Cinderella, played by Emma Dichard, looks dejected in her bright blue ballgown as she sits on a wide outdoor staircase.
A dejected Cinderella (Emma Dichard) waits for her Prince to come along. Credit: Courtesy photo

Lights Up! Theatre Company presents Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Into The Woods, March 9-11 in the Marjorie Luke Theater at Santa Barbara Junior High School. Performances are at 7 p.m. with a 1 p.m. Saturday matinee.

This multiple Tony Award-winning musical, celebrated as one of Sondheim’s masterpieces, intertwines classic fairy tales with a contemporary edge, and explores the idea of what happens when you get your “happily ever after.”

A frightened Baker (Noah Olorin) holds onto his wife (Vera Sieck) as the Witch (Katherine Ball) confronts them in the woods.
Vera Sieck as the Baker’s Wife, left; and Noah Olorin as the Baker, are confronted in the woods by the Witch, played by Katherine Ball. Credit: Courtesy photo

The story opens with the tale of The Baker and his wife, and their quest to have a child. Their journey brings them deeper into the woods, where they encounter all the mischief, magic and mystery it holds. They connect with such fairy tale characters as Red Riding Hood, The Wolf, Cinderella, Repunzel, a pair of handsome princes, and a Witch.

”The genius of ‘Into The Woods’ is that beneath the delightfully relatable stories and characters lie hidden layers of emotional depth, which our actors have loved delving into,” said director Amy Love.

“While these characters were conceived to be played by adults, teens are called upon to cope with the kind of darkness the characters encounter too; and there’s a special kind of poignancy in their interpretations of the fairy tale versus real life consequences,” Love said.

“Time and time again, the message of this show nestles into the heart of everyone present, onstage or off,” said Heather Harkness, Lights Up! assistant director.

For tickets, visit https://www.lightsupsb.com/tickets/. Ticket prices: adults $35, students/teachers $25, VIP $65.