State Opera South Australia's Into the Woods upends the fairytale

Review by Markus Hamence – State Opera South Australia's Into The Woods. Performance date: Saturday 22 August 2026. Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, South Australia.

There’s something deliciously deceptive and mostly engaging about Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods. It begins with wishes, princes, magic beans, red capes and the promise of happily ever after, before quietly turning the fairytale inside out and asking a far more interesting question: what happens once you actually get everything you wished for? State Opera South Australia’s new production, which opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre as part of the company’s 50th anniversary season, embraces both sides of the story - the wicked humour and fairytale chaos, but also the loss, responsibility and very human mess that waits deeper in the woods.

Director Constantine Costi understands that the woods aren’t simply a lush location; they’re where people change. His production lets the familiar characters collide, unravel and discover that getting what you want and knowing what you need are two entirely different things. There’s plenty of fun in the first act, but as Sondheim pulls the rug out from underneath everyone in the second, the production allows the darkness to creep in. The laughs remain, but suddenly they have real consequences attached.

“State Opera South Australia takes us Into the Woods with plenty of magic, wicked humour and a whole lot of heart.” Markus Hamence

Hugh Sheridan makes a welcome return to Adelaide as The Baker, bringing warmth, vulnerability and an easy likeability to the role. This isn’t a flashy character and Sheridan doesn’t try to make him one. Instead, he gives us a man stumbling through fear, love and responsibility, gradually discovering what family really means. It’s an assured and beautifully human performance, and his connection to Adelaide - including his beginnings as a member of the State Opera Children’s Chorus - gives his return to this stage an added sense of homecoming.

Alongside him, Johanna Allen as the Baker’s Wife is an absolute joy. Funny, intelligent, beautifully timed and emotionally grounded, Allen finds every little layer within a woman who wants something desperately and then discovers that wishes can become considerably more complicated once they come true. She brings real heart to the production and makes the Baker and his Wife feel less like fairytale characters and more like a couple we recognise.

Rosie Hosking’s Witch arrives with exactly the presence the role demands. There’s bite, humour and attitude, but Hosking also understands that the Witch is far more complicated than the villain of the story. As the musical develops, so does she, revealing the frustration and pain beneath all that glorious theatrical fire.

There’s terrific work throughout the all-South Australian cast. Jessica Dean’s Cinderella is wonderfully conflicted as she begins questioning whether her dream prince is actually the dream she imagined. Eliza Brill Reed gives Little Red Riding Hood plenty of cheek and confidence, while Joey Haenen’s Jack brings an endearing innocence and energy to his adventures above the beanstalk. Nicholas Cannon has enormous fun doubling as Cinderella’s Prince and the Wolf, while Andrew Crispe brings another dose of wonderfully over-the-top fairytale masculinity as Rapunzel’s Prince. Their princely moments together are among the production’s comic treats.

The ensemble is packed with familiar South Australian talent, including Nicholas Lester, Catherine Campbell, Jessica Mills, Cherie Boogaart, Eleanor Brasted, Michaela Burger, Mark Oates and Rod Schultz, and one of the great pleasures of this production is watching so much local talent given the opportunity to tackle Sondheim on this scale.

Visually, Jonathon Oxlade’s set and costume design gives the production its own distinctive world, the revolving 'woods' set is simple and extremely effective, while Bernie Tan-Hayes’ lighting helps the woods shift from playful and inviting to something considerably more uncertain. There’s an appropriately theatrical quality to it all; this isn’t a glossy Disney forest. It feels like somewhere stories, memories and nightmares might all exist together. Associate Director Shannon Burns contributes to a production that keeps moving through Sondheim’s notoriously intricate storytelling without losing the humanity underneath it.

“Funny, beautifully performed and deliciously dark, Into the Woods proves happily ever after is where the real story begins.” Markus Hamence

And then, of course, there is Sondheim. Under Anthony Hunt’s musical direction, that extraordinary score reminds us why Into the Woods remains one of musical theatre’s great achievements. Songs overlap, thoughts collide, melodies return with completely different meanings, and lyrics that initially make us laugh suddenly land somewhere much deeper. “Agony” is gloriously ridiculous, “Giants in the Sky” captures the thrill of discovering a world beyond your own, while the later moments of the score carry the emotional weight that transforms the evening from clever fairytale mash-up into something genuinely moving.

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra is another major player in the success of the production, bringing Sondheim’s intricate and endlessly layered score gloriously to life. Under the musical direction of aforementioned Anthony Hunt, the ASO navigates every sudden shift, playful flourish and darker turn with precision, energy and colour. Sondheim’s music asks plenty of its musicians, with melodies weaving in and out of each other and familiar themes constantly returning in new forms, and the orchestra handles it beautifully. At times mischievous, at others sweeping and deeply emotional, the ASO doesn’t only accompany the action on stage from the depths of the pit - it becomes another storyteller in the woods.

What I love most about Into the Woods is that beneath all the witches, giants (very well orchestrated both visually and audibly), princes and magic, it’s really about us. We wish for things. We chase them. Sometimes we get them. Sometimes we lose them. We make choices without knowing where they’ll lead, and somewhere along the way we discover that nobody gets through the woods entirely alone.

State Opera South Australia has created an Into the Woods that is funny, strange, beautifully performed and ultimately full of heart. It celebrates Sondheim without becoming trapped by him, showcases an impressive South Australian cast and reminds us that fairytales become considerably more interesting once happily ever after is no longer guaranteed.

This is not a story about getting your wish. It’s about discovering who you become after the wish comes true. And State Opera South Australia takes us Into the Woods with plenty of magic, plenty of laughs and, when it matters most, a whole lot of heart.

FINAL WRAP-UP: State Opera South Australia’s Into the Woods is a wickedly clever, beautifully performed and wonderfully imaginative journey that takes everything we think we know about fairytales and turns it upside down. Filled with humour, heart, brilliant performances and the unmistakable genius of Sondheim, it reminds us that getting everything we wish for doesn’t necessarily deliver happily ever after. Sometimes the real magic is found in getting lost, facing what waits in the darkness and discovering who we become on the other side of the woods.

REVIEW EXTRA: I took a long my dear friend Tamara Jakovlev she was equally impressed. These are her thoughts...

Into the Woods was such an enchanting experience. The bold set design beautiful costumes and outstanding cast came together to create a magical night I won’t forget.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Into the Woods plays at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide until 29 August 2026.

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Above: Markus Hamence and Tamara Jakovlev