Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel: An Opera for All Ages

Article Written by Derek L. Davis

                In 1857, The Brothers Grimm wrote a fairy tale that focuses on a boy and a girl who find themselves in danger from a witch who would rather consume little boys and girls instead of puff pastries and sugar cookies. Two centuries later, the Fargo-Moorhead Opera decides to put on Humperdinck’s version of Hansel in Gretel for their opera this beautiful fall season.  Humperdinck’s version of Hansel and Gretel brings something the brothers Grimm never thought of:  music and wonderful actors and actresses!

The whole opera was filled with diverse ages of talent.  The little children who played various animals were very cute to watch, and the actors and actresses who played the main characters all did a great job in bringing the story of Hansel and Gretel alive.  From the dancing of the little children to the older people who brought the characters to life, there is no doubt their great talents are developing into something that will be greater in a few more years of acting and singing experience.  The best part of the evening was the wicked witch who leaped on her broomstick bicycle and crashed.  It was humorous to watch the witch fly in the air on her broomstick bicycle and struggle her way back onto the main stage!

The opera was eloquent and was definitely a treat for not only the eyes, but for the ears as well.  The orchestra brought even more emotion into this opera and helped set the mood even before the opera began.  The smooth sounds of the violin’s melody was a foreshadowing of what was to come.  Not only did the violin bring a melodramatic tone to the opera, but the whole orchestra as a whole made the whole opera melodramatic, and brought more emotion to the words of the music than could ever be felt than if the actors simply said their lines instead of singing them.

The Hansel and Gretel House

If it wasn’t for the stage, watching the opera would have been dull.  The stage, which was switched around about three times, looked very good until the last stage design change.  When the opera started out, the Hansel and Gretel house was elegant, looking like a house that would be found in the prairie of North Dakota. In the middle of the performance, the stage went from the prairie house to a mysterious and depressing forest scene which included clouds rolling by the actors as Mom and Dad tried to find Hansel and Gretel. By the end of the opera, I was wondering where they put the real witch’s house.  The house, which looked like a ten year old slapped color and shapes together, did little to convince the audience there was a witch who lived inside the house.  The only thing that did the convincing was the witch who opened the “doors” to greet her new so-called victims. 

All in all, Hansel and Gretel was well acted and it was evident that the designers put a lot of thought and work into designing the set.  They really did make it look like it as though the fairy tale took place on a Dakota prairie. No matter how old you are, the opera will have something enjoyable, whether it is the design of the set or the singing and acting of the characters.  Don’t miss this event; the last performance of Hansel and Gretel will be at the Reineke Festival Hall on October 31^st at 2 p.m.