Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel
By Engelbert Humperdinck. Victorian Opera. Conductor: Simon Bruchard. Director: Elizabeth Hill. Playhouse Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne. June 9 – 12, 2018

Victorian Opera appears to produce more shows for its younger audience than for adults. Fortunately Hansel and Gretel, quite a long opera, was reduced to just under an hour and worked well.

The young cast did sterling work. Cleo Lee-McGowan and Shakira Dugan were the two children, and very convincing they were. Kirilie Blythman played the mother, frustrated by her disobedient children. Stephen Marsh was the father, singing beautifully, but I was expecting him to be more tipsy on his entrance.

Michelle McCarthy was a delightful Dew Fairy and Tomas Dalton a revelation as the scary witch with an amazing costume. The orchestra was excellent, but sometimes a bit strong for the young voices.

I couldn’t understand why an opera attempting to attract a younger audience would be sung in German. The English “scene descriptors” were to the side and not immediately in line of sight, and often left the audience wondering what was actually going on. There was constant chatter from youngsters asking parents what was happening. I can’t imagine they would be too enthusiastic to return. Having the parents return as children in the last scene could also be confusing.

It was a shame, as this was a delightful performance and, in English, it would be a hit.

Graham Ford

Photographer: Charlie Kinross

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