Once upon a time…it all started with a wish.
And sometimes, wishes do come true, because up next in Paramount Theatre’s 2022-23 Broadway Series is Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s brilliant reimagining of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales, February 1-March 19, 2023.
(from left) Paramount’s Into the Woods is co-directed by multi-Jeff Award-winner and Paramount Artistic Director Jim Corti, and Trent Stork, Paramount’s Associate Artistic Producer, Casting Director, and 2021-22 winner of the Jeff Award for Director-Musical-Large for Paramount’s Kinky Boots. New to the cast is Natalie Weiss as the Witch.
Venture into the woods with the Baker and his wife on a mystical journey to collect a red cape, a strand of yellow hair, a golden shoe and a white cow to break the spell cast by the Witch. Encounter Little Red Ridinghood searching for bread to feed her grandmother. Join Jack on his adventure up the beanstalk to save his cow Milky White. Attend the King’s festival with Cinderella and her stepsisters. Discover Rapunzel locked away in a high tower. Come experience Into the Woods, but be aware, ever after isn’t always happy.
Paramount’s staging of one of the most astounding and original fairytale retellings theatre has ever seen will be co-directed by Artistic Director, Jim Corti, and Associate Artistic Producer and Casting Director, Trent Stork. Corti, responsible for Paramount hits like Newsies, The Producers, Sweeney Todd and Les Misérables, remains Chicago’s only theater artist to have won Jeff Awards as an actor, choreographer and director. Stork is still riding high after earning their first Jeff Award for Director-Musical-Large for mega-staging last season of Paramount’s Kinky Boots.
If you’ve seen The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella on Paramount’s stage, then you know the spectacle and extravagance that awaits audiences who come to downtown Aurora for an unforgettable adventure Into the Woods.
Previews start February 1, 2023. Opening Night is Friday, February 10, at 8 p.m. Performances run through March 19: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (exception: No 1:30 p.m. matinee on Wednesday, February 1).
Single tickets are $28 to $79. Three-show 2022-23 subscriptions including Paramount’s current production, The Sound of Music, Into the Woods and School of Rock are still on sale, starting at just $51. For group discounts, contact Melissa Streidl, melissas@paramountarts.com or (630) 723-2461.
Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. For tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Note: Into the Woods is suggested for ages 12 and up for violence and loud noises.
Paramount’s Into the Woods: Behind the scenes
“Paramount consistently delivers on what is loved about the great shows we select each season and Into the Woods will be no different. We also seem to have a knack for the unexpected – rediscovering what has always been there with a new relevance and emotional impact,” said Jim Corti, co-director, Into the Woods. “For as fantastical as this storytelling is, and however stunning its aesthetic, it’s the humanity of this piece that will linger with you as you travel home. That’s the thing about Sondheim. He’s telling the story of our lives and always beautifully. “
“This production is packed cover to cover with world class talent. These actors are simply the perfect cast to bring Sondheim’s profound words to life on our stage for our audience,” added Trent Stork, who is co-directing Into the Woods with Corti. “Like our story, however, the opportunity to see them ‘is not a lengthy visitor.’”
Paramount's cast for Into the Woods includes (top, from left) Natalie Weiss (Witch), Larry Yando (Narrator/Mysterious Man), Sarah Bockel (Baker’s Wife), Stephen Schellhardt (Baker), Hannah Fernandes (Cinderella), Will Koski (Jack), (middle) Alex Syiek (Cinderella's Prince/Wolf), Devin DeSantis (Rapunzel's Prince), Lucy Panush (Little Red Ridinghood), Molly Hernández (Rapunzel), Christine Bunuan (Jack's Mother), Stephanie Diaz (Milky White), (bottom) 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).
The cast features Natalie Weiss as the Witch. Weiss replaces Stacie Bono, who withdrew from the production after accepting a role on Broadway. Weiss made her Broadway debut understudying the Menonettes in Everyday Rapture. Other career highlights include swinging the National Tour of Les Misérables and performing in the second National Tour of Wicked (Ensemble, Elphaba u/s). She is featured on the soundtrack for The Greatest Showman and can be heard on the original Broadway cast recording of Dear Evan Hansen. Weiss was also an American Idol Season 4 Semi-Finalist.
The cast also features 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 Ridinghood), Molly Hernández (Rapunzel), Christine Bunuan (Jack's Mother), Stephanie Diaz (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). Ensemble members are Grace Bobber, Marta Bady, Alanna Chavez, Adam Fane, Darian Goulding, Sophie Grimm and Ryan Stajmiger.
