Fiasco Theater's INTO THE WOODS Extends Through August at The Old Globe

The Old Globe today announced additional performances for the second production of the 2014 Summer Season, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Tony Award-winning musical Into the Woods, which made its World Premiere at The Old Globe in 1986. The production is an inventive reimagining by Fiasco Theater, directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld, in a production that originated at McCarter Theatre Center. By popular demand, it will now play through Sunday, August 17. Tickets for the extension will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, July 29 at noon.

The acting company includes Jessie Austrian (Baker's Wife), Noah Brody (Lucinda, Wolf, Cinderella's Prince), Matt Castle (Pianist), Alison Cimmet (Witch), Paul L. Coffey (Mysterious Man), Andy Grotelueschen (Milky White, Florinda, Rapunzel's Prince), Liz Hayes (Cinderella's Stepmother, Jack's Mother), Claire Karpen (Cinderella, Granny), Patrick Mulryan (Jack, Steward), Ben Steinfeld (Baker), and Emily Young (Little Red Ridinghood, Rapunzel). The creative team includes Lisa Shriver (Choreographer), Derek McLane (Scenic Design), Whitney Locher (Costume Design), Tim Cryan (Lighting Design), Darron L West (Sound Design), Matt Castle (Music Director, Orchestrations), Michael Perlman (Associate Director), and Marcy Victoria Reed (Stage Manager).

One of the greatest musicals of all time returns in triumph to its birthplace, nearly three decades after its world premiere at The Old Globe, in an inventive new production from the critically acclaimed Fiasco Theater that originated at McCarter Theatre Center. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Tony Award-winning masterpiece weaves together beloved fairy tales, then ventures into the unknown territory of life after "happily ever after." Directors Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld conjure a mythical world of theatrical invention where an ordinary rope becomes Jack's famous beanstalk, a ladder becomes Rapunzel's enchanted tower, and the power of transformation creates a beguiling theatre of the imagination.

Into the Woods will now run through August 17, 2014. Tickets for the extension go on sale to the public on Tuesday, July 29 at noon. Performances began July 12, with Opening Night on July 17, on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Single tickets start at $29. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Performance times: Regular performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and younger, seniors, and groups of 10 or more.

In an effort to welcome all families in San Diego to enjoy the magic of theatre, The Old Globe is happy to offer autism-friendly performances, presented in a family-friendly and supportive environment for children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families. There will be an autism-friendly performance of Into the Woods on Saturday, August 9 at 2:00 p.m. Slight adjustments will be made to the production including fewer loud noises and flashing lights that may be challenging for some audience members.

Additional features help make the experience safer and more enjoyable for children with autism and other sensitivity issues. A pre-show visit to the Globe, called "Meet Your Seat," is offered on Saturday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m. to familiarize children with Balboa Park and the Old Globe Theatre. An online social story will be available shortly for parents to view and print at home that outlines in words and pictures the experience that families will enjoy during their trip. The lobby of the theatre serves as a quiet area for children who may need to leave their seat during the show, and on-site volunteers will be on hand to assist families as needed as they arrive at the Globe and throughout the performance. On December 13, the Globe will offer an autism-friendly performance of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Stephen Sondheim (Music and Lyrics), one of the most influential and accomplished composer/lyricists in Broadway history, wrote the music and lyrics for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Anyone Can Whistle (1964), Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), The Frogs (1974), Pacific Overtures (1976), Sweeney Todd (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Into the Woods (1987), Assassins (1991), Passion (1994), and Road Show (2008), as well as lyrics for West Side Story (1957), Gypsy (1959), and Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965) and additional lyrics for Candide (1973). Anthologies of his work include Side by Side by Sondheim, Marry Me a Little, You're Gonna Love Tomorrow, Putting It Together, Moving On, and Sondheim on Sondheim. For films, he composed the score of Stavisky and co-composed Reds as well as songs for Dick Tracy. He also wrote the songs for the television production Evening Primrose, and he co-authored the film The Last of Sheila and the play Getting Away with Murder. Sondheim has received Tony Awards for Best Score/Music/Lyrics for Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, and Passion, as well as the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008. In total, his works have accumulated more than 60 individual and collaborative Tony Awards. "Sooner or Later" from Dick Tracy won the 1999 Academy Award for Best Song. Sondheim received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1984 for Sunday in the Park with George. He was also the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1993 Kennedy Center Honors. His collected lyrics with attendant essays have been published in two volumes: Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made a Hat.

James Lapine (Book, Original Broadway Direction) has worked with Stephen Sondheim on Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, and Passion as well as the recent Broadway show Sondheim on Sondheim. Lapine also directed the first revival of Merrily We Roll Along at La Jolla Playhouse in 1985. With William Finn he has collaborated on Falsettos, A New Brain, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Little Miss Sunshine. His other Broadway credits include Act One, Annie, The Diary of Anne Frank, Golden Child, and Amour. He has written the plays Table Settings, Twelve Dreams, Luck, Pluck & Virtue, The Moment When, Fran's Bed, and Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing.

Presented in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, the Old Globe 2014 Shakespeare Festival began June 22 with Shakespeare's great tragedy Othello, directed by Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, and will continue with Shakespeare's comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Globe alumnus and Tony Award nominee Mark Lamos (Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Pentecost, Resurrection Blues). Rounding out the season is Ronald Harwood's comedy Quartet, directed by Richard Seer, in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center.

Additional events taking place during the run of Into the Woods include:

POST-SHOW FORUM: Into the Woods

Tuesday, July 29.

Discuss the play with members of the cast and crew following the performance. FREE

FYI: the CABRILLO BRIDGE has reopened, you can now drive into Balboa Park on Laurel Street from the west side of the park!

The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Guests may also be dropped off in front of the Mingei International Museum. The Balboa Park valet is located in front of the Japanese Friendship Garden. Valet parking is also available during performances ($10). For additional parking information, visit www.BalboaPark.org. For directions and up-to-date information, visit www.TheOldGlobe.org/Directions.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for over 75 years. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Michael G. Murphy, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 14 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Catered Affair, and the annual holiday musical Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

Photo Credit: Jim Cox