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

State Opera South Australia's production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods plays at Her Majesty's Theatre until 29 August 2026, directed by Constantine Costi. The musical deconstructs fairytale conventions to examine what happens after wishes are granted, featuring Hugh Sheridan as the Baker, Johanna Allen as the Baker's Wife, and an all-South Australian cast performing Sondheim's intricate score under Anthony Hunt's musical direction.

Review by **[Markus Hamence](https://onyourmarkus.au/markus-hamence/)** – **State Opera South Australia's Into The Woods**. Performance date: Saturday 22 August 2026. Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, South Australia.

![Performer gazes upward amid swirling red and orange stage lighting during State Opera South Australia's Into the Woods production.](https://media.onyourmarkus.au/admin/2026/08/2ea3bbbf-3366-42b3-8453-f85613b79e44.jpg)

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.

![Twisted golden hair knot against white background with "Into the Woods" title and production details.](https://media.onyourmarkus.au/admin/2026/08/76458e8c-b331-46fb-b781-251deac1960a.jpg)

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 thr