/Rapunzel's Prince, Gordon Goodman as Cinderella's Prince, Kim Huber as Cinderella, Matthew Wolpe as Jack, and Michael G. Hawkins as the Narrator/Mysterious Man. The first professional Spanish language production, Dentro del Bosque, was produced by University of Puerto Rico Repertory Theatre and premiered in San Juan at Teatro de la Universidad (University Theatre) on March 14, 2013. The cast included Víctor Santiago as the Baker, Ana Isabelle as the Baker's Wife and Lourdes Robles as the Witch.

A 25th-anniversary co-production between Baltimore's Center Stage and Westport Country Playhouse directed by Mark Lamos was notable for casting original Little Red Ridinghood, Danielle Ferland, as the Baker's Wife. The cast included Erik Liberman as the Baker, Lauren Kennedy as the Witch, Jeffry Denman as the Narrator, Nik Walker as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Dana Steingold as Little Red Ridinghood, Justin Scott Brown as Jack, Jenny Latimer as Cinderella, Cheryl Stern as Jack's Mother, Robert Lenzi as Rapunzel's Prince/Cinderella's Father, Alma Cuervo as Cinderella's Stepmother/Granny/Giant's Wife, Britney Coleman as Rapunzel/Cinderella's Mother, Nikka Lanzarone as Florinda, Eleni Delopoulos as Lucinda, and Jeremy Lawrence as the Mysterious Man. The production received 2011–2012 Connecticut Critics Circle Awards for Best Production, Best Ensemble, and Steingold's Little Red Ridinghood.

In 2014, a production premiered in Paris, France at the Paris' Théâtre du Châtelet from April 1–12. It starred Nicholas Garrett as the Baker, Francesca Jackson as Little Red Ridinghood, Kimy McLaren as Cinderella, Christine Buffle as the Baker's Wife, Beverley Klein as the Witch, Pascal Charbonneau and Rebecca de Pont Davies as Jack and his Mother, Damian Thantrey as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, David Curry as the Wolf/Rapunzel's Prince, Louise Alder as Rapunzel, and Fanny Ardant as the voice of the Giantess.

The Roundabout Theatre production, directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld, began performances Off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre on December 19, 2014, in previews, officially on January 22, 2015, and closed on April 12, 2015. Like the original Broadway production 28 years prior, this production had a try-out run at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California from July 12, 2014 – August 17, 2014 with the opening night taking place on July 17. This new version is completely minimalistically reimagined by the Fiasco Theater Company, featuring only ten actors playing multiple parts, and one piano accompanist. A national tour of this production began on November 29, 2016.

The DreamCatcher Theatre production opened in January 2015 and played a sold-out run at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida. Tituss Burgess starred as the Witch, the first male actor to do so. The cast also included Arielle Jacobs as the Baker's Wife, JJ Caruncho as the Baker, Justin John Moniz as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Wayne LeGette as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Annemarie Rosano as Cinderella, and Matthew Janisse as Rapunzel's Prince.

The musical had a production at The Muny in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri running from July 21 through 28 2015. The cast included Heather Headley (Witch), Erin Dilly (Baker's Wife), Rob McClure (Baker), Ken Page (Narrator), Elena Shaddow (Cinderella), Andrew Samonsky (Wolf/Cinderella's Prince), Samantha Massell (Rapunzel), and Michael McCormick (Mysterious Man/Cinderella's Father).

The Hart House Theatre production in Toronto, Ontario from January 15, 2016, to January 30, 2016, and February 9, 2023, to February 11, 2023. A production ran at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds in a collaboration with Opera North from 2 June 2016 to 25 June 2016.

The Israeli premiere of the musical, אל תוך היער (El Toch Ha-ya-ar), opened in Tel Aviv in August 2016 for a limited run produced by The Tramp Productions and Stuff Like That, starring Roi Dolev as the Witch, the second male actor to do so.

