Ever after isn’t always happy…
Nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Winner of Best Score
Once upon a time…it all started with a wish. Venture into the woods with the Baker and his wife on a mystical journey to collect a red cape, a strand of yellow hair, a golden shoe, and a white cow to break the spell cast by the Witch. Encounter Little Red Riding Hood searching for bread to feed her grandmother. Join Jack on his adventure up the beanstalk to save his cow Milky White. Attend the King’s festival with Cinderella and her stepsisters. Discover Rapunzel locked away in a high tower. If you’ve seen The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast on Paramount’s stage, then you know the spectacle and extravagance that awaits you in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brother’s fairytale. Come experience Into the Woods, but be aware, ever after isn’t always happy…
Suggested for ages 12+, includes violence as well as loud noises
Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Book by JAMES LAPINE
Originally Directed on Broadway by JAMES LAPINE
Orchestrations by JONATHAN TUNICK
Original Broadway production by
HEIDI LANDESMAN, ROCCO LANDESMAN,
RICK STEINER, M. ANTHONY FISHER,
FREDERIC H. MAYERSON, JUJAMCYN THEATERS
Originally produced by
THE GLOBE THEATER, SAN DIEGO, CA.
Into the Woods is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Welcome, dear listener, to the familiar and familial tales of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Ridinghood, and Rapunzel, with the adapted story of her brother, The Baker, and The Baker’s Wife.
As wildly fantastical as these stories get, there’s a lucid realness to these very human beings. Sondheim is always telling us the story of our lives… always beautifully and full of laughter at ourselves.
Sondheim’s symphonic score scintillates comic and romantic, while his lyrics – more than clever – tell the truth: we’re fools and we’re heroes, aspiring and vulnerable.
Find yourself within each character. When in your life were you the whining schoolboy, the lover, the justice, or the slippered pantaloon?
Listen well to this cautionary tale of getting your wish, with its responsibilities and regrets, while coping with the loss of love and loved ones and the potential of moving on… or not.
One must take the journey “through the woods,” accepting its trails and winding roads… emerging changed, evolved, or destroyed.
And it’s never ending.
“Into the Woods, you go again.
You have to every now and then.
Into the Woods, no telling when,
Be ready for the journey.”
– Jim Corti and Trent Stork
Directors of Into the Woods
(from left) Stephen Schellhardt plays the Baker, Natalie Weiss is the Witch and Sarah Bockel plays the Baker’s Wife in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Natalie Weiss plays the Witch in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Lucy Panush (left) plays Little Red Ridinghood and Hannah Fernandes is Cinderella in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
(from left) Stephen Schellhardt plays the Baker, Larry Yando is the Narrator, and Sarah Bockel plays the Baker’s Wife in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Cinderella (Hannah Louise Fernandes) talks to the birds in in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. The bird puppets, by Jesse Mooney-Bullock, are puppeteered by ensemble members (back, from left) Alanna Chavez, Sophie Grimm, Darian Goulding and Ryan Stajmiger. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Cinderella (Hannah Louise Fernandes) gets left behind as her stepmother (Kelli Harrington) and stepsisters Florinda (Ann Delaney) and Lucinda (Landree Fleming) depart for the Prince’s Ball in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Lucy Panush (left) plays Little Red Ridinghood and Alex Syiek is the Wolf in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods features (from left) Adam Fane as Milky White, Will Koski as Jack, Stephen Schellhardt as the Baker and Sarah Bockel as the Baker’s Wife. Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Cinderella's Prince (Alex Syiek, left) and Rapunzel's Prince (Devin DeSantis) perform the song “Agony” in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
