“Children Will Listen”: an exploration on Judaism, motherhood, and stereotype in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods

Abstract

This thesis explores the interplay between themes of motherhood, stereotype, and Judaism in one of Stephen Sondheim’s most famous and most often-performed musicals, Into the Woods. It endeavors to prove that the some of the characters in Into the Woods are coded as stereotypical Jewish Mothers, as seen on television, in movies, in books, and other forms of popular culture. This coding allows audience members to engage with a character that may feel familiar to them, but, like his use of popular fairy tales in Into the Woods, Sondheim's portrayal of a well-known stereotype complicates an audience’s typical understanding of what it means. Exploration into relevant historical background of the history of Judaism in musical theatre, Stephen Sondheim’s life and upbringing, and the Jewish Mother stereotype all provide an entry point into how these topics play together. Historical background and thorough analysis of some of the female characters in Into the Woods reveal the ways in which the Jewish Mother stereotype is evident throughout the musical and offer insight into the broader importance of subversion of these stereotypes.