In 2019, there was a production done at the Patchogue Theatre starring Constantine Maroulis as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Melissa Errico as the Baker's Wife, Ali Ewoldt as Cinderella, Alice Ripley as the Witch, Jim Stanek as the Baker, Alan Muraoka as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, and Darren Ritchie as Rapunzel's Prince. Also in 2019, Into the Woods was done by the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It starred Mykal Kilgore as the Witch, Mara Davi as the Baker's Wife, Jonathan Raviv as the Baker, Pepe Nufrio as Rapunzel's Prince, Sarah Dacey Charles as Cinderella's Stepmother/Granny/Cinderella's Mother, Dorcas Leung as Little Red Ridinghood, Amanda Robles as Cinderella, Thom Sesma as the Narrator/Mysterious Man, Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Clay Singer as Jack, Zoë Aarts as Lucinda, Megan Orticelli as Florinda, and Leslie Becker as the Giant's Wife/Jack's Mother.

A 2022 production staged at Arkansas Repertory Theatre featured the pre-recorded voice of former Secretary of State and one-time Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton as the Giant.

In 2023, a production was done by Open Stage Theatre Company in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A production by Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia ran in 2023, from 23 March to 30 April. A production of Into the Woods is also taking place in Victoria, Australia, put on by Leongatha Lyric Theatre, in July 2024, showing at Memorial Hall, Leongatha.

Principal casts
The original principal casts of notable stage productions of Into the Woods.

Broadway (1987–89)

 * The Witch: Nancy Dussault, Betsy Joslyn, Phylicia Rashad, Ellen Foley, Joy Franz (u/s), Marin Mazzie (u/s), Suzzanne Douglas (u/s), Lauren Vélez (u/s)
 * Cinderella: Patricia Ben Peterson, Pamela Winslow (u/s), Betsy Joslyn (u/s), Marin Mazzie (u/s), Cindy Robinson (u/s), Suzzanne Douglas (u/s)
 * Cinderella's Prince: Chuck Wagner (u/s), Dean Butler (u/s)
 * The Wolf: Chuck Wagner (u/s), Dean Butler (u/s), Jonathan Dokuchitz (u/s)
 * Little Red Ridinghood: Jean Kelly (u/s), Cindy Robinson (u/s)
 * Jack: Jeff Blumenkrantz, Jonathan Dokuchitz (u/s)
 * The Narrator: Dick Cavett, Edmund Lyndeck (s/b)
 * The Mysterious Man: Edmund Lyndeck
 * Rapunzel's Prince: Dean Butler, Jeff Blumenkrantz (u/s), Jonathan Dokuchitz (u/s)
 * Rapunzel: Marin Mazzie, Jean Kelly (u/s), Cindy Robinson (u/s)
 * The Steward: Jeff Blumenkrantz (u/s)

1st US National Tour (1988-90)

 * The Witch: Betsy Joslyn
 * The Baker: Stuart Zagnit (u/s)
 * Cinderella: Patricia Ben Peterson
 * Cinderella's Prince: Douglas Sills (u/s)
 * The Narrator/The Mysterious Man: Peter Walker, Stuart Zagnit (u/s)
 * Cinderella's Stepmother: Joy Franz
 * The Steward: Stuart Zagnit

1st Broadway Revival (2002)

 * The Witch: Tracy Nicole Chapman (u/s)
 * Cinderella: Erin Dilly, Kate Reinders (u/s)
 * Cinderella's Prince/The Wolf: Christopher Sieber (u/s)
 * Little Red Ridinghood: Kate Reinders (u/s)
 * Jack: Chad Kimball (u/s)
 * The Narrator/The Mysterious Man: Dennis Kelly (u/s)
 * The Wolf/Rapunzel's Prince: Chad Kimball (u/s)
 * Jack's Mother: Pamela Myers (u/s), Joy Franz (u/s)
 * Rapunzel: Kate Reinders (u/s)
 * Cinderella's Stepmother: Joy Franz

2nd Broadway Revival (2022–23)

 * The Witch: Montego Glover, Joaquina Kalukango
 * The Baker: Sebastian Arcelus, Jason Forbach (u/s), Jim Stanek (u/s)
 * The Baker's Wife: Stephanie J. Block
 * Cinderella: Krysta Rodriguez, Denée Benton
 * Cinderella's Prince/The Wolf: Cheyenne Jackson, Andy Karl, Jason Forbach (u/s)
 * The Narrator/The Mysterious Man: Paul Kreppel (u/s), Jason Forbach (u/s)
 * Rapunzel's Prince: Andy Karl, Jason Forbach (u/s)
 * Jack's Mother: Ann Harada
 * The Steward: Jim Stanek, Paul Kreppel (u/s)

