Opened: September 29, 1987

Book by: James Lapine

Music & Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim

Original Broadway Cast: Tom Aldredge, Joanna Gleason, Bernadette Peters, Robert Westenberg, Chip Zien, Barbara Bryne, Kim Crosby, Maureen Davis, Danielle Ferland, Joy Franz, Philip Hoffman, Jean Kelly, Merle Louise, Edmund Lyndeck, Kay McClelland, Lauren Mitchell, Chuck Wagner, Pamela Winslow & Ben Wright

With a new take on classic fairytales, this musical has a darker happily ever after.

A baker (Chip Zien) and his wife (Joanna Gleason) go into the woods to lift a curse. Cinderella (Kim Crosby) goes into the woods to make it to the ball. Jack (Ben Wright) goes into the woods to sell his cow. Along the way, their stories converge and none will leave the woods the way they came.

The score by Stephen Sondheim is fantastically written. There’s so much joy and hope mixed with sorrow and defeat that keeps the audience on their toes. Bernadette Peters is mesmerizing as the Witch.

Act I and Act II feel like two different shows and you might hope you could erase the second from your memory, but the ending is powerful.

Final say: Going in is a good choice. ★★★★☆