Most of us have some familiarity with the fairy tales spun into Stephen Sondheim’s lyrically and musically mind-blowing musical “Into the Woods.” And the characters therein: Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Jack, his beanstalk — all in the show (book by James Lapine). “Into the Woods” has long had a convenient synopsis: It’s about what happens after happily-ever-after.
Questions Sondheim addresses: How did things turn out for Cinderella after marrying a guy she’d known for less than three midnights? What kind of mother would imprison her daughter in a castle with no exits and only a hairbrush to keep her occupied? How is the ending of “Jack and the Beanstalk” happy if you’re the giant?