Ten City Engagement (2023)

 * The Baker: Jason Forbach, Jim Stanek (u/s)
 * Cinderella: Krysta Rodriguez
 * The Narrator/The Mysterious Man: Paul Kreppel (s/b), Jim Stanek (u/s)
 * Rapunzel's Prince: Andy Karl
 * The Steward: Paul Kreppel (u/s)

Junior version
The musical has been adapted by Music Theatre International into a child-friendly version for use by schools and young companies, with the second act completely removed, as well as a large amount material from the first. The show is shortened from the original two and a half hours to fit in a 50-minute range, and the music transposed into keys that more easily fit young voices. It is licensed through Music Theatre International Broadway Junior musicals. The plot differs from the original with the story ending on a "happy ending"

In 2019, a similar adaptation, Into the Woods Sr., adapted for performance by senior citizens in community centers and nursing homes, premiered. It is available under license.

Film
A theatrical film adaptation of the musical was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, directed by Rob Marshall, and starring Meryl Streep as the Witch, Emily Blunt as the Baker's Wife, James Corden as the Baker, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Chris Pine as Cinderella's Prince, Daniel Huttlestone as Jack, Lilla Crawford as Little Red Ridinghood, Tracey Ullman as Jack's Mother, Billy Magnussen as Rapunzel's Prince, Christine Baranski as Cinderella's Stepmother, MacKenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel, Tammy Blanchard as Florinda, and Johnny Depp as the Wolf. The film was released on December 25, 2014. It was a critical and commercial hit, grossing over $213 million worldwide. For her performance as the Witch, Streep was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film also received Academy Award nominations for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.

Analysis of book and music
In most productions of Into the Woods, including the original Broadway production, several parts are doubled. Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf, who both cannot control their appetites, are usually played by the same actor. Similarly, so are the Narrator and the Mysterious Man, who both comment on the story while avoiding any personal involvement or responsibility. Granny and Cinderella's Mother, both matriarchal characters, are also typically played by the same person, who also gives voice to the nurturing but later murderous Giant's Wife.

The show covers multiple themes: growing up, parents and children, accepting responsibility, morality, and finally, wish fulfillment and its consequences. Time Magazine 's reviewers wrote that the play's "basic insight... is at heart, most fairy tales are about the loving yet embattled relationship between parents and children. Almost everything that goes wrong—which is to say, almost everything that can—arises from a failure of parental or filial duty, despite the best intentions." Stephen Holden wrote that the show's themes include parent-child relationships and the individual's responsibility to the community. The witch isn't just a scowling old hag, but a key symbol of moral ambivalence. Lapine said that the most unpleasant person (the Witch) would have the truest things to say and the "nicer" people would be less honest. In the Witch's words: "I'm not good; I'm not nice; I'm just right."

Given the show's debut during the 1980s, the height of the U.S. AIDS crisis, the work has been interpreted as a parable about AIDS. In this interpretation, the Giant's Wife is a metaphor for HIV/AIDS, killing good and bad characters indiscriminately and forcing survivors to band together to stop the threat and move on from the devastation, reflecting the devastation AIDS wrought on many communities. When asked about the connection, Sondheim acknowledged that initial audiences interpreted it as an AIDS metaphor, but said that the work was not intended to be specific.

The score is also notable in Sondheim's output because of its intricate reworking and development of small musical motifs. In particular, the opening words, "I wish", are set to the interval of a rising major second and this small unit is both repeated and developed throughout the show, just as Lapine's book explores the consequences of self-interest and "wishing". The dialogue is characterized by the heavy use of syncopated speech. In many instances, the characters' lines are delivered with a fixed beat that follows natural speech rhythms, but is also purposely composed in eighth, sixteenth, and quarter note rhythms as part of a spoken song. Like many Sondheim/Lapine productions, the songs contain thought-process narrative, where characters converse or think aloud.

Sondheim drew on parts of his troubled childhood when writing the show. In 1987, he told Time Magazine that the "father uncomfortable with babies [was] his father, and [the] mother who regrets having had children [was] his mother."

title: Into the Woods


text:
Isaac Klein

Isaac Klein (September 5, 1905 – January 23, 1979) was a prominent rabbi and halakhic authority within Conservative Judaism.

