Songtext Prologue act i The Broadways

Prologue act i

NARRATOR
Once upon a time

CINDERELLA
I wish...

NARRARATOR
in a far-off kingdom

CIDERELLA
More than anything...

NARRARATOR
lived a fair maiden,

CINDERELLA
More than jewels...

NARRARATOR
a sad young lad

JACK
I wish...

NARRATOR
and a childless baker

JACK
More than life...

CINDERELLA & BAKER
I wish...

NARRARATOR
with his wife.

JACK
More than anything...

CINDERELLA, BAKER & JACK
More than the moon...

BAKER'S WIFE
I wish...

CINDERELLA
The King is giving a Festival. BAKER & WIFE

BAKER
More than life...

JACK
I wish...

CIDERELLA
I wish to go to the Festival.

BAKER
More than riches...

JACK
I wish my cow would
give us some milk.

CINDERELLA
And the Ball...

BAKER'S WIFE
More than anything...

JACK
Please, pal-

BAKER
I wish we had a child.

BAKER'S WIFE
I want a child...

JACK
Squeeze, pal...

CINDERELLA
I wish to go to the Festival.

JACK
I wish you'd give us some
milk or even cheese...

CINDERELLA
I wish...

BAKER'S WIFE
I wish we might have a child.
I wish...
I wish...

STEPMOTHER
You wish to go to the Festival?

NARRATOR
The poor girl's mother had died,

STEPMOTHER
You Cinderella, you wish to go to the festival?

FLORINDA
What, you, Cinderella, the Festival?
The Festival?!

LUCINDA
What, you wish to go to the Festival?

ALL THREE
The Festival?
The King's Festival?

NARRATOR
And her father had taken for his new wife

STEPMOTHER
The Festival...

NARRARATOR
a woman with two daughters of her own.

FLORINDA
Look at your nails!

LUCINDA
Look at your dress!

STEPMOTHER
People would laugh at you-

CINDERELLA, STEPMOTHER, & STEPSISTERS
Nevertheless,
I/she still want/s to go to the Festival
And dance before the Prince.

NARRATOR
All three were beautiful of face, but vile and black of heart.
Jack, on the other hand, had no father, and his mother-

JACK'S MOTHER
I wish...

NARRATOR
Well, she was not quite beautiful-

JACK'S MOTHER
I wish my son were not a fool.
I wish my house was not a mess.
I wish the cow was full of milk.
I wish the house was full of gold-
I wish a lot of things...

You foolish child!
What are you doing with a cow inside the house?

JACK
A warm enviroment might just be
what Milky White needs to produce
his milk.

JACK'S MOTHER
It's a she!
How many times must I tell you?
Only shes can give milk!

BAKER'S WIFE
Why, come in, little girl.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
I wish...

It's not for me,
It's for my Granny in the woods.
A loaf of bread, please-
To bring my poor old hungry
Granny in the woods...

Just a loaf of bread, please...

NARRATOR
Cinderella's Stepmother had a surprise for her.

STEPMOTHER
I have emptied a pot of lentils into the ashes for you.
If you have picked them out again in two hours' time,
you shall go to the ball with us.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
And perhaps a sticky bun?...
Or four?...

CINDERELLA
Birds in the sky,
Birds in the eaves,
I the leaves,
In the fields,
In the castles and ponds...

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
And a few of those pies... please...

CINDERELLA
Come, little birds,
Down from the eaves
And the leaves,
Over fields,
Out of castles and ponds...

JACK
Now, squeeze, pal...

CINDERELLA
Ahhh...
Quick, little birds,
Flick through the ashes.
Pick and peck, but swiftly,
Sift through the ashes,
Into the pot...

JACK'S MOTHER
Listen well, son. Milky-White must be taken to market.

JACK
But, mother, no- he's the best cow-

JACK'S MOTHER
Was! Was! SHEEEEE'S been dry for a week.
We've no food, no money,
and no choice but to sell her.

JACK
But mother...

JACK'S MOTHER
Look at her!
There are bugs on her dugs.
There are flies in her eyes.
There's a lump on her rump
Big enough to be a hump-

JACK
But-

JACK'S MOTHER
Son,
We've no time to sit and dither,
While her wither's wither with her-
And no one keeps a cow for a friend!

Sometimes I fear you're touched.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
Into the woods,
It's time to go,
I hate to leave,
I have to, though.
Into the woods-
It's time, and so
I must begin my journey.

Into the woods
And through the trees
To where I am
Expected ma'am,
Into the woods
To Grandmother's house-

Into the woods
To Grandmother's house-

BAKER'S WIFE
You're certain of your way?

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
The way is clear,
The light is good,
I have no fear,
Nor no one should.
The woods are just trees,
The trees are just wood.
I sort of hate to ask it,
But do you have a basket?

Into the woods
And down the dell,
The path is straight,
I know it well.
Into the woods,
And who can tell
What's waiting on the journey?

Into the woods
To bring some bread
To Granny who
Is sick in bed.
Never can tell
What lies ahead.
For all that I know,
She's already dead.

But into the woods,
Into the woods,
Into the woods
To Grandmother's house
And home before dark.

CINDERELLA
Fly, birds,
Back to the sky,
Back to the eaves
And the leaves
And the fields
And the-

FLORINDA
Hurry up and do my hair, Cinderella!

Are you really wearing that?

LUCINDA
Here, I found a little tear, Cinderella.

Can't you hide it with a hat?

CINDERELLA
You look beautiful.

FLORINDA
I know.

LUCINDA
She means me.

FLORINDA
Put it in a twist.

LUCINDA
Who will be there?...

CINDERELLA
Mother said be good,
Father said be nice,
That was always their advice.
So be nice, Cinderella,
Good, Cinderella,
Nice good good nice-

FLORINDA
Tighter!

CINDERELLA
What's the good of being good
If everyone is blind
And you're always left behind?
Never mind, Cinderella,
Kind Cinderella-
Nice good nice kind good nice-

(Florinda slaps Cinderella hard across the face.)

FLORINDA
Not that tight!

CINDERELLA
I'm sorry.

FLORINDA
Clod.

NARRATOR
Because the Baker had lost his Father
and his Mother in a baking accident...
Well, at least that's what he believed,
he was eager to have a family of his own, and was concerned
that all efforts until now had failed.

BAKER
Who might that be?

BAKER'S WIFE
We've sold our last loaf of bread.

BAKER
It's the witch from next door!

BAKER & BAKER'S WIFE
We have no bread.

WITCH
Of course you've got no bread!

BAKER
Then what is it you wish?

WITCH
It's not what I wish! It's what you wish!

(points to Baker's Wife)
Nothing cooking in there now is there?

NARRATOR
The old enchantress told the couple she had
placed a spell on their house.

BAKER
What spell?

WITCH
In the past, when you were no more than a babe,
your Father brought his young wife and you here to this cottage.
They were a handsome couple,
but not handsome neighbours!
You see, your mother was with child,
and she had developed an unusual appetite.
She took one look at my beautiful garden,
and told your father that what she wanted more than
anything in the world was

(rapping)
Greens, greens and nothing but greens:
Parsley, peppers, cabbages and celery,
Asparagus and watercress and
Fiddleferns, lettuce-!