Photo Flash: Lauren Kennedy, Danielle Ferland, et al. in Westport Country Playhouse's INTO THE WOODS

A 25th anniversary production of the imaginative, fractured-fairy tale musical "Into the Woods" by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim will be staged at the theater where Sondheim was an apprentice in 1950, Westport Country Playhouse, in Westport, CT, through May 26. Directed by Mark Lamos, The Playhouse's artistic director, the musical will open the historic theater's 82nd season. It is co-produced with Baltimore's CENTERSTAGE.

A multiple Tony Award winner, "Into the Woods" takes the audience to a beguiling and dark place inspired by the Grimm fairy tales. Among the classic characters that wander the woods searching for fulfillment of their wishes are Cinderella and her wicked stepsisters, Little Red Ridinghood and the Wolf, Rapunzel and her Prince, and Jack of beanstalk fame. As their fanciful tales intertwine, they are forced to confront the harsh reality of what actually happens after "happily ever after."

Check out just-released production shots below!

The 15-member cast includes Danielle Ferland from Derby, CT (Broadway's "Into the Woods," "Sunday in the Park with George") as the Baker's Wife; Erik Liberman (Broadway's "LoveMusik," Helen Hayes Award for "Merrily We Roll Along") as the Baker; Lauren Kennedy (Broadway's "Spamalot," "Sunset Boulevard") as the Witch; Jeffry Denman (Broadway's "The Producers," "White Christmas") as the Narrator; Justin Scott Brown from Avon, CT (25th Anniversary National Tour of "Les Misérables") as Jack; Cheryl Stern (2010 revival of "La Cage aux Folles") as Jack's Mother; and Nik Walker ("Miss Saigon," "Rent") as the Wolf and Cinderella's Prince.

Also, Jenny Latimer (Westport Country Playhouse's "She Loves Me") as Cinderella; Dana Steingold (Broadway's "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee") as Little Red Ridinghood; Jeremy Lawrence (Manhattan Theatre Club's "Five by Tenn") as the Mysterious Man; Robert Lenzi (Lincoln Center's "South Pacific") as Rapunzel's Prince; Alma Cuervo (Broadway's "Titanic," "Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown," "Beauty and the Beast") as Cinderella's Stepmother, Granny and voices the Giant; Britney Coleman (regional premiere of "Tarzan: The Broadway Musical") as Rapunzel and Cinderella's Mother; Eleni Delopoulos (Off-Broadway's "A Stoop on Orchard Street") as Lucinda; and Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Broadway's "Chicago") as Florinda;

For more information or tickets, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to The Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), view Playhouse videos on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse) or get an insider's peek on The Playhouse Blog (www.theplayhouseblog.org).

Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson

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