Personal life, education, and career
Klein was born in the small village of Várpalánka, today part of Mukachevo, in what was then Hungary. He emigrated with his family to the United States in 1921. He earned a BA from City College of New York in 1931. Although nearing ordination at the Yeshiva University's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, he transferred to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTSA), where he was ordained in 1934 and received the advanced Jewish legal degree of Hattarat Hora’ah under the great talmudic scholar Rabbi Professor Louis Ginzberg. He was one of only three people, along with Boaz Cohen and Louis Finkelstein, to ever to receive this degree from JTSA. Klein subsequently earned a PhD from Harvard under the pioneering academic of Judaic studies Harry Wolfson.

He married the former Henriette Levine in 1932 and had three daughters, Hannah, Miriam, and Rivke. Devoted to his family, he dedicated his major work, A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice to his children, sons-in-law and 13 grandchildren listing each by name.

Klein served as rabbi at Kadimoh Congregation in Springfield, Massachusetts from 1934 to 1953; Temple Emanu-El, Buffalo, New York, 1953–1968; Temple Shaarey Zedek, Buffalo, (which was created from the merger of Emanu-El with Temple Beth David in 1968), 1968–1972. He and his wife, who was an educator, founded Jewish day schools in both Springfield and Buffalo.

Despite the difficulties facing a congregational Rabbi raising a family, Klein volunteered for the U.S. Army during World War II as a chaplain. He served over 4 years, rising to the rank of Major and was an advisor to the high commissioner of the Occupation government. He also served on special assignments for Jewish soldiers in the U.S. Army in the 1950s, receiving the simulated rank of Brigadier General for these missions. His experiences in the war are described in his book The Anguish and the Ecstasy of a Jewish Chaplain.

Role within Conservative Judaism
Klein was a leader of the right-wing of the Conservative movement. He was president of the Rabbinical Assembly, 1958–1960, and a member of its Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, 1948–1979. He was the author of several books, notably, A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice. One of the outstanding halakhists of the movement, he served as a leading member of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards from 1948 until his death in 1979.

As a leading authority on halakha he authored many important teshuvot (responsa), many of which were published in his influential "Responsa and Halakhic Studies". From the 1950s to 1970s, he wrote a comprehensive guide to Jewish law that was used to teach halakha at the JTSA. In 1979 he assembled this into A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, which is used widely by laypeople and rabbis within Conservative Judaism.

Rabbinic thought
The philosophy upon which A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice is written is stated in the foreword: "The premise on which Torah is based is that all aspects of life - leisure no less than business, worship or rites of passage (birth, bar mitzvah, marriage, divorce, death) - are part of the covenant and mandate under which every Jew is to serve God in everything he does. In the eyes of Torah there is, strictly speaking, no such thing as the purely private domain, for even in solitude - be it the privacy of the bath or the unconsciousness of sleep - one has the capacity and the duty to serve God." This message, of life seen in consonance with the dictates of Judaism, permeates many pages of the book. Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, scholar of the JTSA, wrote: "There are those who would think that we have but two alternatives, to reject or to accept the law, but in either case to treat it as a dead letter. Both of these alternatives are repugnant to the whole tradition of Judaism. Jewish law must be preserved but it is subject to interpretation by those who have mastered it, and the interpretation placed upon it by duly authorized masters in every generation must be accepted with as much reverence as those which were given in previous generations."

This understanding of traditional preservation of the law through its continuous interpretation lies at the heart of Klein's extensive study of Jewish law.

