Wishes wind their way to coming true in Paramount Theatre’s fairy tale twister “Into The Woods”

Photos provided by Liz Lauren

Practically anyone on earth is probably familiar with the Grimm Brothers fairy tales “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack And The Beanstalk,” “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella,” but when Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine mashed them and several others up within the creative cauldron of “Into The Woods,” it made them even more unforgettable.

Though it originally debuted on Broadway in 1987, the musical got another boost in 2014 as a Disney movie, but thanks to the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, it’s back on stage, co-directed by Artistic Director, Jim Corti, and Associate Artistic Producer and Casting Director, Trent Stork.

It turns out the cast is just as much of a knockout as those Jeff Award winners, starting with Natalie Weiss as the Witch, who besides a bunch of tours, was also an “American Idol” finalist, featured on the soundtrack of “The Greatest Showman” and the cast recording of “Dear Evan Hansen.”

She’s joined by a whole host of notables, such as Larry Yando (Narrator/Mysterious Man), Sarah Bockel (Baker’s Wife), Stephen Schellhardt (Baker), Hannah Fernandes (Cinderella), Will Koski (Jack), Alex Syiek (Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf), Devin DeSantis (Rapunzel’s Prince), Lucy Panush (Little Red Riding Hood), Molly Hernández (Rapunzel), Christine Bunuan (Jack’s Mother), Adam Fane (Milky White), Kelli Harrington (Cinderella’s Stepmother), Landree Fleming (Lucinda), Ann Delaney (Florinda), Dana Tretta (Granny/Cinderella’s Mother/Giant), Dakota Hughes (Steward) and Nnamdi K. Nwankwo (Cinderella’s Father).

Despite the quantity of characters, it’s easy to keep up given so many are already engrained in the essence of pop culture, plus the writing is so skillful, audiences will likely always be enchanted for the nearly three-hour duration.

The running time may seem like it’s on the longer side, but moves quickly from the moment the Baker and his wife begin their quest “Into The Woods” to break a spell, all while Little Red Riding Hood goes to meet her grandmother, Jack strives to save his cow, Cinderella sets her eyes on the King’s festival and the tower-bound Rapunzel seeks to break the chains of captivity.

Their individual courses wind up overlapping on multiple occasions, and in the process, wishes appear to be coming true, leading to an assumption all will live happy ever after.

However, following an intermission, there’s a gradual unraveling as dreams begin to shatter, paths start to stray in very adult-leaning ways and the fingers of blame get frequently pointed.

In many ways, “Into The Woods” mirrors the common human condition, especially during this season of heightened division, but when people pledge to work together, trade revenge for forgiveness and make a conscious decision to move forward, no matter how much they’ve been wronged, the collective risk is well worth the eventual reward.

The Paramount in particular deserves extra credit for being the first in the Chicago area to spearhead such a vital rebirth, accompanied by some of the most stunning scenery imaginable that simulates going “Into The Woods,” where hopefully everyone leaves a little kinder and a lot wiser than when the journey began.

“Into The Woods” continues at the Paramount Theatre through Sunday, March 19. For additional details, visit ParamountAurora.com.