Once upon a time, fairy tale characters were relegated to their own stories. In "Into the Woods," the Pasquerilla East Musical Company changes this to bring to life princes, witches and beautiful maidens all drawn from a vast collection of classic fairy tales.

The plot of "Into the Woods" mingles characters from an assortment of fairy tales, all ginterconnecting in a fun-filled, action-packed ride. Act I opens by introducing three different storylines onstage at once, with the focus bouncing between them.

Cinderella (Devon Candura) wishes to go to the King's festival; absentminded Jack (Matt Patricoski) is told by his mother (Erin Porvaznik) that he must sell his beloved cow Milky-White; the Baker (Ryan McLaughlin) and his wife (Patricia Gilbert) long for a child; and the famished Little Red Riding Hood (Molly McShane) bursts into the house of the Baker and his wife to gather sweets and breads for her granny.

The Baker and his wife soon learn from their ugly witch neighbor (Lindsey Horvath) that the Baker's father stole from her garden years ago. In order to undo the witch's curse and have a child, she orders them to find four ingredients for a potion before three days' time: "the cow as white as milk; the cape as red as blood; the hair as yellow as corn; the slipper as pure as gold."

During the frenzied search that ensues, more characters play additional roles in the pandemonium, including the Narrator and Mysterious Man (Michael Federico), a ravenous Wolf (Tom Anthony), two princes (Zachary Linnert and Brian Grundy), a gigantic beanstalk, a dead Giant, a flour-covered cow and more. All problems are resolved as Act I ends, and it seems that all are destined to live happily ever after.

Then Act II starts.

The action continues as the characters are reintroduced, all considerably happier with their new lives. A sudden disaster involving another giant, however, reunites the characters in the wood once again. The play concludes with several surprising twists and tragedies, with a finale more realistic and less bright and shiny than Act I's.

The orchestra is magnificent with Stephen Sondheim's difficult music, and provides an emotional musical background as well as sound effects. The wonderful lyrics and songwriting allow for standout performances by the many talented singers in the cast. Candura shines in gorgeous solos, like "No One is Alone," and plays Cinderella as a character who changes a great deal during the course of events.

"Cinderella matures from the first act to the second act. As you can see in the first act, she is young and naïve when making decisions about the prince because she doesn't really know what she wants out of life. In the second act she's able to understand herself better and make her own decisions," Candura said.

"The other thing I really like about her is that she sort of becomes a mother figure at the end, and all this time she had been praying to her own mother who passed away. She finally steps out on her own," Candura said.

Changes are evident in many of the characters; James Lapine, who wrote the book, incorporated numerous morals among the humor and drama.

Another outstanding performance among many is Patricoski as the sensitive and youthful Jack. Wavering between bravery and weakness, obedience and defiance, he sings a soaring rendition of "Giants in the Sky." McLaughlin and Gilbert also have excellent interaction as the quarreling husband and wife who realize the extent of their love during turmoil. Both use their powerful voices during climactic moments as two of the main characters.

McShane is delightful as the independent, sensible and fearless Little Red Riding Hood, while Anthony is wonderfully malicious, sneaky and smooth-talking as the sinister Wolf. His "Hello, Little Girl" is as well-sung as it is disturbing. One of the most complex portrayals, however, is Horvath's Witch. At once frightening and cruel, she harbors motherly instincts and hurt feelings when betrayed by Rapunzel (April Trimble).

Two of the best moments in the play occur during duets between Linnert and Grundy's arrogant and competitive princes. Hysterically comical and cleverly self-indulgent, the two "Agony" performances are among the most hilarious parts of the play.

The dance sequences, both those with only two characters and those with the entire cast, are lively and add to the action without taking away from it.

Kat Walsh, who choreographed the production, feels that the audience can learn from the characters.

"I think the message is important at any time in your life, in any era. It's something you can relate to … for kids it's a fairy tale, for young adults it's cool to watch, for people who are in college you're at a turning point in your life and for older people it's something to look back on," Walsh said.

Director Lizzie Bracken agrees that the play will appeal to a variety of people. "It's a lovely production, it's meant to be beautiful and we've all struggled to keep that consistency with every aspect of it, to make it enchanting," Bracken said.

The cast and crew have worked since October, and the result includes touching, lyrical melodies as well as light, bubbly tunes. The play is lengthy with one intermission, but the plot moves so quickly that it is hard to notice. With impressive mood changes, from ominous to cheery to hopeful to dismal, in everything from the acting, singing, dancing and lighting, this fantastic production should lure many people "Into the Woods."

Contact Christie Bolsen at cbolsen@nd.edu

• Giants and witches and wolves, oh my!