CATS Youth Theatre has brought fantasy and fairytale with a twist to its latest performance of Into the Woods.

The senior group, made up of children and young people aged between 13 and 21, has taken on a challenge with Stephen Sondheim's musical, which features a well known cast of fairytale favourites.

The play debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway on November 5 the year later.

It also won several Tony Awards, including Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason) — in a year which was dominated by The Phantom of the Opera.

Director Louise Cohen said: "It's been quite a challenge as it is a Sondheim play, so the music is quite tricky, but the children have worked really hard at it and we're all very pleased with it.

"The children always suggest the show they want to put on and we wanted to do something different, so this was the perfect choice. We've done Sweeny Todd in the past, which is another of Sondheim's plays, but this is more of a fantasy fairytale."

The story begins with a baker and his wife and their quest to start a family and a witch who has cursed them, before they meet Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk along the way.

But in order for them to live happily ever after the group has to defeat the giant and his wife who cause nothing but problems for the storybook characters.

Ben Whitehead takes the lead role as the Baker with Amelia Atherton as his wife. Rebecca Bolton plays Cinderella, Em Cohen Red Riding Hood, Joe Foster takes the role as Jack, Maisie Melia-Redgrave plays Rapunzel and Katie Ball plays the Witch.

Mrs Cohen said: "It features characters like Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, who are all brought into the woods for different reasons.

"Act one sees the characters enjoy a happy ever after feeling like in normal fairytales, but then in act two it all goes wrong for them. There is a witch that makes an appearance and the giant from Jack and the Beanstalk and his wife cause trouble for the characters along the way.

"It's not scary though — and it's been great fun to rehearse, so hopefully that will come across in the performances."

CATS performance of Into the Woods is on at St Catherine's Academy in Stitch-Mi-Lane, Harwood, until Saturday. Tickets are £9. Call the box office on 01204 659199 for more information.