Into the Woods: Difference between revisions

Now has a [[Into the Woods/Characters|character sheet]].

* [[Acting for Two]]: According to [[Original Cast Precedent]], the Narrator and the Mysterious Man are played by the same actor. Same goes for Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf, as well as Cinderella's Mother and the Giantess ''and'' Granny. Usually played in an [[And You Were There]] fashion, at least for the first two actors.

* [[All for Nothing]]: The second act does this to the first act. Especially for {{spoiler|the Baker.}}

* [[And You Were There]]: Depending on the production, some characters with similar traits are played by the same actor. See [[Acting for Two]] above.

** Also the Giantess. Let's face it: her charges against Jack have a lot of justice to them.

* [[Anyone Can Die]]: Played to the extreme when they kill off the least likely character of all... {{spoiler|the Narrator}}

* [[The Casanova]]: Both Princes.

* [[Catchphrase Interruptus]]: The Mysterious Man's enigmatic introduction, the final time he offers it; overlaps with [[Rule of Three]].

* [[Character Development]]: In the end, the only good thing out of the whole mess was that the (still living) main characters grew as individuals and are ultimately better people than they were before.

* [[Crapsack World]]: The world becomes this during the second act, especially after {{spoiler|the Narrator dies}}, after he says, prophetically, "You don't want to live in a world of chaos."

* [[Curse Escape Clause]]

** {{spoiler|Rapunzel is so traumatized she's gone crazy by the beginning of Act Two and eventually throws herself in the Giant's path.}}

* [[Disappeared Dad]]: Jack's. Mentioned as being "not back" for one line in the first act and never brought up again.

** "I guess it does take two to make a baby!"

* [[Double Standard]]: See Karma Houdini below, but in a nutshell: {{spoiler|The Baker's Wife is unfaithful and dies moments later, while the Princes--who were also being unfaithful--forget their wives and find other women to rescue, marry, and presumably cheat on again.}}

* [[Dumb Blonde]]: Cinderella's stepsisters. Rapunzel also show elements of this in act one. By act two she's [[It Got Worse|fallen apart somewhat.]]

* [[Earn Your Happy Ending]]

* [[Exact Words]] / [[Loophole Abuse]]: The Baker needs to find "Hair as yellow as corn." Nothing says that the hair {{spoiler|cannot come from an ''actual'' ear of corn.}}

* [[Extreme Omnivore]]: After collecting all four of the items, the Witch order the Baker and his wife to {{spoiler|feed them to the cow, then milk her.}}

** As do Cinderella's stepsisters (though by birds rather than thorns).

** {{spoiler|And the Giantess}}.

* [[Five Stages of Grief]]: {{spoiler|The Baker goes through these during Act II after his wife is killed.}}

* [[For the Evulz]]: The reason that The Witch curses The Baker's family to forever be barren.

* [[In Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves]]: The Witch's perception of human nature

* [[It Got Worse]]: The second act, particularly with the death of {{spoiler|the Narrator}}, immediately after which {{spoiler|Rapunzel and Jack's Mother also die, and the Baker and his wife exchange angry last words to each other}}.

** Or "I Wish" Song.

* [[I Was Quite a Looker]]: The Witch. {{spoiler|And she becomes a looker again.}}

* [[Losing the Team Spirit]]: A good chunk of Act II after {{spoiler|The Baker's Wife is killed and The Baker has his [[Heroic BSOD]], abandoning the other surviving characters for a while}}.

* [[The Lost Woods]]

* [[Make a Wish]]: "I wish..." opens the show. Magic, however, comes in only indirectly - Cinderella going to her mother's grave to request silver and gold (a dress appears); the Baker and his Wife agree to [[Fetch Quest|fulfill the demands of the Witch,]] who would then allow them to conceive a child. However, all of their wishes come back to haunt them in Act II, which opens with the same words.

** Ends with them, too. (But it's usually drowned out by the applause.)

** Also, how does the Witch climb up Rapunzel's hair without any trouble and without hurting the girl? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy7b66adOYo She doesn't.]

* [[Never Got to Say Goodbye]]: {{spoiler|The Baker and his wife. MAJOR Tearjerker.}}

* [[Good Is Not Nice|Nice Is Not Good]]

* [[Ninja Prop]]: The narrator {{spoiler|becomes one}}.

'''Cinderella:''' "And I, the faraway prince." }}

* [[We Could Have Avoided All This]]: {{spoiler|When the characters try to [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|offer the Narrator]] to the Giantess as a sacrifice, the Narrator reminds them that the story would be lost if he was obliterated. Regardless of this, however, the Witch gives the Narrator to the Giantess anyway, and as soon as the Giantess sees that the Narrator isn't Jack, the Narrator is dropped from the Giantess' hand and killed. Possibly concerned of the subsequent events of the story without the Narrator, the Baker's Wife points out: "We might have thought of something else."}}

{{quote| '''Jack:''' Maybe I shouldn't have stolen from the Giant.<br />

'''Little Red Riding Hood:''' Maybe I shouldn't have strayed from the path.<br />

* [[Wham Line|Wham Moment]]: Act Two is going great, everyone's "So happy" - until the Giantess enters.

** There is a very minor [[Wham Line]] near the beginning; when Red Riding Hood enters, she says that she found her house collapsed, and the music stops briefly {{spoiler|when she says that she couldn't find her mother.}}

** {{spoiler|Rapunzel's twin babies.}}

*** In some productions, {{spoiler|they die with their mother under the Giantess' foot. In case you didn't get that Act II was going to be rough...}}

** Also an example in-story during act two: the heroes have to do some quick thinking to remember, "''What happened to the last magic bean?''" The answer: The Baker's Wife tried to pawn it to Cinderella, who just threw it aside, and the Wife never found it. That allowed that bean to {{spoiler|take root and grow into a ''second'' beanstalk.}}

*** Which begs the question of {{spoiler|all those beans the Witch throws around in 'Last Midnight.' Are we sure all of them were picked up? What if another stalk sprouts?}}

** {{spoiler|Little Red Riding Hood, worries about this, when they plan to kill the giant. "A giant's still a person, isn't it?"}}

** "Your Fault", meanwhile, is everyone calling everyone out for awhile, before deciding to throw all the blame on the Witch, who is definitely not blameless.

** "No More" opens with the Baker calling {{spoiler|his father}} out on his actions.

*** And the rest of the song is {{spoiler|the Baker's father}} calling the Baker out on his decision to run away from his problems.

* [[When the Clock Strikes Twelve]]

{{quote| "Dwarfs are very upsetting..."}}

* [[World of Cardboard Speech]]: The Witch's [[Villainous Breakdown]] [[Crowning Music of Awesome]], "The Last Midnight".