Thursday March 28, 2024
Hansel and Gretel
Review

Hansel and Gretel

August 11 2010

Hansel and Gretel Pacific Opera, Glen St Theatre, August 2010, Photos by John Kilkeary: main pic: Eva Kong and chorus, thumbnail: Eve Klein

CHRISTINE DOUGLAS was a brilliant Gretel for Opera Australia (alongside equally wonderful Suzanne Johnston as brother Hansel) and Douglas now directs a scintillating production of the Engelbert Humperdinck favourite for her own spunky young company, Pacific Opera.

Hansel and Gretel is an interesting theatrical piece that can be taken on two levels: a melodically rich and entertaining fairy tale of the siblings lost in the woods who narrowly escape a wicked witch; or, a morality tale that resonates today just as much as it would when children were warned off dangerous places with grim scary stories – rather than today’s deeply unimaginative “stranger danger”.

Composed in the early 1890s, Hansel and Gretel was an instant hit and so it remains – deceptively simple and easy on the ear, it is nevertheless a musical stretch and the characters are well rounded and worth acting. It’s a good choice for young singers, therefore, and (at the performance I was at) soprano Eva Kong gives notice of a bright future as pert and bossy sister Gretel, while Eve Klein matches her vocally and in her performance as bratty younger brother Hansel.

Elly Oh makes a notable if brief appearance as the Dew Fairy – what a nice way to wake up from a snooze in the woods! – and Benjamin Loomes squeezes the comedic most out of the Wicked Witch. James Roser, as Father, might be the same age as his “children” in real life but a rich baritone and sonorous demeanour suggests a properly paternal gravitas. And Kerry Nicholson’s Mother and Katie Connor as the Witch are reminders of how often, in fairy tales as well as opera, women are portrayed as lemon-lipped harridans or cruel monsters: and children must beware. Ironic given how much more likely it was and is that children suffer at the hands of the men in their lives. Hey ho.

Hansel and Gretel

In the program, Bunning’s gets a guernsey as a sponsor and it might well be that Simone Romaniuk’s stylish set design owes most of its materials to the hardware superstore: the forest represented by free-standing 4-ply sculptural cut-outs of trees, plus the other elements of home, town and the Witch’s house as Modernist painted flats, to which Karen Norris (lighting) added atmosphere and extra dimensions. Similarly stylish and imaginative: Ailsa Paterson’s costumes – like illustrations from the Brothers Grimm come to life.

All in all, the production – intelligently and wittily directed by Christine Douglas, with the exceptional young Russell Ger commanding the company and the 19-piece orchestra from the pit – serves to underline the importance of Pacific Opera to opera in Sydney (and Australia). Without the dedication, expertise, skill-sharing and vision of Douglas and the professionals she gathers in to the company, the situation for young singers (and musicians) would be pretty damn dire.

Simone Young’s recent Peggy Glanville Hicks Address (read an edited version in The Australian) explains with great passion why the live experience of music is vital for our general well being. She could have been talking about Pacific Opera (and Pinchgut) as well as symphony orchestras. These two gutsy companies are precious treasures in this city and must be nurtured and encouraged – just as they nurture and encourage. Not that it’s a matter of charity to support them: they mount extremely fine productions and give us that priceless opportunity to be in on the ground floor of new talent and new careers.

 

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