It was an absolute privilege to see Into the Woods on Thursday night at Bath Theatre Royal; a production which has previously been adapted into a major film and has won multiple Tony and Olivier Awards since it was first performed on stage in 1986.

Worlds collide as the story combines fairy tales from across the picture, and brings them together as they embark in various journeys through the woods.

There were a few surprise stunts mixed in with the raw talent on stage, so you never knew what was going to happen next, with a bewitching twist to every individual storyline and the audience was happy to be entranced by the fearless sense of fun brought to theatre by the sparkling cast.

Delightful, energising and at times ever-so-slightly disturbing, this show brought out a different side to the characters we all know and love so well, and at times rewrites the narrative.

I think my assumptions went out the window around the time of the wolf scene in Grandmother’s house, and realised from then on it was time to expect the unexpected.

You feel pretty much as though you are inside the mind of a fairytale fanatic who has had a blurry dream (or nightmare, depending on your point of view), throughout most of the experience.

Stephen Sondheim’s production explores the common theme that brings the traditional tales together, and answers the question we may have all wondered at some point.

What is it about these woods, and what on earth goes on in there?

But on a serious note, the show also explored some real-life issues around the themes of love, loss and a sense of realism never captured in the original plots as the second half goes beyond the first part of their adventures, while the characters experience the twists and turns of life beyond the woods, and look to find happiness in the day-to-day rather than existing as ‘forever afters.’

Wiltshire Times: Jamie Birkett as Lucinda, Nicola Hughes as the Witch and Charlotte Jaconelli as Florinda with Company in Into The WoodsJamie Birkett as Lucinda, Nicola Hughes as the Witch and Charlotte Jaconelli as Florinda with Company in Into The Woods

The musical is a truly immersive experience- with the word ‘extra’ spring to mind more than once during the show, but if you love all things myths, magic and music you will undoubtedly be obsessed.

The fantastical story will appear in the Theatre Royal’s Main House until Saturday, September 10.

The cast for this thrilling new production includes Rhashan Stone (Finding Alice, Hollington Drive, Keeping Faith), Nicola Hughes (Fosse, Porgy and Bess), Julian Bleach (The Grinning Man, Shockheaded Peter), Audrey Brisson (Amélie, Outlander), Gillian Bevan (Billy Elliot, Teachers) and Alex Young (Follies, South Pacific).

Tickets are on sale at the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 and online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk