Mr.

Tanabe

Name:

SophomoreEnglish

Date:

Fall2014Spring2015

Period:

IntotheWoods(1986)

IntotheWoodsisamusicalwithmusicandlyricsbyStephenSondheimandbookbyJames
Lapine.ItdebutedinSanDiegoattheOldGlobeTheatrein1986,andpremieredonBroadway
onNovember5,1987.BernadettePeters'performanceastheWitchandJoannaGleason's
portrayaloftheBaker'sWifebroughtacclaimtotheproductionduringitsoriginalBroadway
run.IntotheWoodswonseveralTonyAwards,includingBestScore,BestBook,andBest
ActressinaMusical(JoannaGleason),inayeardominatedbyThePhantomoftheOpera.

Themusicalhasbeenproducedmanytimes,witha1988USnationaltour,a1990WestEnd
production,a1991televisionproduction,a1997tenthanniversaryconcert,a2002Broadway
revival,a2010Londonrevivalandin2012aspartofNewYorkCity'soutdoorShakespearein
theParkseries.

ThemusicalintertwinestheplotsofseveralBrothersGrimmfairytalesandfollowsthemto
exploretheconsequencesofthecharacters'wishesandquests.Themaincharactersaretaken
from"LittleRedRidingHood","JackandtheBeanstalk","Rapunzel",and"Cinderella",aswell
asseveralothers.Themusicalistiedtogetherbyanoriginalstoryinvolvingachildlessbakerand
hiswifeandtheirquesttobeginafamily,theirinteractionwithaWitchwhohasplacedacurse
onthem,andtheirinteractionwithotherstorybookcharactersduringtheirjourney.

WaltDisneyPicturesisproducingafilmadaptationofIntotheWoods,directedbyRob
MarshallandstarringMerylStreep,EmilyBlunt,JamesCorden,AnnaKendrick,ChrisPine,
JohnnyDepp,LillaCrawford,DanielHuttlestone,ChristineBaranski,andTraceyUllman.The
filmwillbereleasedonDecember25,2014.

Actor

Quotes

TomAldredge
as
theNarrator

KimCrosby
as
Cinderella

BenWright
as
Jack

ChipZien
as
TheBaker

JoannaGleason

as
TheBakersWife

BarbaraBryne
as
JacksMother

DanielleFerland
as
LittleRed
Ridinghood

BernadettePeters
as
TheWitch

TomAldredge
as
TheMysterious
Man

ChuckWagner
as
Rapunzels
Prince

Robert
Westenberg
as
Cinderellas
Prince

ThoughtQuestions/JournalEntries

Fairytalestraditionallyfeatureawhollyinnocentorgoodcharacterwhoisantagonizedbyan
entirelyevilcharacterorvillain.Thereisoftenverylittledimensionorcomplexitytothese
characters,asthefocusofafairytalestoryislargelyuponwhatcharacterswant,howtheygetit,
andwhatultimatelyhappenstothemtypicallythebadcharacterispunishedand/ordestroyed,
whilethegoodcharacterissavedandrewardedwithahappilyeverafterlife.Fairytalesdont
explorethegrayareasorcomplexitiesofreallife,suchasthereasonswhypeoplearetheway
theyareanddothethingstheydo,nordotheyentertaintheactualitiesthatsometimesbadthings
happenedtogoodpeople,thatbadpeoplesometimesdoremarkablygoodacts,thatgood
intentionsoftenresultinbadconsequences/results,andthatarelativelygoodpersoncanhurt
anotherpersonverybadly.

1.
HowdoesinheritanceplayaroleinthelivesofthecharactersofIntotheWoods?What
traits,attitudes,circumstances,responsibilities,habits,ordysfunctionshavethevarious
charactersinheritedfrompastgenerations?

2.
Whatnewtraits,attitudes,circumstances,responsibilities,orhabitswilltheBaker,
Cinderella,LittleRedRidingHood,andJackpassdowntotheirinheritors?

3.
Wasthesettingoftheproductioninakindofmetaphoricalandmetaphysicalmemory
atticcompellingandeffectiveforyou?Didanythinginparticularintrigueorstrikeyouabout
thissetting?Howdidthissettingservethestoryoftheplay?

4.
Howdoesinheritanceplayaroleinyourlives?Whatobjects,articlesofclothing,stories,
traits,attitudes,circumstances,responsibilities,habits,ordysfunctionshaveyouinheritedfrom
yourforebears?Whathaveyouinheritedthatisimportanttoyouandyouhopetoretainor
maintainandpassontoyourchildrenorthosewhocomeafteryou?Whatofyourinheritance
doyouhopetoeject,reject,ordisavow?

NoOneIsAlone

5.
Reflectinwritingonatimewhenyoueitherfeltentirelyaloneintheworldoractedasif
youwerecompletelyaloneintheworldwithoutregardforotherpeople.Whatwerethe
circumstancessurroundingyourexperience?Whathappenedtoresolvethesituationorhelpyou
tomovebeyondthecircumstances?Whatadvicemightyouoffersomeoneyoungerthanyou
whomightfindthemselvesinasimilarpredicament?

