Hansel and Gretel

Opera Theatre of St. Louis

It's tempting - almost as tempting as a marzipan house - to wrap up the Opera Theatre of St. Louis production of Engelbert Humperdinck's 1893 “fairy opera” Hansel and Gretel with a few well-chosen words. “Charming” comes immediately to mind, as do “delightful” and “magical”. Critics are expected to do more than just gush, however, so let's take a few minutes to examine just why this version is such a sweet success.

To begin with, Michael Patrick Albano's direction is a model of clarity. Stage movement is natural and character driven and there's no attempt to burden the libretto's modest and not-so-grim version of the Brothers Grimm tale with implications of Deep Meaning.

That's not to say he hasn't done a bit of tinkering. Casting mezzo Maria Zifchak as both mother Gertrude and the Witch, for example, does imply a darker connection that's absent from the text but Zifchak does such a fine job separating the two - and is such a model of comic villainy in the latter role - that it never feels overbearing. Albano's decision to replace the angels of the dream pantomime that closes Act I (Act II in the original) with fairies and some fancifully cute forest animals is perhaps less understandable since both Hansel and Gretel later refer to the “fourteen angels”, but the cumulative theatrical effect of that scene, as the animals reverently arrange themselves in a protective circle around the sleeping children to the accompaniment of Humperdinck's beautifully serene music, is undeniable.

Emanuele Luzzati designed those Beatrix Potter-style forest critters, by the way, along with the colorful sets that are so evocative of the wonder and occasional terror of a well-illustrated children's book. His Witch House is a giant layer cake of fruit, nuts and candy, and his two-sided trees enable the forest to change from an inviting green to a threatening black in seconds. Mark McCullough's lighting and Tom Watson's wigs and makeup add to the overall sense of fairy tale magic.

Once again, Opera Theatre has assembled a cast that's as solid vocally as it is theatrically. Maria Zifchak stands out, of course, in her dual star turn as Gertrude and the amusingly inept Witch. Soprano Saundra DeAthos is a bubbly and enchanting Gretel and mezzo Leah Wool in a convincingly coltish Hansel. Both are in fine vocal form, although at the opening night performance conductor William Lumpkin occasionally allowed the orchestra to overwhelm them. At least on opening night, the problem was exacerbated by the tendency of the projected titles to stop projecting now and then.

Baritone Ian Greenlaw makes an impressive OTSL debut as Peter, the father, whether he's reveling in his success as a broom salesman or darkly warning of the danger awaiting the children in the Ilsenstein forest. Finally, the Gerdine Young Artist program provides us with a pair of fine cameo performances by mezzo Kristen Forrest Leich as the Sandman and soprano Katherine Jolly as the Dew Fairy.

Englebert Humperdinck was a protégé of Richard Wagner, so the score for Hansel and Gretel is as opulent as you might expect, even employing nursery tunes as character-identifying leitmotifs. The Opera Theatre Orchestra generally does well by it, particularly in the Meistersinger-reminiscent overture and the dream pantomime, and by the time you read this the vocal-orchestral balance problems will hopefully be resolved.

There were a number of children in the audience on opening night and I'm happy to report that they seemed to enjoy the show every bit as much as the adults. With a total running time of two and one-half hours, including a leisurely intermission, Hansel and Gretel might not be appropriate for tiny tots, but any child with an interest in music or theatre will probably find it captivating.

Hansel and Gretel will continue to weave an irresistible spell on young and old alike through June 24th [2006] at the Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road. Combine the show with a picnic on the lawn and you have the ingredients for a classic family outing at one of the area's cultural treasures. For more information, call the box office at 314-961-0644 or visit them on line at opera-stl.org.

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