About Our Performance of Hansel and Gretel
Our abridged version of Hansel and Gretel, which close to 600 students experienced on October 19th was about a 40-minute presentation compared to the original which lasts about 2 ½ hours. You might say it’s the “Reader’s Digest” version. The main characters and elements of the story were included and the drama was presented seamlessly, capturing in full the story and spirit of the complete opera.
Short Synopsis
Hansel and Gretel is a fairy tale opera about the brother and sister, Hansel and Gretel. They are seen playing happily together but soon prove to be bothersome to their mother. As a result they decide to venture out into the forest but soon get lost while picking and gathering strawberries. The forest is known to be the home to a wicked witch who eats children. Hansel and Gretel eventually discover a tasty-looking gingerbread house, where a kind old woman lives. The children are invited inside the gingerbread house to eat various sweets and treats. To their surprise, they soon learn that the kind old woman is in fact the wicked witch. The Witch promptly places a magic spell on Hansel and Gretel so that they keep eating to make them nice and plump. However, Hansel and Gretel manage to outsmart the Witch and are soon joined together again with their parents. They are all overjoyed to be re-united safe and sound!
