“Into the Woods” is hitting the stage in Hammond more than a year after it originally was scheduled to run.

After postponing the summer 2020 musical due to measures to mitigate coronavirus, the Genesius Guild returns to in-person audiences from Aug. 6-22 at First United Methodist Church of Hammond.

“I had done a lot of work to prepare for it last year so I was glad that we were able to do it because it’s such a great show. I really love it and would have been really disappointed to not do it at all,” said Andy Leahy, director of “Into the Woods.”

“I like Stephen Sondheim’s work. I love his music, and this is a popular show. He doesn’t just write a simple song or write a simple story. Even his music ties the whole show together.”

“Stephen Sondheim takes traditional fairy tales about Cinderella and Rapunzel and the Prince and the Witch and Little Red Ridinghood and Jack and the beanstalk and ties them all together. He introduces new characters, the Baker and the Baker’s Wife, who link them all together in the story line.”

“Into the Woods,” which follows the Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child, features music and lyrics by Sondheim; book by James Lapine, who directed the Tony Award-winning original Broadway production; and orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick.

“It’s an interesting story because it’s a very serious story, but it appeals to children too. The songs are light and fun especially in the first act,” said Leahy, who has seen approximately six productions, both professional and nonprofessional, of “Into the Woods.”

“Then it also does appeal to adults. They get the jokes the children might not notice. They’re the ones who understand what’s going on in the story and appreciate the point made about children will listen so we have to be careful of what we say and do. It makes a difference.

“Sondheim loves play on words so the lyrics in his shows very often are very clever. One of the best songs in this show, in my opinion, is ‘On the Steps of the Palace,’ which Cinderella sings. He plays with words, and the melodies are just fascinating.”

Lapine adapted “Into the Woods” for the 2014 Walt Disney Pictures movie of the same name, which stars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine and Johnny Depp.

“It’s faithful to the story line but they changed it in some ways,” said Leahy of Chicago Heights, Illinois.

“Some of the songs were interpreted a little differently. It’s an interesting movie. I like it. They had great talent. I still think the play does a better job with the story line.”

“Into the Woods” marks the first time that Leahy, who has been involved with the Genesius Guild for approximately 12 years and previously served a three-year term on its board, has worked with electronic music in a theater production.

“The advantage of using electronic music is we get all the lush music that usually community theaters can’t afford to hire so the music is very full and rich,” said Leahy, who is president of the Drama Group in Chicago Heights and also has worked with Hammond Community Theatre and Beatniks on Conkey.

Produced by Antoinette Gomez and Shannon Hayes of Hammond, the Genesius Guild’s “Into the Woods” includes cast members from Chesterton,Crown Point,Dyer,East Chicago,Gary,Griffith,Highland,Hobart, Portage and the Illinois towns ofBradley,Dolton, Homewood,Lansing and Palos Hills.

“Vocally this cast is really exceptional. They have done some wonderful things with the music. There’s a lot of the show that’s sung and there’s a lot of music under the writing and this cast just pulls it off,” said Leahy about “Into the Woods,” which features music direction by Laura Carns of Hebron.

“They have the comic timing. Overall they’ve done a terrific job telling the story.

“It gets very serious about what we wish for, what our lives are really about and what’s important. Fairy tales talk about happy endings but happy endings may not be exactly what we thought they would be.”

Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.