I wish.

That's how many of our personal fairy tales begin. With one short phrase.

It happens that way for the characters created by the brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, but for them, the wishes are realized.

And the thing with wishes is, they're not thought through; the reality of making those wishes come true can transform a wish into a nightmare.

“Into the Woods,” the musical based on the Brothers Grimm tales about Cinderella, Rapunzel and the Witch, Jack and the Beanstalk, the Baker and his wife and Little Red Riding Hood, with songs by Stephen Sondheim, demonstrates just how deceptive our wishes can be.

The woods can be magical, mysterious, inviting and frightening all at once.

Each tale is woven into the others by journeys into the woods.

The primary of which revolves around a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) who long for a family, not realizing their childless state stems from a curse laid upon the baker's family by the mother of their neighbor, the village's current witch (Meryl Streep), who was also cursed by her mother.

The witch sends them to find four items: a cloak as red as blood; a cow as white as milk; a slipper as pure gold; and hair as gold as corn. These must be found by the couple in the woods by midnight on the third night of a blue moon. If they are successful — the witch will grant the couple a child and she will regain her beauty. Otherwise, the witch must wait — in all her cursed ugliness — for another 100 years.

Each of the characters enters the wood outside their villages where they encounter adventure and wind up learn lessons about themselves, life — and wishes.

The voices of this brilliant and accomplished cast are divine and their portrayals of these iconic characters is a great pleasure to watch.

Meryl Streep, perhaps the greatest actress of the Boomer generation, is deliciously wicked as the witch, Blunt and Corden are endearing as the couple, young Daniel Huttlestone (Jack) is overflowing with talent and presence, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, Chris Pine as Cinderella's Prince and Lilla Crawford as Red Riding Hood are perfectly charming.

Charming, too, is Johnny Depp as the Wolf — he growls and howls and sings a tasty little number about his anticipation for eating Red and her old granny. 

The cinematography by Dion Beebe is stunning, Colleen Atwood's costumes are appropriately rich, the sets by Anna Pinnock are better than I dreamed up while reading Grimm's fairy tales as a child. The makeup and special effects are bewitching.

This fantastic fantasy musical was filmed in England at Shepperton Studios in London, at the historic sites of Dover Castle in Kent, the ruins of Waverley Abbey in Surrey, and at Windsor Great Park.

Journey “Into the Woods,” yourself at The Harbor Theatre here in Boothbay Harbor, Friday, Jan. 9 and Saturday, Jan. 10, Wednesday, Jan. 14 and Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.  and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11.