Ad Astra Production
Into the Woods
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Lapine
Directed by Tim Hill
Musical Direction by Ben Murray
Space | Galaxy
Season | September 24 - October 25, 2025
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Be careful what you wish for…
To open our new beautiful 151 seat proscenium arch theatre, Galaxy, we will be taking an exhilarating journey Into the Woods. The music and lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim and the book is by James Lapine,
This Tony Award winning musical follows the journey of characters from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella and their Princes, whose wishes lead them into the depths where the way is dark, the choices are grim, where they have to mind the wolf and heed the witch.
Those who know Sondheim will not be surprised that this journey, while deliciously funny, is not for the faint hearted, nor is a wish come true necessarily a desirable outcome: in theatre, as in life, “people make mistakes… witches can be right, giants can be good.’
Though the play begins with , “Once upon a time there lived a young maiden, a sad young lad, a childless baker and his wife…” it is for the very grown up. There is the agony of lust and betrayal and missing children in the Woods.
Do not be Cinderella and get left behind. Join us in this extraordinary celebration of story telling and the wicked magic of the theatre.
Content warnings ; TBA
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How do you stage a musical with a live band in the tiniest of the city’s theatres? How do you convince people of a show that has been called the ‘Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened’? How do you condense a full Broadway ensemble to a mere 8 actors and ask them to perform one of the most complicated musical theatre scores? When I decided to put on Stephen Sondheim’s often forgotten masterpiece, "Merrily We Roll Along," all these questions ran through my mind. The answer was simple: surround yourself with the most dedicated, skilled, and passionate team of performers and creatives whose enthusiasm for this show almost exceeded my own. This show has been an absolute labour of love for me and the entire team.
Thank you so much to Ad Astra for the opportunity to stage this show. Their passion for programming interesting and challenging theatre is driving our local theatre scene forward. Thank you to the creative team: Ben Murray, Tess Hill, James Shaw, and Wes Bluff. Your work, as always, was full of skill and passion that resonates throughout the stage. Thank you to our band led by Ben, who make this incredibly complex score sound incredible. A very special thank you to Stage Manager/Production Manager Caitlin Scott, who has gone above and beyond every single day to get this show on stage. Finally, thank you to this phenomenal cast. They have worked so hard and dug so deep to explore every corner of this complex and dense show. I won’t say more because I think their work speaks for itself.
"Merrily We Roll Along" is a fascinating character study. It boasts a quintessential Sondheim score and complex narrative structure. In short, it is everything you want a great musical to be. Yet it is rarely performed. In an age where we see too many blockbuster musicals over and over again, it is such a privilege to have the opportunity to bring this masterpiece to a Queensland stage for the first time. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you. It’s our time, and we are just going to breathe it in.
Tim Hill
Director
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Director | Tim Hill
Musical Director | Ben Murray
Choreographer | Tess Hill
Associate Director | James Shaw
Stage Manager | Caitlin Scott
Assistant Stage Manager | Loretta Melit
Production Assistant | Libby Harrison
MUSICIANS
Keys 1 (also Musical Director as above) | Ben Murray
Show Poster
Reviews of the last production by this team - Merrily We Roll Along.
Ad Astra have put together a flawless production of local cast and creatives that leans into the musical’s poignancy and nostalgia not for an era so much as longing back to more youthful days before long term friendships became complicated by life. And all of these factors make it a must see show for musical lovers.
Meredith Walker - Blue Curtains | Read Review Here
When Stephen Sondheim rewrote a 1934 stage play as his new musical Merrily We Roll Along for the 1400-seat Neil Simon (Alvin) Theatre on Broadway, I’m sure he would not have thought that an outstanding performance of his musical would be 40 years in the future in a small 40-seat black box theatre in Brisbane! But I am sure that, wherever he is, the late, great Mr Sondheim would be nodding his approval at the superb cast in Ad Astra’s production.
Beth Keehn - Stage Whispers | Read Review Here
Ad Astra’s debut musical production is Sondheim’s masterpiece Merrily We Roll Along, and, like the title of the Act Two song, it’s a hit! Director Tim Hill has successfully managed to condense a full-scale Broadway musical into a show using a cast of eight performers and an orchestra of three in their intimate, 40-seater black box theatre.
Sarah Sekula - Theatre Travels | Read Review Here
According to theatre director Tim Hill, he asked himself how he could get the massive Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s “often forgotten masterpiece” Merrily We Roll Along done in Brisbane’s smallest theatre, Ad Astra. He answered the question admirably by getting a great cast and crew. Friday’s show was to a packed house that thoroughly enjoyed it.
Most of the cast plays ensemble roles. But Jordan Twigg gives a gorgeous femme fatale feel to Gussie’s role. Chris Kellet gives Joe Josephson a creditable New York Jewish accent and feel. Heidi Enchelmaier gives Beth Spencer, Frank’s first wife, a poignancy, difficult to deliver in a musical.
At one point, Alex Watson almost rouses the audience to a standing ovation with Charley Kringas’ spitfire speech/singing. Chelsea Burton plays several characters, but as Meg Kincaid, she’s almost irresistible. Liam O’Byrne creditably camps up his characters. Two young fellows, Edward Hill, and Milo White, apparently play the role of Frank Jr. It seems Milo can look forward to a career in show biz.
Kudos to musical director Ben Murray, choreographer Tess Hill, and the crew for fitting the many facets together in this frolic. It’s fabulous.
