The Royal Theatre in downtown Benton has been putting on shows for over a century now. Recently, the Royal Players put on their very own version of James Lapine’s 1986 musical “Into The Woods” during their most recent season from Mar 6 to Mar 16.

“Into The Woods” is based off of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel. The Royal Players version also included brief mentions of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.

“I’ve seen the show several times,” Bryant theater teacher Jeremy Clay said, who saw the show on opening night. “This one was definitely different.”

In past productions, the Narrator role was merged with the Mysterious Man. In the Royal Players’ version, the roles were separate, with the Narrator being a child reading a book of fairy tales and the Mysterious Man a more directly involved character. There were also changes in music.

“There is a song that was omitted from the original Broadway production between the Witch and Rapunzel that we’ve added back into our show,” actress Marcia McConkie said.“It’s a beautiful song, and adds so much to the story between those two characters.”

McConkie played the Baker’s Wife. This was McConkie’s fourth show at the Royal Theatre, with past roles including Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Miss Honey from Matilda and Fantine from Les Misérables. 

“The Baker’s Wife has been a dream role for me,” McConkie said. “I really love this character and I’ll miss her when I don’t get to tell her story.”

For some, stepping into the roles of different characters Can feel like magic

“Watching words and music on a page come to life on stage is so magical,” McConkie said. “There is magic in the theater and the theater is magic.”