Allison Bennett (Little Red Riding Hood) and Paul Cartwright (Jack) nicely captured the youthful energy needed for their roles, and McBride's Baker had a nice tenderness. Although both Princes, Matt Dobson and Josh Richardson, had lovely voices, the audience seemed slow to warm up to the comic relief.

Hale's stage was mostly used well. A few set changes added extra dimension to an otherwise small forest. But I was distracted by the use of a rotating turntable throughout. Especially at the end as the Witch sings the important message of the show: "Careful the things you say, children will listen." Rather than having that be the focal point, the cast started rotating around the Witch, looking like a cake tier — pulling focus with a noisy turntable covering the beautiful message.

If you like "Into the Woods," you'll probably like this production. Kacey Udy's set looks great; the costumes, co-designed by Suzanne Carling, Tamara Clayton, Peggy Willis and Leslie Warwood are lovely; and Spencer Brown's lighting gives a nice woodsy feel.

If you're not familiar with the show, do yourself a favor and take the time to do a little research. Read the liner notes, read lyrics online, get to know the show before you see it — like theater people do — so the magnificent message can fully register. You'll be glad you did.

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E-mail: ehansen@desnews.com