By Khalida Sarwari
Hansel and Gretel has been around for 200 years, but it’s been at least five years since it was last performed on a stage in Saratoga. Fans of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tale will be happy to know the Bay Shore Lyric Children’s Opera will be bringing the story to life at the Saratoga Civic Theater Dec. 13-15.
Performances will take place Dec. 13 at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., with additional shows Dec. 14 at 3 and 7 p.m. and Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The German fairy tale was written by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister from a poor broom-maker’s family who encounter a witch after they are sent to the woods by their stepmother to pick berries. The witch, disguised as an old lady who likes to “bake,” lures the children with her spell and captures them, but the two children save their lives by outwitting her.
Nineteenth-century German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (not to be confused with the 1960s pop singer of the same name) composed the opera, and his sister, Adelheid Wette, wrote the libretto based on the Grimms’ version of the tale. Conducted by Richard Strauss, the opera was first performed in Weimar, Germany, on Dec. 23, 1893.
Although the original opera is in German, the Bay Shore version will be performed in English, said Jill Fries, a spokeswoman for the company.
“It’s a very family-friendly opera,” said Fries. “It’s a 60-minute version and we do that specifically to gear it toward children.”
Along with the professional opera singers in the principal roles, the production will feature 14 children from Saratoga and Los Gatos schools, singing and dancing and acting as angels, forest animals, minion witches and gingerbread children.
Santa Claus is expected to make an appearance at some of the shows, including the evening shows on Dec. 13 and 14 and matinees on Dec. 15.
Tickets for Hansel and Gretel are $10 for children and seniors and $16 for adults. They can be purchased on the company’s website at bslopera.com. A limited number may also be sold at the door prior to each show.
The Bay Shore Lyric Opera Company is a nonprofit that exists to bring performing arts to everyone at affordable prices. The company was founded by Claire Der Torossian, who died on June 9. Fries said it is Bay Shore’s hope to make Saratoga its permanent home, given that its founders and numerous members and volunteers live in the city and the children’s chorus is offered through the Saratoga Recreation Department.
