Into the Woods is coming to South Coast Repertory: What You Need to Know

South Coast Repertory kicks off its 63rd season with a brand new production of Into the Woods running September 12 through October 18, 2026. And this is BIG! This show marks the musical's 40th anniversary, and this is South Coast Repertory's first time ever staging it. If you're looking for something fun to do in Orange County this month, this show is worth putting on your calendar. I am taking my daughter, and we can't wait to go. This is a great show for kids ages 10 and up.

About the Show

South Coast Repertory is pleased to present Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods! Directed by Peter Rothstein, with musical direction by Wiley DeWeese, the Tony Award-winning musical is part of SCR's American Icons series honoring artists who reshaped American culture. This is an audience favorite, and because it's a first at SCR, we're so lucky it's here.

"Into the Woods is an astonishing musical - theatrical, magical, haunting and transportive. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine weave together complex tales we think we know and dare to ask 'what comes after happily ever after?' Featuring a glorious multi-layered score, it's a feast for the senses and a loving reminder of why Sondheim occupies a singular place at the top of our American composers." - David Ivers, Artistic Director

The Story of "Into the Woods"

When the Baker and his wife venture into the forest to break a witch's curse, they encounter Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack (of beanstalk fame) - and familiar fairy tales take on clever new lives. But be careful what you wish for, because "happily ever after" is never the whole story. This SCR production features 12 actors instead of the customary 18 or more.

Sondheim's witty, enchanting score and Lapine's imaginative, dark book combine to make Into the Woods one of American theatre's most beloved musicals - a two-time Grammy winner for Best Musical Theatre Album, featuring songs like "No One is Alone," "Agony," "Children Will Listen," "Last Midnight" and "Giants in the Sky."

Tickets and Information

When: September 12 - October 18, 2026 (extended from the original Oct. 10 closing date)
Where: South Coast Repertory - Segerstrom Stage
655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
Tickets: $40-$138, with discounts for educators, seniors and theater goers 25 and under. Buy online at www.scr.org or by phone at (714) 708-5555.

Directions:
Take the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the 405, inside the David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is on Park Center Drive, off Anton Boulevard.

A Little History

Into the Woods premiered in San Diego in 1986 before heading to Broadway in 1987, where it won three Tony Awards, including Best Original Score. A 2002 Broadway revival added two more Tonys.

"Into the Woods blends imagination and playfulness in its own very special proportions... a path strewn with wit and the beguiling songs we've come to expect from Sondheim." - Allan Wallach, Newsday

The Creative Minds Behind the Show

Sondheim & Lapine

Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) is widely credited with reinventing the American musical. He got his start writing lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy, then went on to write both music and lyrics for classics like Sweeney Todd, Follies and Sunday in the Park with George.

His honors include a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award and eight Tony and Grammy Awards each. When he died in 2021, West End and Broadway theatres dimmed their lights in tribute.

James Lapine, Sondheim's longtime collaborator, wrote and directed Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods and Passion, sharing the Pulitzer Prize with Sondheim for Sunday in the Park. He also directed Falsettos and has written several plays, including Luck, Pluck and Virtue, starring Neil Patrick Harris.

Meet the Cast

Into the Woods stars:

Cooper Lee Bennett - Rapunzel's Prince/Steward
Michael Austin Deni - Cinderella's Prince/Wolf
Christian Tyler Dorey - Jack
Chamblee Ferguson - Narrator/Mysterious Man
Becca Claire Hart - Rapunzel/Florinda
Danielle Hope - The Baker's Wife
Amanda Naughton - Cinderella's Stepmother/Granny/Giant
Valerie Perri - The Witch
Mia Pinero - Cinderella
Dylan Saunders - The Baker
Katy Tang - Jack's Mother/Cinderella's Mother
Hailey Truong - Little Red Riding Hood/Lucinda

Six cast members - Bennett, Deni, Naughton, Perri, Saunders and Tang - are familiar faces to Southern California audiences from East West Players, the Hollywood Bowl, Pasadena Playhouse, Musical Theatre West, The Mark Taper Forum, Boston Court, La Mirada Theatre and Laguna Playhouse.

Understudies Franca Rosenblatt and Jake Stiel are currently graduate students at UC Irvine's Claire Trevor School of the Arts, understudying through "The Next Stage," SCR's partnership with UCI. Now in its second year, the program has grown from 7 apprenticeships to 15 across SCR's 2026-27 season.

A few cast highlights:

Danielle Hope is an English actress who won the BBC talent contest "Over the Rainbow" and went on to play Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End production of The Wizard of Oz, and later Éponine in Les Misérablesin the West End.
Mia Pinero most recently appeared on Broadway in the revival of Sweeney Todd alongside Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, and made her Broadway debut as Maria in Ivo van Hove's revival of West Side Story.
Amanda Naughton actually played Lucinda in the 2003 Broadway revival of Into the Woods - she's returning to the show from a different role.
Dylan Saunders is a co-founder of StarKid, the digital media company behind more than 325 million views worldwide and multiple Billboard-charting cast recordings.
Hailey Truong, making her SCR debut, is a recent Texas State University grad who founded "Across Oceans: An AAPI Celebration," inspired in part by her experience as the daughter of two refugees.

Special Events Worth Planning Around

Actor Talks (post-show discussions with cast members): Wed., Sept. 23 and Thurs., Oct. 1
Terrace Talk (new this season - Actor Talks moved outdoors under the stars): Fri., Oct. 9
Community Conversation (themed discussion tied to the show): Sun., Sept. 27
Inside the Season: Sat., Sept. 26, 10:30 a.m.-noon - a 90-minute behind-the-scenes session with SCR's literary staff, cast and production artists. $14, in advance or at the door.
ASL Interpreted Performance: Sat., Oct. 10, 2 p.m.

"Our fairy tale heroes begin the story each on a quest for their own happiness. As director Peter Rothstein reminded us, Sondheim once said, 'A folktale without a moral is merely a whimsy.' We ask Orange County to include South Coast Repertory in your community as we kick off our biggest season since the pandemic." - Managing Director Suzanne Appel