Hansel and Gretel Find Their Way To Roanoke

Hansel and Gretel is coming to Opera Roanoke and tickets are free for students.
           
Friday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m., musical director Steven White will be conducting Humperdinck’s operatic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel at Opera Roanoke.

Opera Roanoke has been offering free tickets for students as part of their Sempre Libera program. This “full-ride scholarship” means that every ticket for every performance is free with student ID.

“We are determined to break down the barriers that have led some to believe that Opera can be enjoyed by only the enlightened few. Nonsense! Opera is for everyone!” said Opera Roanoke on its website.

However, if you reserve a ticket and don’t show up, you won’t be able to reserve again. Information on reserving tickets can be found at www.operaroanoke.org.

This production of Hansel and Gretel will be performed in English, from the original German, and will feature Roanoke College Children’s Choir.

Humperdinck’s opera is based on the story by Grimm, with one main difference: in Grimm’s story, the evil stepmother drives the children out of the house, and dies at the same time as the witch. In Humperdinck’s version, the mother’s frustration is subdued by the love of her children, and they are reunited in the end.

The opera opens in Mother and Father’s house. Hansel, played by Emily Langford Johnson, and Gretel, played by Kathleen Magee, are distracted from chores, and when their mother returns home unsuccessful from her search for food and money, she is displeased with them and sends them out to collect strawberries. When her husband returns, she realizes what danger Hansel and Gretel could be in, and they go in search of their children.

The second act is set in the woods, with Hansel and Gretel having wandered close to the witch’s lair. Hansel has forgotten his way home, and they sleep under the watch of their 14 guardian angels.

In the final act, Hansel and Gretel are imprisoned by the witch, played by Jennifer Roderer. Gretel is to be eaten immediately, but fools the witch into believing that she doesn’t know how to get into the oven. When the witch shows her, the children trap her.

This opera is traditionally associated with Christmas. Humperdinck’s sister had written songs for her children based off of the Grimm story as a Christmas present. Those melodies are the base for Humperdinck’s creativity.

Johnson and Roderer have both performed their roles previously. Johnson, a mezzo-soprano, played Hansel in the 2004-2005 season for Palm Beach Opera. Roderer, also a mezzo, has been cast as the witch back-to-back with the New York City Opera and Phoenix Symphony. In this production, Roderer also plays the mother.