MunOpCo Music Theater opens its 96th season with the Stephen Sondheim musical, “Into The Woods,” Feb. 16-25, in the recently-renovated Scottish Rite Cathedral, Allentown.

“The Scottish Rite has renovated their space, and we are so lucky to be one of their first shows back,” says Daniel Petrovich, director of the MunOpCo production of “Into The Woods,” for which Nancy Broadbent is music director.

As part of a $500,000-renovation of Scottish Rite Cathedral, built in 1969, seats were refurbished in the 760-seat auditorium, carpet was replaced, the vestibule was revamped, exterior doors were replaced and restrooms were upgraded.

The 1987 musical, “Into The Woods,” with music and lyrics by Sondheim and a book by James Lapine, intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests.

The main characters are Cinderella (Alyssa Steiner), who wishes to attend the king’s festival; Jack (Alejandro Rodriguez) of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” who wishes his cow, Milky White, would give milk; The Baker (Sean McFarland) and The Baker’s Wife (Miki Fuentes), who wish to have a child; Little Red Riding Hood (Angelina Dries), who wishes for bread to bring to her grandmother, and Rapunzel (Deanna Mogianesi), who wishes to escape the tower in which she has been imprisoned by The Witch (Nina Metrick).

The musical is tied together by a story involving The Baker and The Baker’s Wife and their quest to begin a family despite a curse placed on them by The Witch, and their interaction with the other storybook characters during their journey.

The MunOpCo “Into The Woods” cast includes Cameron Kunsman, Fred Broadbent, Connor Roberts, Jake Hare, Ryan Zickafoose. Moriah Faith, Talia Sites, Shy Torres, Lana Brucker, Wendy Borst, Jack Warnke, Victoria Spruiell, Dmitri Melton, Angel D’Andria, Mackenzie Hall, Maggie Toner and Abby Roth.

“Into The Woods” premiered on Broadway in 1987, when it was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, winning three Tonys, including for Best Score and Best Book.

The musical has been produced many times, with a 1988 United States national tour, a 1990 West End London production, a 1997 10th-anniversary concert, a 2010 London revival, a 2012 Shakespeare in the Park production in New York City and a 2014 Disney film adaptation.

A 2002 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival and a second Broadway revival in 2022 was nominated for six Tony Awards. The original cast recording won a Grammy Award, as did the cast album of the 2022 revival.

“Into The Woods,” 7 p.m. Feb. 16, 17, 23, 24; 2 p.m. Feb. 25, MunOpCo Music Theatre, Scottish Rite Cathedral, 1533 Hamilton St., Allentown. 610-437-2441;

https://www.munopco.org/

“Curtain Rises” is a column about the theater, stage shows, the actors in them and the directors and artists who make them happen. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com