Hansel and Gretel OPERA @ A GLANCE
L A N G U AG E
English with English subtitles
F I R ST P E R F O R M E D
Dec. 23,
1893 in Weimar, Germany
LENGTH
L I B R E T TO
Ben Robinson
3 ACTS 90 minutes
COMPOSER
Engelbert Humperdinck
(1854–1921) was a German composer. Humperdinck’s sister, Adelheid Wette, wrote the original libretto and asked him to create the musical composition. The opera is based on the Brothers Grimm’s folktale. Hansel and Gretel was the first complete opera written by Humperdinck, and it is his most famous work.
THEMES
family responsibility greed
C H A R AC T E R S
Hansel (mezzo-soprano), a young boy who is often hungry; the brother of Gretel
SET TING
a modern cottage with woods nearby, likely 1980s
Gretel (soprano), a young girl who likes to dance; the sister of Hansel Mother (soprano), the frazzled mother of Hansel & Gretel; she sends the kids to the woods Father (baritone), the father of Hansel & Gretel; he tells the story of the Witch The Witch (mezzo-soprano), a TV-chef who lives in a house of sweets in the woods; she tries to cook Hansel & Gretel The Sandman (mezzo-soprano), a mysterious enchanter who puts the children to sleep with fairy dust The Dew Fairy (soprano), a kind and magical person who sprinkles morning dew on the children to wake them up
SY N O PS I S This 2021 production is a contemporary adaptation featuring a new translation by director Ben Robinson. The classic folktale is reimagined – Hansel and Gretel watch TV, the Mother stresses about an instant pudding mix, and the Witch is a celebrity pastry-chef. The story begins with Hansel and Gretel at home. Rather than doing their chores, Hansel and Gretel sing and dance. When the Mother returns home, frazzled from work and the messy house, she sends the two children to pick berries in the woods. Hansel and Gretel get lost and fall asleep surrounded by the trees. They wake up the next morning and find a television set complete with a gingerbread house! Hansel and Gretel soon find themselves in trouble when the Witch reveals they are guest stars on her TV show and that Hansel is the main ingredient in her “kinderroast.” The children trick the Witch into climbing into her oven and break the spell the Witch had placed on the TV crew. Hansel and Gretel’s parents find them, and everyone shares a chocolate cake.