“Into the Woods,” is an imaginative blending of the story lines of some of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's most famous characters, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack (of beanstalk fame) and Red Riding Hood, from the book by James Lapine. The characters journey into the woods where they discover there are consequences for every decision made — whether in pursuit of a dream or a desire — and how they deal with those consequences.

The Boothbay Playhouse production of “Into the Woods,” is, in short, enchanting. From the whimsical, yet foreboding forest and costumes, to the actors who breathe life into their fairy tale characters and give voice to their desires and heartache with touching simplicity and skill.

“I Wish” sets the scene for the journeys embarked upon into the woods by Cinderella (Devin Domeyer) who longs to go to the royal's festival with her wicked stepmother (delightfully portrayed by Donna Griffin) and her stepsisters Florinda (Jane Bertelsen) and Lucinda (Aspen Jones), goes to the woods to visit her mother's grave. When she arrives at the burial place, she finds a beautiful white gown and golden slippers.

The Baker (Joel Biron) and his wife (Victoria Hamilton) long for a child and learn from the Witch (Emily Mirabile) that their infertility is the result of a curse she placed on the Baker's father for stealing beans from her garden. Not only did she curse the family line, but Witchypoo also took the Baker's sister, the golden-haired Rapunzel (Kelsey Krull), when she was but an infant, and has kept her hidden in a tower in the woods. And that's not all — the Witch tells the couple she could reverse the curse if by midnight in three days time they find a cow white as milk, a cape red as blood, hair yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold.

Red Riding Hood (Sophia Thayer) travels through the forest to granny's house unprepared for the adventures and the profound changes she will undergo (try naive girl to knife-wielding wolf slayer).

Jack (Michael Burrell) finds himself in the wood because his mother (fiercely portrayed by Erin Bloquist) has decided they must sell his beloved pet cow, “Milky White,” at the market for beans.

The special effects in this show, visual and audio, are fantastic, particularly when it comes to the giant and giantess. Expect some loud sounds and booming voices.

The main characters are, again, perfectly cast by performers who possess singing voices that convey the emotions being experienced by their characters in a palpable way.

When Biron sings “No More,” expressing the weariness, sadness, disillusionment and exhaustion of the Baker will move you. “No One Is Alone,” sung by Domeyer, Thayer, Biron and Burrell will make audience members want to hug all of them in a show of support. Hamilton sings “Moments in the Woods.”

Domeyer's “On the Steps of the Palace,” is golden. This young lady captures Cinderella's disillusionment with her prince and life in the castle with feeling, but not self-pity.

A shining humorous number is “Agony,” sung by Roosevelt Bishop (Rapunzel's Prince) and Landon Sholar (Cinderella's Prince) is expertly delivered in both acts of the show.

Mirabile's “Stay With Me,” as the Witch in Act 1 is a song that will reach every mother's heart in the audience. The Witch trys to explain why she has kept Rapunzel safe in a tower “shielded from the world and what is out there.” Mirabile beautifully conveys the deep affection her character has for the girl.

Having said all that, “Into the Woods” is full of dialogue that will have you laughing out loud. You may even want to revisit the Grimm brothers' stories, and dare I say, the original, not the sterilized, politically correct ones.

Don't hesitate to venture “Into the Woods,” via the Boothbay Playhouse — it will be a journey of enchantment you will carry with you always.

The show opens Thursday, July 17. Curtain is at 8 p.m. Call 207-633-3379 for tickets/reservations and more information.