Klein's papers are located at the University Archives, State University of New York at Buffalo (see finding aid). The archives include fourteen reels of microfilm. The collection consists of extensive writings by Klein on traditional Jewish practice and law. This includes manuscript material for his books Guide to Jewish Religious Practice (1979), The Ten Commandments in a Changing World  (1963), The Anguish and the Ecstasy of a Jewish Chaplain (1974), and his translation of The Code of Maimonides (Mishneh Torah): Book 7, The Book of Agriculture (1979). The collection also contains speeches, sermons, articles, and remarks from the Conservative Jewish viewpoint on subjects such as Jewish medical ethics, dietary laws, adoption, and marriage and divorce. Meeting minutes, annual reports, bulletins, and sermons relating to Klein's rabbinical vocations in Springfield, Massachusetts and Buffalo, New York are also included. The papers contain photographs, wartime letters, and military records of Klein documenting his service in World War II as a director of Jewish religious affairs in Germany.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Isaac Klein


text:
Intron

An intron is any nucleotide sequence within a gene that is not expressed or operative in the final RNA product. The word intron is derived from the term  intr agenic regi on , i.e., a region inside a gene. The term intron refers to both the DNA sequence within a gene and the corresponding RNA sequence in RNA transcripts. The non-intron sequences that become joined by this RNA processing to form the mature RNA are called exons.

Introns are found in the genes of most eukaryotes and many eukaryotic viruses and they can be located in both protein-coding genes and genes that function as RNA (noncoding genes). There are four main types of introns: tRNA introns, group I introns, group II introns, and spliceosomal introns (see below). Introns are rare in Bacteria and Archaea (prokaryotes).

Discovery and etymology
Introns were first discovered in protein-coding genes of adenovirus, and were subsequently identified in genes encoding transfer RNA and ribosomal RNA genes. Introns are now known to occur within a wide variety of genes throughout organisms, bacteria, and viruses within all of the biological kingdoms.

The fact that genes were split or interrupted by introns was discovered independently in 1977 by Phillip Allen Sharp and Richard J. Roberts, for which they shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993, though credit was excluded for the researchers and collaborators in their labs that did the experiments resulting in the discovery, Susan Berget and Louise Chow. The term intron was introduced by American biochemist Walter Gilbert:

"'The notion of the cistron [i.e., gene] ... must be replaced by that of a transcription unit containing regions which will be lost from the mature messenger – which I suggest we call introns (for intragenic regions) – alternating with regions which will be expressed – exons.' (Gilbert 1978)"

The term intron also refers to intracistron, i.e., an additional piece of DNA that arises within a cistron.

Although introns are sometimes called intervening sequences, the term "intervening sequence" can refer to any of several families of internal nucleic acid sequences that are not present in the final gene product, including inteins, untranslated regions (UTR), and nucleotides removed by RNA editing, in addition to introns.

Distribution
The frequency of introns within different genomes is observed to vary widely across the spectrum of biological organisms. For example, introns are extremely common within the nuclear genome of jawed vertebrates (e.g. humans, mice, and pufferfish (fugu)), where protein-coding genes almost always contain multiple introns, while introns are rare within the nuclear genes of some eukaryotic microorganisms, for example baker's/brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). In contrast, the mitochondrial genomes of vertebrates are entirely devoid of introns, while those of eukaryotic microorganisms may contain many introns.

A particularly extreme case is the Drosophila dhc7 gene containing a ≥3.6 megabase (Mb) intron, which takes roughly three days to transcribe. On the other extreme, a 2015 study suggests that the shortest known metazoan intron length is 30 base pairs (bp) belonging to the human MST1L gene. The shortest known introns belong to the heterotrich ciliates, such as Stentor coeruleus, in which most (> 95%) introns are 15 or 16 bp long.

Classification
Splicing of all intron-containing RNA molecules is superficially similar, as described above. However, different types of introns were identified through the examination of intron structure by DNA sequence analysis, together with genetic and biochemical analysis of RNA splicing reactions. At least four distinct classes of introns have been identified: Group III introns are proposed to be a fifth family, but little is known about the biochemical apparatus that mediates their splicing. They appear to be related to group II introns, and possibly to spliceosomal introns.
 * Introns in nuclear protein-coding genes that are removed by spliceosomes (spliceosomal introns)
 * Introns in nuclear and archaeal transfer RNA genes that are removed by proteins (tRNA introns)
 * Self-splicing group I introns that are removed by RNA catalysis
 * Self-splicing group II introns that are removed by RNA catalysis

Spliceosomal introns
Nuclear pre-mRNA introns (spliceosomal introns) are characterized by specific intron sequences located at the boundaries between introns and exons. These sequences are recognized by spliceosomal RNA molecules when the splicing reactions are initiated. In addition, they contain a branch point, a particular nucleotide sequence near the 3' end of the intron that becomes covalently linked to the 5' end of the intron during the splicing process, generating a branched intron. Apart from these three short conserved elements, nuclear pre-mRNA intron sequences are highly variable. Nuclear pre-mRNA introns are often much longer than their surrounding exons.

tRNA introns
Transfer RNA introns that depend upon proteins for removal occur at a specific location within the anticodon loop of unspliced tRNA precursors, and are removed by a tRNA splicing endonuclease. The exons are then linked together by a second protein, the tRNA splicing ligase. Note that self-splicing introns are also sometimes found within tRNA genes.

Group I and group II introns
Group I and group II introns are found in genes encoding proteins (messenger RNA), transfer RNA and ribosomal RNA in a very wide range of living organisms. Following transcription into RNA, group I and group II introns also make extensive internal interactions that allow them to fold into a specific, complex three-dimensional architecture. These complex architectures allow some group I and group II introns to be self-splicing, that is, the intron-containing RNA molecule can rearrange its own covalent structure so as to precisely remove the intron and link the exons together in the correct order. In some cases, particular intron-binding proteins are involved in splicing, acting in such a way that they assist the intron in folding into the three-dimensional structure that is necessary for self-splicing activity. Group I and group II introns are distinguished by different sets of internal conserved sequences and folded structures, and by the fact that splicing of RNA molecules containing group II introns generates branched introns (like those of spliceosomal RNAs), while group I introns use a non-encoded guanosine nucleotide (typically GTP) to initiate splicing, adding it on to the 5'-end of the excised intron.

On the accuracy of splicing
The spliceosome is a very complex structure containing up to one hundred proteins and five different RNAs. The substrate of the reaction is a long RNA molecule and the transesterification reactions catalyzed by the spliceosome require the bringing together of sites that may be thousands of nucleotides apart. All biochemical reactions are associated with known error rates and the more complicated the reaction the higher the error rate. Therefore, it is not surprising that the splicing reaction catalyzed by the spliceosome has a significant error rate even though there are spliceosome accessory factors that suppress the accidental cleavage of cryptic splice sites.

Under ideal circumstances, the splicing reaction is likely to be 99.999% accurate (error rate of 10−5) and the correct exons will be joined and the correct intron will be deleted. However, these ideal conditions require very close matches to the best splice site sequences and the absence of any competing cryptic splice site sequences within the introns and those conditions are rarely met in large eukaryotic genes that may cover more than 40 kilobase pairs. Recent studies have shown that the actual error rate can be considerably higher than 10−5 and may be as high as 2% or 3% errors (error rate of 2 or 3 x 10−2) per gene. Additional studies suggest that the error rate is no less than 0.1% per intron. This relatively high level of splicing errors explains why most splice variants are rapidly degraded by nonsense-mediated decay.

The presence of sloppy binding sites within genes causes splicing errors and it may seem strange that these sites haven't been eliminated by natural selection. The argument for their persistence is similar to the argument for junk DNA.

"Although mutations which create or disrupt binding sites may be slightly deleterious, the large number of possible such mutations makes it inevitable that some will reach fixation in a population. This is particularly relevant in species, such as humans, with relatively small long-term effective population sizes. It is plausible, then, that the human genome carries a substantial load of suboptimal sequences which cause the generation of aberrant transcript isoforms. In this study, we present direct evidence that this is indeed the case."

While the catalytic reaction may be accurate enough for effective processing most of the time, the overall error rate may be partly limited by the fidelity of transcription because transcription errors will introduce mutations that create cryptic splice sites. In addition, the transcription error rate of 10−5 – 10−6 is high enough that one in every 25,000 transcribed exons will have an incorporation error in one of the splice sites leading to a skipped intron or a skipped exon. Almost all multi-exon genes will produce incorrectly spliced transcripts but the frequency of this background noise will depend on the size of the genes, the number of introns, and the quality of the splice site sequences.

