Staging Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods and Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera Hansel and Gretel on alternate nights across the same week must have sounded hugely ambitious in the planning phase.

That ambition, by artistic director Dane Lam and director Constantine Costi, has paid off handsomely with two wonderful productions. Both shows take us into the depths of the forest where familiar fairy tales become considerably darker as we confront our fears and our desires.

The two productions use largely the same set, a stylised over-sized forest, with individual flats and props to change the scenes. The forest is used to great advantage in each show, creating an intriguing visual and musical dialogue for audiences who see both, but equally impressive if you just see one.

State Opera of South Australia’s Into the Woods. Photo © Andrew Beveridge

Into the Woods is, on the surface, a confection of fairy tales including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel. With music and lyrics by Sondheim and book by James Lapine, Into the Woods takes these familiar tales and digs deeper. What really happens when we get what we want? Wishes are granted, marriages (and babies) are made, and quests are completed. But then what? The moral of the story is clearly “be careful what you wish for” and this is far more unsettling than a conventional fairy tale.

Tapping into the darkness, and our own unknown, is one of the production’s great strengths. The woods are not simply a place for adventures; they are where our fears and desires take shape. Act 1 sees the characters desperately searching for what they believe will bring them happiness; Act 2 reveals the truth of what happens next.

The narrative arc that begins and ends with “I wish” is beautifully encapsulated in “what if I’m not… what if I am”. This moral unease is what makes the show so human and so engaging.

State Opera of South Australia’s Into the Woods. Photo © Andrew Beveridge

Constantine Costi’s direction understands that the comedy and darkness need each other to really resonate with the audience. There is plenty of wit and theatricality, but it is never allowed to become a pastiche of pantomime humour. Beneath the fairy-tales are people making their choices and then having to deal with the consequences. A special mention here to Joey Haenen as Jack, a boy dearly attached to his cow Milky White, and the wonderfully talented Catherine Campbell as his exasperated Mother, for their comedic flair.

Musically, Into the Woods is a very different proposition to the Humperdinck opera. Where Hansel and Gretel envelops its fairy tale in a sumptuous late-Romantic orchestral landscape, Sondheim’s writing is more about overlapping melodies and shifting rhythms, very much a child of its 1980s musical theatre roots. The rhythms propel the characters forward as the musical motifs develop and the textures become more complex. The score often sounds spontaneous, but that’s only because of its tight musical architecture.

Conductor Anthony Hunt, who does double duty as the Children’s Chorus Master on Hansel and Gretel, draws impressive clarity from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, playing here under acting concertmaster Alison Heike. Sondheim’s writing depends on precision, particularly in the quicksilver exchanges in the vocal lines, but it also needs air for the words to land. The ASO finds a persuasive balance between alertness and space.

Hugh Sheridan in State Opera of South Australia’s Into the Woods. Photo © Andrew Beveridge

The all-South-Australian cast is another considerable pleasure. Adelaide’s favourite son, Hugh Sheridan, makes a welcome return to the local mainstage and brings an appealing warmth to The Baker. There’s a nice connection here too, given that he sang with the State Opera Children’s Chorus as a youngster. Johanna Allen is appealing as his wife, negotiating the rapid shifts between comedy, frustration and emotionality with assurance.

Rosie Hosking’s Witch has the necessary theatrical flamboyance overlaid with a healthy dose of menace.  Jessica Dean is delightful as Cinderella and sings beautifully.

At just 17, Eliza Brill Reed is already an experienced performer and shines here as Little Red Riding Hood. And a special mention for Nicholas Lester, often seen in SOSA productions, who makes the absolute most of his role as the Narrator.

State Opera of South Australia’s Into the Woods. Photo © Andrew Beveridge

Around the principals, the large ensemble works with an impressive cohesion, sustaining the comedy, and soundly filling out their scenes. All the individual elements, including design, costumes, lighting, and orchestra, come together to make this a truly satisfying production

Into the Woods is a rich show and Sondheim’s densely packed score demands attention. But beneath its fairy tale fantasy is a serious comment on desire and consequence. Its darkness is not an affectation; it is the shadow cast by the knowledge that wishes have consequences.

State Opera South Australia has created a production that fulfils its ambitions. It is fully realised, musically assured, and genuinely local. Even so, it could hold its head up high on a stage anywhere in the world and be well received. Bravo SOSA!

State Opera South Australia presents Into the Woods at Her Majesty’s Theatre Adelaide until 29 August.