The never-ending search for “happily ever after” can be a fool’s errand, but it’s the journey that matters. That’s the theme behind the Great Lakes Theater’s production of “Into the Woods” running through Nov. 10 in the Hanna Theatre at Playhouse Square in Cleveland. Of course, the Tony Award-winning show is defined by Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics and music. However, for Victoria Bussert, who is directing the Great Lakes Theater’s production, it’s the show’s librettist, James Lapine, who continues to intrigue. “When I was a grad student at Northwestern (University), I did a deep dive into children’s theater, which is where I discovered Bruno Bettelheim’s book ‘Uses of Enchantment,’” she said. “It talks about how fairytales are used psychologically with children and how we see fairytales in multiple cultures explaining what is essentially unexplainable to a child — things that seem impossible, like the loss of a parent. When I first encountered the Broadway production of ‘Into the Woods,’ I was really struck by the psychological underpinnings of the script.” Through her research, she discovered Lapine’s fascination with psychology, which shows itself in many forms throughout “Into the Woods.” “All of these stories that we see are familiar to us, except for The Baker and The Baker’s Wife, which was this construct that was created to tie all of these fairy stories together,” she said. “What I think is interesting — because now I’ve directed it multiple times — as I get older, I find that my lived experience relates more strongly to different characters. The Baker’s Wife, portrayed by Jodi Dominick, and Cinderella’s Prince, played by Dan Hoy, share a moment in the woods in the Great Lakes Theater production of “Into the Woods” at the Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square, running through Nov. 10. (Roger Mastroianni) “It’s just a wonderful, interesting deep dive into what it is for all of us to go through the times we’re going through, going through woods in our lives. And are we able to see that there is another side but there is no way around it. We have to walk through.” Sondheim’s iconic musical follows characters such as Cinderella, Jack and Little Red Riding Hood as they navigate the complexities of “happily ever after.” Featuring beloved songs including “Into the Woods,” “Giants in the Sky,” and “No One Is Alone,” the bewitching and thought-provoking masterpiece promises a captivating journey. “With Sondheim, it can be so musically challenging for people, but you have to get past that,” she said. “I liken it to working on Shakespeare, where you have to take it apart first to understand the structure and then you really get to start applying your own lived experiences to what the music is saying to you.” RhonniRose Mantilla portrays Cinderella in the Great Lakes Theater production of “Into the Woods,” running through Nov. 10 at Playhouse Square’s Hanna Theatre in Cleveland. (Roger Mastroianni) As for where Bussert currently finds the music speaking to her and where her fingerprints can be found on the Great Lakes Theater production, she’s not overthinking it. “I’m a fan of the original (Brothers Grimm) fairy tales, meaning I don’t shy away from the slicing off (of) a toe,” she laughed. “I love that Sondheim and Lapine weren’t afraid of keeping in kind of the more horror moments — for lack of a better word — that are also done with humor.” ‘Into the Woods’ Presenter: Great Lakes Theater. When: Through Nov. 10 (times vary). Where: Playhouse Square’s Hanna Theatre, 2067 E. 14th St., Cleveland. Tickets: $20 to $99. Info: 216-241-6000, 866-546-1353 or greatlakestheater.org.