A LARGE cast of students from Years 9–13 from Queen Elizabeth’s Theatre Academy are performing the school’s production of Into the Woods.

The finishing touches are being added to ensure the production does not disappoint.

Sondheim’s beautiful score has presented many challenges, but the talented cast have risen to the task with skill and enthusiasm.

Into The Woods intertwines the plots of several Brother’s Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests.

The main characters are taken from Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella, as well as several others.

The musical is tied together by an original story involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, endeavoring to lift a family curse placed on them by the neighborhood witch. As they head off into the woods to get their wish, their paths cross with many other classic storybook characters from princes and wolves to giants and mysterious figures.

The wonderful sets, designed and crafted in-house by Mike Crooks and Robert Logan, create a magical, fairy tale woodland where anything can happen.

Lucy Welsman is working her magic with the Queen Elizabeth’s ever-talented orchestra and supporting her this year is Sam Hatchell, as assistant MD.

Tickets for QE Theatre Academy’s production of Into The Woods are on sale from the School Library at Western Road (01363 778365).

The performances run from Tuesday, February 2 to Saturday, February 6, starting at 7.30pm, with a matinee performance on the Saturday starting at 2.30pm. The performances will take place in the Drama Hall on the Western Road campus.