Later this month, Santa Cruz Shakespeare will open its first musical since relocating into the woods of DeLaveaga Park. Fans of Stephen Sondheim are eagerly awaiting Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s production of “Into the Woods,” a story that combines several folktales into a compelling epic journey. Jerry Lee, artistic director of Sierra Repertory Theatre, said he is excited to be directing this beautiful and moving play. For this summer’s production, he has set it “in America — Santa Cruz — at the end of the Gilded Age.”

The Sentinel spoke with Lee on a sunny Santa Cruz morning to gain some insight into the upcoming production.

Q How did you come to be directing “Into the Woods” for Santa Cruz Shakespeare this summer?

A I met Charles Pasternak first in 2015 at Sierra Repertory Theatre. We were reopening the theater after the pandemic in 2021, and he played a double role in “Murder on the Orient Express,” which I was directing. It was right around the time that he had been hired to take over as (Santa Cruz Shakespeare) artistic director. We remained friendly; he visits SRT often. Last year, he said to me that he was really interested in doing a musical. We do so many of them at SRT. He told me that he wanted to do “Into the Woods,” which just happens to be my favorite musical. So, we’ve been working on this show for about a year.

Q What can you tell us about your background directing musicals?

A It was a natural progression for me. I went to school as an actor. I was an associate at Sacramento Theater Co. and did a lot of musicals there. After working with some great directors, I became interested in telling my own stories. Now, I direct more than I act; although, I consider myself an actor first. As a director, I’ve gotten to do some really cool imaginative pieces at SRT. I love taking these large musicals that are outrageously big and then stripping layers away to what is absolutely necessary to tell the story. I feel like it is more engaging for the audience. That’s what inspires me, simplicity and elegance.Q How do you think this approach will translate to the stage here in Santa Cruz?

A There’s a need for that kind of economy, but there’s also already a natural set with fog rolling in and a 360-degree soundscape. It’s going to be a cool experience for the audience. Charles was really smart to pick this for the first musical set in this space. It’s wonderfully atmospheric for “Into the Woods.”

Q What was the casting process like for a musical in a Shakespeare repertory?

A There’s so much music in Shakespeare — a lot of those plays are musicals, and the language has its own musicality — so, “Into the Woods” fits beautifully into a Shakespeare season. As far as singers go, we needed someone who could act the song and who could tell the story beautifully.

We are lucky to have Charlotte Munson coming in to play the witch. She’s brilliant. She’s an extraordinary classic actor who has an incredible voice and power. I am also lucky enough to bring in someone that I’m an enormous fan of, Melissa WolfKlain. She’s a Bay Area-based actress I’ve known for 10-plus years, and she’s one of my very favorite musical theater actors. She’s coming in to play the baker’s wife.

It took a long time to cast the show because we were looking for the right people who could do both shows — “Into the Woods” and “Midsummer Night’s Dream” — and make them beautiful.

Q What are your thoughts about the fairy tales in “Into the Woods” as a literary inspiration?

A Sondheim and (author James) Lapine talk about that quite a bit. Sondheim knew that he wanted to do a quest story, and they had resolved to use fairy tales. But, they were having a hard time adapting them, because they’re short stories. So, they came up with the idea of blending the stories together and creating their own fairy tale of the baker and his wife as a unifying device.

They won a Pulitzer Prize for their first collaboration, “Sunday in the Park with George,” and they were so chuffed with their success that they wanted to work on something again right away. That became “Into the Woods.” So, there’s this great sense of adventure.

Fairy tales are all about morals or lessons for children, but they didn’t lead with that — they led with wanting to create art. They weren’t trying to moralize to their audience. They wrote and uncovered truths and morals to share.

Q Some tragic things happen to the characters. Are those the moments that express these uncovered truths?

A It becomes a war play. Their world is torn apart, and they have to rebuild. In Act II, there’s a need for all of these characters to come together, which ends up being the final lesson of the play. We have to take care of each other, we have to take care of our kids.

Q Do you have any favorite songs in the musical?

A I do. “Moments in the Woods” is one of my favorite songs ever written. I love this dilemma that she has to work out in front of an audience. I love the whole score. The music is so sweepingly beautiful and satisfying. If I could rent an apartment in the strings section of the score, that is where I would live.

Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s production of “Into the Woods” runs from July 15 through Sept. 7 at Audrey Stanley Grove, 501 Upper Park Road in Santa Cruz. Visit santacruzshakespeare.org for tickets and information on all of this summer’s shows.