University Opera Theatre Presents Hänsel und Gretel

OPERA: QUO VADIS? Despite the enormous popularity enjoyed by the operas of Monteverdi, Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini, among others, for much of its 400-year history, opera has been characterized by its detractors as inaccessible entertainment with little relevance for the lives of everyday people. I feel the critique should be taken to heart. Despite its widespread presence, many members of the general public today do not ‘connect’ to opera. Opera is expensive to produce and singers have to spend many years in preparation for what, in most cases, will be a relatively short career. I have given this challenge to myself, my colleagues, and our students as we embark on our next season: how can we make this effort and expense valuable to more people? I am a passionate believer in the power of opera to transform our hearts and minds. Whether you are a returning supporter or someone new to our performances, we are eager to welcome all of you to this performance. We hope you will enjoy this production! David Walsh Director of University Opera Theatre

Special thanks to our production sponsors, Patrice and Gerald Halbach! Your generous support helps us offer the highest level of performance experience to our developing young artists and attract new audiences to this magnificent art form.

In Celebration of Children!

Although cases of abandoned children, or children sold into slavery, may seem to us like a very contemporary topic, in fact, this phenomenon has existed in one form or another for several centuries - long before the Brothers Grimm heard of a purportedly true story from the early 19th century and turned it into a fairytale. Yet the root causes of such seemingly heartless treatment of vulnerable children does have a common thread, regardless of when or where it occurs – namely, poverty, hunger, and the desperation of those living on the margins of society. Attuned perhaps to the sensibilities of 19th century Victorian social elites, the composer and his librettist chose to overlay the story with an aura of Christian redemption, whereas the original ‘Grimm’ fairytale had intended it as an admonition to children about the dire consequences of (their) ‘bad’ behaviour.

The reality for such children is much harsher than these interpretations would suggest. In the end, however, it is with sheer resourcefulness and remarkable courage that the young protagonists, Hansel and Gretel, liberate not only themselves from adults who would do them harm, but also many other children as well. In this respect, the opera reflects the same spirit as Beethoven’s opera Fidelio, in which tyranny is confronted and overcome. That it should be children who accomplish the deed here is truly cause for celebration!

David Walsh, Director of Opera Theatre

Maternal characters have long been central figures in fairy tales and folk tales. Many modern versions of classic tales such as Hansel and Gretel and Snow White feature an evil stepmother at the helm of the protagonist’s woes. But lesser known are their earlier versions featuring biological mothers as antagonists, or even a separate female character altogether. The version of Hansel and Gretel (as well as many other tales) that we are familiar with today stems from the Grimms’ Fairy Tales first published in 1812 and republished with various changes throughout the first half of the 19th century. The Grimms collected their tales by recording German oral tradition. By reading their earlier manuscripts prior to publishing, particularly those written in 1810, we can conclude that many of the oral versions of the stories featured biological mothers. However, in the versions published in 1812 and onward, those biological mothers had been converted to evil stepmothers. But why did the Grimms make this change?

The Grimms adapted their stories to suit an audience that was morally, religiously, and socially traditional. In the 19th century, as in most other eras, western societies had very strict expectations regarding womanhood and motherhood. Mothers were expected to remain in the household sphere and provide for the immediate needs of the children, preparing them to be functioning members of society. Adapting these stories to feature evil stepmothers rather than evil mothers was, at least in part, an act to make sure their work aligned with the accepted view of the innocent and nurturing mother. The separation of the mother and stepmother can be a tool to make the mother seem good, while all actions of violence or hatred from the mother can be attributed to the stepmother, almost as a form of alter ego. Additionally, it is worth noting that the original audience of the Grimms’ tales were scholars and critics rather than children and families, and so the intention could not have been to protect children’s impressionable minds from harmful moral lessons. Rather, it may have been to create works that would be more well received within society’s respectable class of educated men.

In this production of the operatic version of Hansel and Gretel, written by Engelbert Humperdinck about eight decades after the Grimms’ version was published, we see a return to the original idea of a biological mother. How that change impacts the story is up to our own individual interpretations.

