I've been asked to sing Last Midnight in a cabaret-style show with my youth group. I have never seen Into The Woods, (We're doing the show next year, though - SO excited!) and I've heard the Last Midnight song, but I wonder if someone could put it in context for me? I know the other characters have an argument before it and the Witch basically breaks it up, but:

"We can always give her the boy...No?"
"...Just give me the boy."

What boy is she talking about?
Thanks

IntoTheSpotlight

The boy to which she is referring is Jack (of "Jack & the Beanstalk"). In short, Jack killed the Giant from the famous fairy tale. Now, in Act II, the Giant's wife comes to the kingdom to find the lad who killed her husband. Some characters want to save Jack, but others (in this case the Witch) want to sacrifice Jack to save the kingdom and themselves. So in "The Last Midnight," the Witch again tries to get Jack in order to save herself. Hope that helps!

That's funny. I've seen ITW a bajillion times, but I always thought she meant it was the Baker's son because of the lines, "Like his father/ Like his son will be, too".
A quick question: Are you singing the song as the witch or as yourself? Because if you are singing the song as yourself replace the boy (Jack) with something--a scapegoat--from your own life.

I suggest renting the dvd.

The revival lyrics give the song more of meaning and more of a purpose. You should use those lyrics instead of the original.

Thanks guys, that's great! No, I am singing as the witch, but thanks for the tip. Do you know where I can find the revival lyrics?

Thankees for all your help!!

IntoTheSpotlight

Last Midnight:
Witch: It's the last midnight, It's the last wish
It's thelast midnight, soon it will be Boom- Squish!
Told a little lie, stole a little gold, broke a little vow did you?
Had to get your Prince, had to get your cow, had to get you wish,
Doesn't matter how- anyway, it doesn't matter now.
It's the last midnight, it's the boom splat!
Nothing but a vast midnight, everybody smashed flat!
Nothing you can do- not exactly true.
You can always give her the boy!
No? No, of course what matters is the blame.
Someone you can blame. Fine, if that's the thing you enjoy,
Placing the blame, it that's the aim, give me the blame-
Just give me the boy.
Little Red Ridinghood, Cinderella: No!
Witch: No...
(to Baker's baby) You're so pure. But stay here, and in time you'll mature.
And grow up to be them so let's fly, you and I, far away.
I'm the hitch, I'm what no one believes, I'm the witch!
They're all liars and thieves like your father,
Just like you will be, too- Oh, why bother? They'll just do what they do.
It's the last midnight, so goodbye all.
Coming at you fast midnight, soon you'll see the sky fall.
Jack, you want a bean? Have another bean!
Beans were made for making you rich!
Plant them and they'll soar- here, you want some more?
listen to the roar: Giants by the score! Oh, well, you can blame another witch.
It's the last midnight, it's the last verse.
Now before it's past midnight, I'm leaving you my last curse:
I'm leaving you alone. Squirming the mess that you made. Fix it on your own.
Time for me to go, I'm afraid.
Back to what I know. Back to long ago, Safe inside the world that I'm from.
Better ugly and spurned with my powers returned-
And I fear midnight's here. Time to disappear.
Mother- here I come!

http://www.geocities.com/adam_wylie_fan/lyrics.html

At that point, she's singing about the Baker's son.

This topic broached an interesting interpretation I have. Who else thinks it is possible that the Mysterious Man is also Jack's father? After all, he "raped" the Witch in her garden. He certainly could have dallied with Jack's Mother and then hit the highway. He likes to run, right? There is a specific note in the script, Act I Scene 4, specifying that MM "take one look at her [Jack's Mother] and slips behind a tree."

Probably just my crazy character development thoughts...

August 11 Opening Night, Reading PA, Reading Civic Theatre,

Narrator/Mysterious Man

he wasnt raping the witch in a literal sense. he was raping her garden dry.

It really depends on interpretation. The recent Stratford Festival production had the witch wear her garden, giving a whole new idea to the "robbing me, raping me" line. It is very possible that the Mysterious Man is Jack's father as they don't know where he went or when he'll be back. These are the things you are supposed to just make up about your character. I applaud you for being creative.

I don't think that it was supposed to be that way because then the Baker adopts Jack. I suppose it is entirely possible and I also appauld you for genuis. I always thought that MM hid because he didn't want too many people knowing about him.