When “Into the Woods” debuted on Broadway in 1987, some interpreted the show as a metaphor for the then-ongoing AIDS crisis in America.

In the second act of Stephen Sondheim’s musical, a giant is on a rampage, killing large swaths of fairy tale characters. After the government shirks its responsibility to stave off the slaughter, the common people must band together to stop the giant.

While Sondheim maintained that the work was never meant to be so specific, a parable is a parable, and the musical’s themes of morality, communal responsibility, parenthood and growing up give audiences much to chew on without being preachy.

Lyrically, musically and psychologically complex, “Into the Woods” seems difficult to stage. The show has a huge cast, and with their constant entrances and exits, stage managers must feel like air traffic controllers half the time.

Luckily, Richmond Shakespeare’s decision to produce this challenging show has largely paid off. By stacking his cast with talent, director and Richmond Shakespeare managing director Jase Smith Sullivan has staged a winning production, even if the technical elements occasionally leave something to be desired.

With “Into the Woods,” Sondheim and book writer James Lapine crammed a bunch of Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy tales into a blender and hit frappe. There’s Jack, an oblivious young man who’s more interested in hanging out with a cow than climbing a beanstalk. There’s Little Red Riding Hood, eating pastries and clomping through the woods to grandmother’s house. There’s Rapunzel, wasting away her days in a tower with no doors or stairs. And there’s Cinderella, a woman who seems much more interested in attending a ball than landing a prince.

Grey Garrett shines as Cinderella, and her “No One is Alone,” a ballad of interdependence, is a knockout. Durron Marquis Tyre-Gholson’s natural expressiveness and sterling voice work well for the Baker, and Maggie Marlin-Hess’ Baker’s Wife is assertive, singing sweetly in “Moments in the Woods.”

In her portrayal of Little Red Riding Hood, Gracie Berneche recalls the feisty comic energy of Beanie Feldstein. Lukas D’Errico is charmingly clueless as Jack, and Sara Dabney Tisdale both sings and screams impressively in her underwritten part as Rapunzel. As princes who attach themselves to Cinderella and Rapunzel, Terence Sullivan and Field Oldham are hilarious as dashing dandies; their interpretation of “Agony” is a highlight of the evening.

But Susan Sanford walks away with the show as the Witch. Even while performing behind a mask for part of the proceedings, her dry delivery and expressive voice command the stage. And these great performances are underpinned by Kim Fox’s pitch perfect musical direction and the live ten-piece orchestra performing onstage.

Sadly, many of these bravura performances were marred by both sound and lighting issues opening night. It sounds like half of the microphones are bad and missed lighting cues occasionally left performers in the dark. The second act was better than the first, so hopefully these issues will get ironed out through the course of the run.

Todd LaBelle and Katherine Malanoski’s sparse but efficient set allows for quick entrances and exits, and lighting designer Michael Jarrett makes good use of the cyclorama backdrop for dramatic lighting and a large projected moon. Keith Walker’s costumes don’t appear to have a unified theme; while Cinderella’s peasant garb looks like something out of “Fiddler on the Roof,” her ugly stepsisters appear to have stepped out of “Six.”

Still, the evening is largely a success and it’s intriguing to think what this show might mean for Richmond Shakespeare. The company has seldom produced musicals in the past, but the complexity of Sondheim’s lyrics and narratives certainly fulfill Richmond Shakespeare’s mission to produce text-heavy shows.

And the moral murkiness of “Into the Woods” is something audiences can sink their teeth into. Witches can be right, giants can be good. You decide what’s right, you decide what’s good.

Richmond Shakespeare’s “Into the Woods” plays through March 24 at the Steward School, 11600 Gayton Rd. For more information, visit richmondshakespeare.org or call (804) 340-0115.