In some cases, splice variants will be produced by mutations in the gene (DNA). These can be SNP polymorphisms that create a cryptic splice site or mutate a functional site. They can also be somatic cell mutations that affect splicing in a particular tissue or a cell line. When the mutant allele is in a heterozygous state this will result in production of two abundant splice variants; one functional and one non-functional. In the homozygous state the mutant alleles may cause a genetic disease such as the hemophilia found in descendants of Queen Victoria where a mutation in one of the introns in a blood clotting factor gene creates a cryptic 3' splice site resulting in aberrant splicing. A significant fraction of human deaths by disease may be caused by mutations that interfere with normal splicing; mostly by creating cryptic splice sites.

Incorrectly spliced transcripts can easily be detected and their sequences entered into the online databases. They are usually described as "alternatively spliced" transcripts, which can be confusing because the term does not distinguish between real, biologically relevant, alternative splicing and processing noise due to splicing errors. One of the central issues in the field of alternative splicing is working out the differences between these two possibilities. Many scientists have argued that the null hypothesis should be splicing noise, putting the burden of proof on those who claim biologically relevant alternative splicing. According to those scientists, the claim of function must be accompanied by convincing evidence that multiple functional products are produced from the same gene.

Biological functions and evolution
While introns do not encode protein products, they are integral to gene expression regulation. Some introns themselves encode functional RNAs through further processing after splicing to generate noncoding RNA molecules. Alternative splicing is widely used to generate multiple proteins from a single gene. Furthermore, some introns play essential roles in a wide range of gene expression regulatory functions such as nonsense-mediated decay and mRNA export.

After the initial discovery of introns in protein-coding genes of the eukaryotic nucleus, there was significant debate as to whether introns in modern-day organisms were inherited from a common ancient ancestor (termed the introns-early hypothesis), or whether they appeared in genes rather recently in the evolutionary process (termed the introns-late hypothesis). Another theory is that the spliceosome and the intron-exon structure of genes is a relic of the RNA world (the introns-first hypothesis). There is still considerable debate about the extent to which of these hypotheses is most correct but the popular consensus at the moment is that following the formation of the first eukaryotic cell, group II introns from the bacterial endosymbiont invaded the host genome. In the beginning these self-splicing introns excised themselves from the mRNA precursor but over time some of them lost that ability and their excision had to be aided in trans by other group II introns. Eventually a number of specific trans-acting introns evolved and these became the precursors to the snRNAs of the spliceosome. The efficiency of splicing was improved by association with stabilizing proteins to form the primitive spliceosome.

Early studies of genomic DNA sequences from a wide range of organisms show that the intron-exon structure of homologous genes in different organisms can vary widely. More recent studies of entire eukaryotic genomes have now shown that the lengths and density (introns/gene) of introns varies considerably between related species. For example, while the human genome contains an average of 8.4 introns/gene (139,418 in the genome), the unicellular fungus Encephalitozoon cuniculi contains only 0.0075 introns/gene (15 introns in the genome). Since eukaryotes arose from a common ancestor (common descent), there must have been extensive gain or loss of introns during evolutionary time. This process is thought to be subject to selection, with a tendency towards intron gain in larger species due to their smaller population sizes, and the converse in smaller (particularly unicellular) species. Biological factors also influence which genes in a genome lose or accumulate introns.

Alternative splicing of exons within a gene after intron excision acts to introduce greater variability of protein sequences translated from a single gene, allowing multiple related proteins to be generated from a single gene and a single precursor mRNA transcript. The control of alternative RNA splicing is performed by a complex network of signaling molecules that respond to a wide range of intracellular and extracellular signals.

Introns contain several short sequences that are important for efficient splicing, such as acceptor and donor sites at either end of the intron as well as a branch point site, which are required for proper splicing by the spliceosome. Some introns are known to enhance the expression of the gene that they are contained in by a process known as intron-mediated enhancement (IME).

Actively transcribed regions of DNA frequently form R-loops that are vulnerable to DNA damage. In highly expressed yeast genes, introns inhibit R-loop formation and the occurrence of DNA damage. Genome-wide analysis in both yeast and humans revealed that intron-containing genes have decreased R-loop levels and decreased DNA damage compared to intronless genes of similar expression. Insertion of an intron within an R-loop prone gene can also suppress R-loop formation and recombination. Bonnet et al. (2017) speculated that the function of introns in maintaining genetic stability may explain their evolutionary maintenance at certain locations, particularly in highly expressed genes.