The full production team is Jim Corti and Trent Stork, co-directors; Kasey Alfonso, choreographer; Kory Danielson, music director, supervisor and conductor; Jeffrey D. Kmiec, scenic designer; Jordan Ross, costume designer; José Santiago, lighting designer; Adam Rosenthal, sound designer; Paul Deziel, projection designer; Jesse Mooney-Bullock, Puppet Designer; Katie Cordts, wig, hair and makeup designer; Jesse Gaffney, properties designer; Ethan Deppe, electronic music designer; Cameron Tragesser, associate music director and associate conductor; Jinni Pike, stage manager; Maegan Burnell, assistant stage manager; and Lanita VanderSchaaf, assistant stage manager.
Rendering of Paramount’s Into the Woods set courtesy set designer Jeffrey D. Kmiec.
Costume renderings for (top, from left) The Baker, Little Red Ridinghood, The Wolf, Jack, (bottom), Rapunzel, Cinderella and the two Princes by costume designer Jordan Ross.
(top, from left) Milky White, Singing Harp, (bottom) Bird and Prince’s horse
puppet renderings by puppet designer Jesse Mooney-Bullock.
Into the Woods features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, and orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. It debuted at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre in 1986 and premiered on Broadway on November 5, 1987, where it won three major Tony Awards (Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical for Joanna Gleason), in a year otherwise dominated by The Phantom of the Opera (1988). The 2014 Disney film adaptation, directed by Rob Marshall, grossed over $213 million worldwide, and received three nominations at both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards.
Special Events
Pay What You Can Performances
- Thursday, February 2, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, February 4, 3 p.m.
Paramount is offering two Pay What You Can performances of Into the Woods: Thursday, February 2, at 7 p.m, and Saturday, February 4 at 3 p.m. Both days, starting at 10 a.m., visit the Paramount Theatre box office in-person to request tickets. Limit four per person. See paramountaurora.com/pay-what-you-can for details.
Access Services
Paramount will offer open and closed captioning on Wednesday, March 15, at 7 p.m.
The performance on Friday, March 17, at 8 p.m. will be interpreted in American Sign Language.
Paramount offers assistive listening devices free of charge at all performances. Check in at the coat room before the show to borrow a listening device.
If you require wheelchair or special seating or other assistance, please contact the box office at (630) 896-6666 or boxoffice@paramountarts.com in advance.
Paramount Theatre’s Covid-19 commitment to and safety and protocol
Paramount Theatre has followed, and will continue to follow, the requirements of the State of Illinois and the Kane County Health Department. Therefore, Paramount is following the guidance of the State of Illinois and recommends, but no longer requires, masks, proof of vaccination or negative COVID test for patrons. Mask wearing is strongly encouraged, but will be optional. For complete details, please read Paramount’s full Covid Policy.
What’s next in Paramount’s 11th Anniversary Broadway Series?
Are you ready to rock?, because Paramount Theatre’s 11th season finale is School of Rock, the fun-loving musical based on the popular Jack Black movie, from the genius mind of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Trent Stork directs. Performances are April 12- June 4, 2023. Opening Night is Friday, April 21, at 8 p.m.
Join the growing ranks of more than 35,000 Broadway Series subscribers at downtown Aurora’s Paramount Theatre. Three-play 2022-23 subscriptions including The Sound of Music, Into the Woods and School of Rock are still on sale, starting at just $51.
To subscribe, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora.
About Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction since 1931.
After launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount Theatre grew to be the second largest subscription house in the U.S. Before Covid, more than 41,000 subscribers from all over Chicagoland and the Midwest were enjoying Paramount’s critically acclaimed, 2019-20 Broadway-caliber productions. In addition, Paramount also presents an array of internationally known comedians, musicians, dance troupes and family shows annually.
Paramount Theatre is one of four live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority. ACCA also oversees downtown Aurora’s newly renovated 165-seat Copley Theatre, home to Paramount’s new BOLD Series, along with the Paramount School of the Arts, RiverEdge Park, the city’s 6,000-seat outdoor summer concert venue, and Stolp Island Theatre, an immersive space opening in summer 2023.
Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals.
For the latest updates, visit ParamountAurora.com or follow @ParamountAurora on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and @paramountarts on Tik Tok.