Aila Brodd, DFRACS scholar

Act I The Shack 

Hansel and Gretel live with their parents in a small shack on the periphery of an impoverished urban landscape. Their father is a broom-seller, and their mother does odd jobs, but between them they do not make enough money to support the family. Hansel and Gretel do not go to school but stay at home to do sewing and broom-making to help with the family situation. The children, aged 10 and 8 respectively, are discovered at work, but very tired and hungry. Gretel tries to console Hansel by telling him about a jug of creamy milk that a kind neighbour has given to their mother, who intends to make a rice pudding for supper, a rare treat. Eventually they become bored with their work and run outside to play and dance. Their mother comes home, weary from a day of unsuccessful job-hunting, and berates the children for their failure to take care of their assigned duties. She chases them out of the house and tells them to go and look for some fruit in the nearby woods. Left alone, she mourns the condition of their family life and the fact that she cannot provide for her children. Shortly thereafter, the father comes home, somewhat tipsy from a lengthy sojourn in the pub. He is exuberant because he has experienced a rare day of rather successful broom-selling. He has brought home food for a change and, even though he is rather drunk, the mother is appreciative of his success. When he asks for the whereabouts of the children, she rather indifferently informs him that they have run off into the woods to look for some food. Since it is now late afternoon and the forest will soon be dark, he tells her a rather disturbing  ‘fairytale’ about witches who are supposed to inhabit the woods and are notorious for devouring children. The horrified mother rushes off into the woods to look for and rescue her children, followed by the father.

Act II A Forest Grove 

The children are discovered relaxing in the late afternoon sun in a meadow somewhere in the forest. Gretel has made a lovely laurel wreath of flowers while Hansel has been busy collecting strawberries in the basket their mother had given them. Hungrily they begin to gobble down the strawberries and soon the basket has been emptied. As they begin to look for more strawberries, they realize that it has suddenly turned to dusk and that they don’t know their way back home. As the sun disappears and dark night descends, they become frightened at the strange shapes and specters that seem to be hovering out in the forest. When a strange little creature appears, they cower in terror. However, this fantasy figure turns out to be the Sandman, a benevolent creature, who puts them to sleep with his magic pixie dust. After a brief evening prayer asking that they be watched over and kept safe, they fall asleep. As the moon rises high above them, they dream of Fourteen Guardian Angels who surround them protectively.

Act III The Witch's Realm

When the children awaken, they are excited by the beautiful morning. What had been so terrifying the evening before had now been transformed into a glorious dawn and they are surprised to learn that they had experienced similar dreams - of angels descending from heaven. Imagine their astonishment when they turn around to discover a delightful house and garden, full of colour, and adorned with cookies and candies and gingerbreads. As they excitedly approach the house and begin to break off pieces of the sweet cakes, they are startled to hear a strange voice speaking to them, which they take to be the whisperings of the wind. Suddenly, a formidable old lady appears from the house and embraces them. Outwardly, she seems to be friendly and wants to invite them into the house. However, the manner and language of her ‘invitation’ makes them very uneasy and suspicious. When they decline her invitation and try to run away, she casts a spell on them and imprisons Hansel. Her true character now emerges and her malevolent intentions toward the children become clear. She wants to fatten Hansel in order to cook and eat him, along with Gretel, whom she releases from the spell. While the Witch is busy feeding Hansel, Gretel quickly grabs her magic wand and frees her brother from the Witch’s spell too. The Witch tries to manipulate Gretel close to the oven with the intention of pushing her in but, together with Hansel, Gretel manages to turn the tables, and they stuff the Witch into the furnace. The two children celebrate their freedom and begin to break chunks of food off the house to take home. Suddenly the oven explodes and, when the dust has settled, Hansel and Gretel turn to see that the façade of the house has vanished. Behind it and across the surrounding garden are the many children who had been enchanted and are now awakening from their horrible treatment at the hands of the Witch. Hansel and Gretel release the children fully from the spell and the children express their gratitude. Soon thereafter, Hansel and Gretel’s mother and father, who have been wandering through the woods searching for their lost children, discover them and the family is reunited joyously. Everyone celebrates the demise of the evil Witch and the courage of Hansel and Gretel who brought it about with the help of the heavenly Guardian Angels. 

David Walsh 

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Special thanks to our production sponsors, Patrice and Gerald Halbach! Your generous support helps us offer the highest level of performance experience to our developing young artists and attract new audiences to this magnificent art form.