Starvation adaptation
The physical presence of introns promotes cellular resistance to starvation via intron enhanced repression of ribosomal protein genes of nutrient-sensing pathways.

As mobile genetic elements
Introns may be lost or gained over evolutionary time, as shown by many comparative studies of orthologous genes. Subsequent analyses have identified thousands of examples of intron loss and gain events, and it has been proposed that the emergence of eukaryotes, or the initial stages of eukaryotic evolution, involved an intron invasion. Two definitive mechanisms of intron loss, reverse transcriptase-mediated intron loss (RTMIL) and genomic deletions, have been identified, and are known to occur. The definitive mechanisms of intron gain, however, remain elusive and controversial. At least seven mechanisms of intron gain have been reported thus far: intron transposition, transposon insertion, tandem genomic duplication, intron transfer, intron gain during double-strand break repair (DSBR), insertion of a group II intron, and intronization. In theory it should be easiest to deduce the origin of recently gained introns due to the lack of host-induced mutations, yet even introns gained recently did not arise from any of the aforementioned mechanisms. These findings thus raise the question of whether or not the proposed mechanisms of intron gain fail to describe the mechanistic origin of many novel introns because they are not accurate mechanisms of intron gain, or if there are other, yet to be discovered, processes generating novel introns.

In intron transposition, the most commonly purported intron gain mechanism, a spliced intron is thought to reverse splice into either its own mRNA or another mRNA at a previously intron-less position. This intron-containing mRNA is then reverse transcribed and the resulting intron-containing cDNA may then cause intron gain via complete or partial recombination with its original genomic locus.

Transposon insertions have been shown to generate thousands of new introns across diverse eukaryotic species. Transposon insertions sometimes result in the duplication of this sequence on each side of the transposon. Such an insertion could intronize the transposon without disrupting the coding sequence when a transposon inserts into the sequence AGGT or encodes the splice sites within the transposon sequence. Where intron-generating transposons do not create target site duplications, elements include both splice sites GT (5') and AG (3') thereby splicing precisely without affecting the protein-coding sequence. It is not yet understood why these elements are spliced, whether by chance, or by some preferential action by the transposon.

In tandem genomic duplication, due to the similarity between consensus donor and acceptor splice sites, which both closely resemble AGGT, the tandem genomic duplication of an exonic segment harboring an AGGT sequence generates two potential splice sites. When recognized by the spliceosome, the sequence between the original and duplicated AGGT will be spliced, resulting in the creation of an intron without alteration of the coding sequence of the gene. Double-stranded break repair via non-homologous end joining was recently identified as a source of intron gain when researchers identified short direct repeats flanking 43% of gained introns in Daphnia. These numbers must be compared to the number of conserved introns flanked by repeats in other organisms, though, for statistical relevance. For group II intron insertion, the retrohoming of a group II intron into a nuclear gene was proposed to cause recent spliceosomal intron gain.

Intron transfer has been hypothesized to result in intron gain when a paralog or pseudogene gains an intron and then transfers this intron via recombination to an intron-absent location in its sister paralog. Intronization is the process by which mutations create novel introns from formerly exonic sequence. Thus, unlike other proposed mechanisms of intron gain, this mechanism does not require the insertion or generation of DNA to create a novel intron.

The only hypothesized mechanism of recent intron gain lacking any direct evidence is that of group II intron insertion, which when demonstrated in vivo, abolishes gene expression. Group II introns are therefore likely the presumed ancestors of spliceosomal introns, acting as site-specific retroelements, and are no longer responsible for intron gain. Tandem genomic duplication is the only proposed mechanism with supporting in vivo experimental evidence: a short intragenic tandem duplication can insert a novel intron into a protein-coding gene, leaving the corresponding peptide sequence unchanged. This mechanism also has extensive indirect evidence lending support to the idea that tandem genomic duplication is a prevalent mechanism for intron gain. The testing of other proposed mechanisms in vivo, particularly intron gain during DSBR, intron transfer, and intronization, is possible, although these mechanisms must be demonstrated in vivo to solidify them as actual mechanisms of intron gain. Further genomic analyses, especially when executed at the population level, may then quantify the relative contribution of each mechanism, possibly identifying species-specific biases that may shed light on varied rates of intron gain amongst different species.

title: Intron


text:
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