Organization

Singer

Mezzo-soprano

Rahel Brede

Hansel

Soprano

Anne Maria Schmid

Gretel

Chris Murray

The Gingerbread Witch

Elena Bechter

Sand- und Taumännchen

Conductor

Artem Lonhinov

Stage director

Frank Martin Widmaier

Costume designer

Erwin Bode

Baritone

Artur Garbas

Peter

Sandman

Choreographer

Robin Poell

Kristin E Mäntylä

Gertrude

Brandenburger Theater

Orchestra

Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra

Hänsel und Gretel -  (Hansel and Gretel)

Brandenburg

Germany

Foyer Großes Haus

Hänsel und Gretel Humperdinck

Public

Hansel and Gretel

Approved

"Don't you know that horribly gloomy place, don't you know that the evil one lives there?"
Children need fairy tales, because children need fears. Sounds drastic at first, but we know that everything will turn out fine in the end. "Hansel and Gretel" by Engelbert Humperdinck is one of the most popular musical fairy tales and has opened up the world of opera for generations.

Hansel and Gretel grow up in need and deprivation, there is not enough to eat, their father earns a little money with difficulty. Nevertheless, the siblings romp around the apartment, singing and dancing - and as punishment their mother sends them into the forest to collect berries. They get lost and are caught by the evil witch.

Frank Martin Widmaier is particularly interested in the social tensions that result in social upheavals. Based on the reality of poverty, the production tries to find out what the cause of evil is and who the witch actually is. The fears of the children come together in her and she becomes a dark menace. Theater director Benno Bettelheim explained psychologically: "If our fear of being eaten takes on the tangible form of a witch, we can free ourselves from it by burning the witch in the oven!".
So the plot remains both a story for children and a fable about the longing for harmony in a shattered world.

English

Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck, From (2022/2022), Directed by Frank Martin Widmaier,, Conductor Artem Lonhinov, Brandenburger Theater, Brandenburg, Germany

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues