The Brothers Grimm tale provides the foundation while dancing spiders and animated musical numbers liven up the classic story in The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's (PSF) production of "Rapunzel," weekends through Aug. 1.

Before Rapunzel (Stephanie Hodge) was born, her mother, the Queen (Ilia Paulino), had fallen very ill. The Witch (Valerie Berger) told the Queen that she would provide the Queen with the cure for her illness in exchange for her first born child.

The Witch cures the Queen and upon the birth of Rapunzel, the King (James "Bo" Sayre) and Queen reluctantly and sorrowfully hand her over to the Witch.

The Witch keeps Rapunzel in a tower deep in the forest, coming daily to bring food and other items. Rapunzel's only friends are four lively spiders (Ally Borgstrom, Dane McMichael, Tori Lewis, Ryan Hagan), who live with her high up in the tower.

The play, written and directed by Erin Sheffield, a long-time PSF artist with more than 20 children's shows for the festival under her belt, opens in the deep forest, as Liam, a shoemaker (Ian Moody), and his friend, Douglas (Brendan Doyle), plan their strategy for finding the lost princess. The King and Queen, missing Rapunzel horribly, have offered a reward for her return.

As Liam walks through the forest, he comes upon the tower, and sees Rapunzel singing a beautiful song high up in the window. The Queen comes by, calls up to Rapunzel to "let down your hair," climbs up, and then climbs back down a short time later. He is so captivated by Rapunzel and the whole situation that he must know more. He, too, calls up to Rapunzel to "let down your hair."

She does so, and when he reaches the top, she and the spiders get very scared, tie him up, and question him extensively. Soon, though, they become great friends.

Liam visits every day and they have fun playing "Jenga," painting, riding scooters, playing "Duck, Duck, Goose," dressing up, and, of course, taking selfies, all the while hiding their friendship from the Witch.

Eventually, Liam asks for Rapunzel's hand in marriage. When Rapunzel tries to tell the Witch, she gets very angry. Rapunzel escapes from the tower to go search for Liam. Liam, not knowing that Rapunzel has escaped, climbs to the top of the tower and is greeted by the Witch, who pushes him off his ladder to the ground below.

Rapunzel is eventually reunited with her parents, the King and Queen, and finds out she's a princess. The King and Queen allow the spiders to live in the castle with the family. The Witch, on the other hand, is arrested for assault.

The stage setting is simple yet exciting. The audience's perspective changes effortlessly from the forest (looking up at the tower) to inside the tower, to the inside of the castle, all without the movement of any major scenery.

The performance is narrated by Bunny (Phoenix Best). Best, a recent DeSales University graduate, is returning for her third year at PSF. Best possesses the uncanny ability to chronicle the sequence of events in a classic storytelling manner while simultaneously interacting with the characters within the story itself, and all the while never becoming confusing or feeling out of place.

Through the performance, viewers see Stephanie Hodge evolve her Rapunzel character from an innocent, lonely young girl, scared of the world outside the tower, into a confident and fearless woman.

Rounding out the cast is James "Bo" Sayre, boasting a royal and resonant tone of voice, perfect as the good-hearted King. Ilia Paulino pulls on the audience's heartstrings (or at least she did mine) with her somber yet hopeful enactment of the Queen. Theater-goers will root for Ian Moody, the sweet and determined Liam, as he fights to win the heart of Rapunzel, and his friend, also a shoemaker, Douglas, personified by Brendan Doyle.

Sean Tingle's original music and Jake Jobes's sound design provide the musical accompaniment for the production. The musical highlight of the show includes Rapunzel, Liam and the spiders dancing in the tower to "Uptown Funk," the hit song by Bruno Mars and Mark Ronsom. The choreography is structured yet relaxed allowing for a fun, clap-along experience.

The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's production of "Rapunzel" is a lively and unique take on the classic Grimm tale that is sure to please audiences of all ages. The opportunity to meet the cast in the lobby after the show is an added bonus.