Ballarat Loves a Musical
It’s plain to see that Ballarat loves the sheer joy of musical theatre, the kind that’s a little bit dazzling, a little bit daggy, and completely irresistible. There’s something about big songs, camp characters and an unapologetic spectacle that keeps audiences coming back.
Perhaps it is the city's rich performance heritage. Perhaps it is the generations of performers who have come through local theatre companies, schools, Federation University's Arts Academy, and iconic events like the South Street Eisteddfod. Or perhaps it all comes back to one place: Her Majesty's Theatre.
Ahead of Into the Woods opening at Her Majesty's Theatre, we spoke with members of the cast and creative team about their connection to the show, the theatre, and the city's enduring love affair with musicals. What emerged was a picture of a community where performance is woven into the fabric of everyday life, and where Her Maj remains at the heart of it all.
"Ballarat has a rich and longstanding musical theatre history," she says. "During the gold rush, the city became one of Australia's wealthiest regional centres, and with that wealth came grand theatres, touring performers and a thriving arts culture."
Even Coghlan's own family history is intertwined with the theatre. Her husband's great-grandfather, James Coghlan, played a role in the redevelopment of what became Her Majesty's Theatre in 1898, making her upcoming debut on the stage especially meaningful.
At the centre of it all is Her Majesty's Theatre, a venue that has hosted generations of performers and audiences while remaining one of the city's most cherished cultural landmarks.
That connection to Her Maj is a sentiment shared throughout the Into the Woods company. Musical Director Sarah Barlow describes stepping into the theatre as "coming home", while Cinderella actress Brittany Kirby recalls first performing there when she was just three years old. For Jess Ryan, who graduated from Ballarat's performing arts community before making her Her Maj debut in 2002, returning to the stage still feels like a full-circle moment every time.
Stephen Sondheim's beloved musical begins with familiar fairy tale characters and stories but quickly moves somewhere far more complex. Beneath the magic beans, glass slippers and enchanted forests lies a story about people, their choices, and the consequences that follow.
Coghlan describes the work as a "subversion of happily ever after".
"Unlike traditional fairy tales, Into the Woods focuses on what happens after the wish is granted," she says.
It is exactly that depth that resonates so strongly with the cast.
"Everyone can get their fix of contributing and supporting," Barlow says.
That spirit of participation helps explain why Into the Woods feels like such a fitting production for Ballarat audiences.
Kirby feels similarly drawn to the show's imperfections.
"I love that the characters are messy and complicated and don't always know what they're doing," she says. "It feels so much more relatable than a perfect fairy tale."
Those observations are echoed throughout the company. Amalee Eden, who plays Rapunzel, says the show explores grief, moral ambiguity and the reality that getting what you want does not always deliver the happiness you imagined. Jesse Simpson, appearing as both Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf, believes the show's enduring appeal lies in its examination of what happens after our wishes come true and the responsibility we have for the choices we make.
At its heart, Into the Woods explores themes that feel remarkably contemporary: family, legacy, love, power, responsibility and connection.
For many cast members, one particular lyric continues to resonate.
Ryan says the line takes on a completely different meaning when reflecting on childhood and raising children of your own. Barlow points to the show's exploration of family dynamics, trauma, good and evil, while Simpson highlights the way it reminds us that our choices affect those around us.
Barlow counts the company's rendition of Children Will Listen among the show's highlights. Simpson is especially moved by No One Is Alone, describing it as a beautiful reminder that people are responsible for one another and do not have to navigate difficult times alone.
Ryan names the Baker's Wife's showstopping Moments in the Woods as a personal favourite, praising its raw honesty and emotional complexity, while also celebrating the comedic brilliance of the princes' anthem Agony.
Even those playing the fairy tale heroes and heroines find themselves drawn to the characters' flaws rather than their perfection.
Kirby's Cinderella is brave, hopeful and independent, but also uncertain and constantly growing. Simpson delights in exploring the surprisingly similar appetites and desires that drive both Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf. Eden sees Rapunzel inhabiting a world where magic exists, yet human vulnerability remains impossible to escape.
For Coghlan, it is the Witch who embodies some of the musical's most fascinating questions.
"The Witch challenges us to look at the parent-child relationship and the notion of blame and lies," she says, "Into the Woods focuses on what happens after the wish is granted. And of course, in the hands of the brilliant Stephen Sondheim - he fundamentally changes what musical theatre can say, how it can sound, and how deeply it can explore human psychology."
Perhaps that is the real reason Ballarat continues to embrace musicals so enthusiastically. They offer spectacle, laughter and escapism, but they also tell stories that reflect our own lives back to us.
As the cast of Into the Woods prepares to step onto the stage of Her Majesty's Theatre, they are joining a tradition that stretches back generations. A tradition built on performers, audiences and stories shared in one extraordinary venue.
Experience the magic of Into the Woods from September 04-06
