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Photo Flash: First Look at INTO THE WOODS in Central Park; Extended Through 9/1!

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Patrick Willingham) announced today that it will extend Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's beloved musical INTO THE WOODS one final week through Saturday, September 1. The Shakespeare in the Park production, part of The Public's 50th Anniversary season at the Delacorte, will officially open on Thursday, August 9. Check out just-released production shots below!

"I am delighted that our first Sondheim in the Park has caused such enthusiasm in our audience, and I'm happy that we'll spend an additional week in the woods with this amazing cast," said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis.

Tickets for Shakespeare in the Park are free and distributed the day of the performance. All performances are at 8:00 p.m. For ticket information and performance schedule, visit www.shakespeareinthepark.org or call 212-539-8750. The Delacorte Theater in Central Park is accessible by entering at 81st Street and Central Park West or at 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Directed by Timothy Sheader with co-direction by Liam Steel, INTO THE WOODS began previews on Tuesday, July 24 and was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, August 25.

The Public Theater will offer a special family-friendly matinee of INTO THE WOODS on Wednesday, August 22 at 3 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater. This matinee is designed to engage younger audiences and to serve families unable to attend evening performances. The 95-minute production will comprise act one only of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's beloved musical INTO THE WOODS. There will still be an 8:00 p.m. evening performance of INTO THE WOODS on August 22. Tickets to the special family-friendly matinee will be distributed for FREE primarily through the Virtual Ticketing lottery (www.shakespeareinthepark.org/matinee), with a limited number of tickets available through a stand-by line on the day of the performance.

The cast of INTO THE WOODS features Amy Adams (Baker's Wife); Jack Broderick (Narrator); Glenn Close (The Voice of the Giant); Gideon Glick (Jack); Cooper Grodin (Rapunzel's Prince); Ellen Harvey (Cinderella's Stepmother); Ivan Hernandez (Cinderella's Prince, Wolf); Tina Johnson (Red Ridinghood's Granny); Josh Lamon (Steward); Bethany Moore (Florinda); Jessie Mueller (Cinderella); Donna Murphy (The Witch); Denis O'Hare (The Baker); Jennifer Rias (Lucinda); Laura Shoop (Cinderella's Mother); Tess Soltau (Rapunzel); Sarah Stiles (Little Red Ridinghood); Kristine Zbornik (Jack's Mother); and Chip Zien (Mysterious Man). The non-Equity ensemble of INTO THE WOODS features Victoria Cook, Johnny Newcomb, Noah Radcliffe, and Eric R. Williams.

In INTO THE WOODS, a witch's curse condemns the Baker and his Wife to a life without children. They embark on a quest to find the four items required to break the spell: the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold. Will they succeed? And what happens after "happily ever after?" A Tony Award-winning masterpiece by musical theater giants Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, INTO THE WOODS is a witty and irreverent reimagining of beloved classic fairytales: Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Cinderella.

The 2012 Shakespeare in the Park summer production of INTO THE WOODS is based on the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre London Production, produced by Timothy Sheader and William Village for Regent's Park Theatre Ltd.

INTO THE WOODS features scenic design by John Lee Beatty and Soutra Gilmour; costume design by Emily Rebholz; lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by ACME Sound Partners, puppetry by Rachael Canning, wig design by Leah Loukas, movement direction by Liam Steel; orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick; and musical direction by Paul Gemignani.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus