After a year of being closed, the Renton Civic Theatre is now scheduled to have live performances of Into the Woods, by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim.

Lapine is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist.

Sondheim was an American composer and lyricist and is among the most highly regarded in Broadway history. 

Into the Woods follows the story of a baker and his wife who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King’s festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. 

The show continues this weekend, with performances on Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25-26 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 27 at 2 p.m.

Tickets for seniors and adults aged 18-24 are $26. For adults 25 and older tickets are $31.  

“We were closed from March 7, 2020 to August 2021,” said Bill Huls, the artistic director of the Renton Civic Theatre. “We re-opened in August to audition for The Last Five Years, which played in September, and Into the Woods which is playing now.”

“Into the Woods is one of Sondheim’s most popular musicals, and the audience always has high expectations,” Huls said.

Sondheim died in late November of 2021 when the Renton Civic Theatre had just started rehearsals for Into the Woods. 

“We rehearsed five days a week for nine weeks, and that added an extra layer since we wanted to do his memory justice,” said Huls.  

From July 2021, the Renton Civic Theatre’s director and design teams had been working on plans when they realized they would be able to have a production after a year of being closed.  

“We had initial auditions and callbacks in August, and then started rehearsals after the holidays,” Huls said. 

It required a large group of people to get a show like Into the Woods ready to perform, Huls said. 

“We had production meetings with all our designers, costume, lights, sound, set, choreography and musical direction,” said Huls. 

“We were also aware that our audience had not been to a live show in two years, and we wanted their return to be magical,” said Huls. “Audiences have really enjoyed the show, so I think we reached that goal.”  

“The Renton Civic Theatre strives to be inclusive and welcoming to everyone in our community,” Huls said. “We want everyone to be entertained, we want to keep it affordable, and we want people to be involved. Please come and check us out.”

To get tickets please visit https://ci.ovationtix.com/35408/production/1053885 

For more information about the Renton Civic Theatre please visit https://rentoncivictheatre.org/index.html