The Witch (Natalie Weiss, right) casts her spell on the Mysterious Man (Larry Yando) in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Rapunzel (Molly Hernández) lets down her hair in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Natalie Weiss (left) plays the Witch and Molly Hernández is Rapunzel in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods features (from left) Will Koski as Jack, Stephen Schellhardt as the Baker and Lucy Panush as Little Red Ridinghood. Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
(from left) Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods features Stephen Schellhardt as the Baker, Will Koski as Jack, Natalie Weiss as the Witch, Hannah Louise Fernandes as Cinderella and Lucy Panush as Little Red Ridinghood. Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Cinderella (Hannah Louise Fernandes, center left) talks to the birds as Little Red Ridinghood (Lucy Panush) looks on in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Sarah Bockel (center, left) plays the Baker’s Wife and Stephen Schellhardt is the Baker in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Molly Hernández plays Rapunzel in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Will Koski plays Jack in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Stephen Schellhardt (left) plays the Bake and Sarah Bockel is the Baker’s Wife in Paramount Theatre’s Into the Woods. Paramount’s Jim Corti and Trent Stork co-direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023, at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets: paramountaurora.com or (630) 896-6666. Credit: Liz Lauren
Meet the Team
Cast
Natalie Weiss *
The Witch
making Paramount Theatre debut
Larry Yando *
Narrator/Mysterious Man
making Paramount Theatre debut
Sarah Bockel *
Baker’s Wife
previously in Cinderella and Fiddler on the Roof
Stephen Schellhardt *
Baker
previously in Into the Woods, The Sound of Music, and Fun Home
Hannah Fernandes *
Cinderella
making Paramount Theatre debut
Will Koski *
Jack
making Paramount Theatre debut
Alex Syiek *
Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince
previously in Groundhog Day: The Musical
Devin DeSantis *
Rapunzel’s Prince
previously in Into the Woods, Kinky Boots, The Little Mermaid, Hairspray, Les Misérables and The Who’s Tommy
Lucy Panush
Little Red Ridinghood
making Paramount Theatre debut
Molly Hernández *
Rapunzel
making Paramount Theatre debut
Christine Bunuan *
Jack’s Mother
making Paramount Theatre debut
Adam Fane *
Milky White
previously in Into the Woods, The Sound of Music, The Producers, The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia, Hairspray and Mary Poppins
Kelli Harrington
Cinderella’s Stepmother
Previously in Cinderella
Landree Fleming *
Lucinda
previously in Hairspray
Ann Delaney *
Florinda
previously in Into the Woods and Newsies
Dana Tretta *
Cinderella’s Mother/Granny/Giant
previously in A Christmas Story and Hair
Dakota Hughes
Steward
previously in School of Rock, Into the Woods, Cinderella, and Kinky Boots
Nnamdi K. Nwankwo
Cinderella’s Father
making Paramount Theatre debut
Marta Bady *
Ensemble
Previously in Into The Woods and Little Shop of Horrors.
Grace Bobber
Sleeping Beauty, Ensemble
making Paramount Theatre debut
Alanna Chavez
Snow White, Ensemble
making Paramount Theatre debut
Darian Goulding
Ensemble
previously in Into the Woods
Sophie Grimm *
Ensemble
previously in The Sound of Music, Groundhog Day, Legally Blonde, and Les Misèrables
Ryan Stajmiger *
Ensemble
previously in Into the Woods
Artistic Team
Jim Corti ‡
Co-Director
Paramount Theatre’s Artistic Director and 8-time Jeff Award winner
Kory Danielson
Music Director and Conductor
Kasey Alfonso
Choreographer
Jeffrey D. Kmiec †
Scenic Designer
Jordan Ross
Costume Designer
José Santiago †
Lighting Designer
Adam Rosenthal
Sound Designer
Paul Deziel
Projections Designer
Katie Cordts
Wig, Hair & Makeup Designer
Jesse Mooney-Bullock
Puppets Designer
Ethan Deppe
Electronic Music Designer
Trent Stork
Casting Director
Jinni Pike *
Stage Manager
Maegan Burnell *
Asst. Stage Manager
Lanita VanderSchaaf *
Asst. Stage Manager
Cameron Tragesser
Assoc. Music Director & Assoc. Conductor
* indicates member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA)
† indicates member of United Scenic Artists (USA)
‡ indicates member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