ChildrenWillListen

Carefulthewishyoumake,
Wishesarechildren.
Carefulthepaththeytake
Wishescometrue,
Notfree.

ThefirstactofIntotheWoodsshowsfairytalecharacters,eachwiththeirownindividual
wishes,actingtogetwhattheywantmostinlife.Theactendshappilywithjustaboutevery
charactergettingwhatheorshewanted(andsometimesmorethanwhatwaswanted),whilethe
playssecondactaddressestheeverafter,whathappensnextortheconsequencesofgetting
exactlywhattheywanted.

6.
DoyourememberthewishofeachIntotheWoodscharacter,whats/hereceived,and
thenwhathappenednextintheeverafter?Listthemanddiscuss.

7.
Makealistof20wishesforyourself/yourlife.Whichofthesearerealistically
achievable?Whicharemoreakintofantasy?Whichqualifyaswants?Whichqualifyas
needs/necessities?

8.
Selectthewishonyourlistthatyouwouldmostwanttohavecometrue.How
realisticallyachievableisthiswish?Whatwouldyouneedtohavehappenorwhatwouldyou
needtodotomakeitcometrue?Whatwouldmakingitcometrueultimatelymeanforyou?
Whatwoulditmeanforthepeopleyouloveand/orthosearoundyou?

9.
Interviewtwoimportantadultsinyourlife(i.e.,aparent,aunt/uncle,grandparent,
counselor,neighbor,etc.)aboutthewishesoftheiryouth,utilizingthefollowingquestions:

a.
What5wishesdidyouhaveforyourself/yourlifewhenyouweremyage?Which
ofthesewouldqualifyaswantsandwhichasneeds/necessities?

b.
Didyoupursueanyofthesewishestomakethemcometrue?How?Whatdidyou
havetodo?Didanyofthemcometrue?Whatdidthatmeanforyou?Howdiditimpact
thepeopleyouloveand/orthosearoundyou?

c.
Foryourwishesnotpursuedorachieved,whathappened?

d.
Doyouhaveanyregretsregardingyourwishesachievedorotherwise?

e.
Wouldyouliketoimpartanyadviceonlifewishestome?

10.
Whatlessonsdoyouthinkthesecharacterslearned:

TheBakersWife?Jack?LittleRedRidinghood?


11.
Afterseeingtheplay,tracethejourneyofonecharacter.Whatdotheydothatseemsbad
orselfish?Whatdotheydothatseemsgoodorselfless?Doyouthinkofthemasagoodorbad
person?

12.
Doesdoingabadthingmeanyouareabadperson?

13.
Whatisyourdefinitionofagoodperson?

14.
Canyouthinkofatimeinyourlifewhenyoudidsomethingthathurtsomeoneelse,even
thoughyoudidnotintendforthattohappen?Howdidyoufeelafterwards?Whatdidyoudo?

15.
Whenwereadastory,weassumethatacharactercalledthewitchisgoingtobeanevil
person.Weusuallyassumethatthebeautifulprincessisgoingtobeanice,goodperson.Canyou
createastoryinwhichthereverseistrue?Youcanuseatraditionalfairytaleandrewriteitor
writeanewstoryallonyourown.

16.
IntotheWoodsisaboutlearninghowtocareforoneanotherintimesofneed.Thiscan
becalledhavingasenseofcommunityresponsibility.Chooseoneofthesetsoflyricsbelow.
Writeaboutwhatwashappeningintheplaywhentheyweresung.Howdoesthesceneportray
thisideaofcommunityresponsibility?Whenyouhavefinished,drawapicturebelowthe
descriptionillustratingwhathappenedinthescene.

Ittakestwo.
Ithoughtonewasenough.
Itsnottrue.
Ittakestwoofus.
Youcamethrough
Whenthejourneywasrough.
Ittookyou.
Ittooktwoofus.
TheBaker,ActISceneIII

Mothercannotguideyou.
Nowyoureonyourown.
Onlymebesideyou.
Still,yourenotalone.
Nooneisalone.Truly.
Nooneisalone.
Cinderella,ActIISceneII

17.
Canyouthinkofanyotherinstancesinwhichcharactersshowedasenseofcommunity
responsibility?

18.
Amoralisalessonthatthecharacterlearnsinthestorythatwecanapplytoourown
lives.CanyoulearnfromLittleRedslesson?Haveyoueverbeentemptedtodosomething
youknewyoushouldntdo?Whathappened?Useyourexperience(ormakeupanewone)to
writeyourownfairytalewithamoralattheend.Sharewithyourclassmates.

19.
Gotothemovie(tobereleasedonDecember25,2014).Compareandcontrastthemovie
versiontothebroadwayperformancewesawinclass.