Berkeley Playhouse's YouthStage program puts two complete teen casts through Sondheim's full score at the Julia Morgan Theater, running July 11–19.

A cast of Berkeley-area teenagers opens Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods at the Julia Morgan Theater on July 11, running through July 19 (Fridays–Sundays plus select weekdays). Tickets are $32 at berkeleyplayhouse.org or (510) 845-8542 ext. 351. The theater is at 2640 College Ave. in Berkeley's Elmwood neighborhood — Rockridge BART is about a 15-minute walk south on College Ave.; AC Transit's 51B stops directly on the street.

This is Berkeley Playhouse's YouthStage Spotlight Show, which means it's the program's big annual production — not a simplified version. Co-directors Jesse Cortez and Megan McGrath (who also choreographs) are running the original score in full: the interlocking fairy-tale narratives, the whipsaw tempos, the Act II left turn into genuine grief. Music director Daniel Alley leads a cast of 8th through 12th graders through some of the most technically demanding writing in the American musical theater canon.

The wrinkle that makes it worth attending twice if you're into this: the run uses two complete casts. The Wish Cast and the Moment Cast each perform separate shows, with their own leads, their own interpretations of the Baker, Cinderella, Little Red, and Rapunzel. Same production, different company — you're not just seeing a repeat.

Confirm which cast performs on your date when you buy. July 19 is the last Sunday of the run.