Opera brings 'Hansel and Gretel' to life

February 2, 2017 at 5:42 a.m. | Updated February 7, 2017 at 4:01 p.m.

by Maura Shimmens

Hansel, played by Christine Nichols, sits fearfully while Mother, played by Kristin Chisham lectures her children about the dangers of the world as Gretel, played by Carline Waugh grasps her doll in fright during a rehearsal of Hansel and Gretel at Lincoln University Richardson Performing Arts Center Mitchell Auditorium on Monday, Feb. 6, 2017.
Hansel, played by Christine Nichols, sits fearfully while Mother, played by Kristin Chisham lectures her children about the dangers of the world as Gretel, played by Carline Waugh grasps her doll in fright during a rehearsal of Hansel and Gretel at Lincoln University Richardson Performing Arts Center Mitchell Auditorium on Monday, Feb. 6, 2017.

AT A GLANCE

Tickets: $5-15

In collaboration with local opera group MOstly Opera, the Jefferson City Symphony Orchestra will perform its first full opera Tuesday.

The opera, titled "Hansel and Gretel," was created by German composer Englebert Humperdinck in the 19th century and is based on the popular Brothers Grimm story of the same name.

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Angie Davis

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Jefferson City Symphony Orchestra Director Patrick Clark and Ann Riggs, executive director of MOstly Opera, describe "Hansel and Gretel" as both a "wonderful collaboration" and a "tremendous undertaking."

The opera has a main cast of seven characters, but with a full orchestra, 14 dancers from Dancer's Alley and a 34-member children's chorus, the creative team behind "Hansel and Gretel" found a challenge in bringing the fully staged production to Mitchell Auditorium.

The solution was to place the cast, including Christine Nichols as Hansel, Carline Waugh as Gretel, and Ruth Robertson as the Gingerbread Witch, in front of the orchestra. The production received generous help from community theaters such a The Littler Theatre and Dancer's Alley to both borrow and make set pieces, props and costumes.

The opera is sure to captivate a diverse audience with roots in children's fairy tale paired with a more adult musical setting. "Hansel and Gretel' is a German, romantic, chromatic fantasy on children's tunes," Clark said.

The Brothers Grimm's "Hansel and Gretel" depicts a young brother and sister kidnapped by a cannibalistic witch, whose house deep in the forest is constructed of cake and candy used to lure children in and fatten them up.

"Opera is something not many people understand. One of the keys to learning to appreciate opera is knowing the story beforehand," Riggs said.

There's no need to be wary of the play's German roots, either. The opera will be sung in English, aiding in MOstly Opera's goal to "bring opera into the present day to enjoy and appreciate."

The opera will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Lincoln University's Mitchell Auditorium in the Richardson Fine Arts Center, 710 E. Dunklin St.

A reception to meet and greet the cast and orchestra members will follow the performance. Desserts donated by Chez Monet Patisserie will be served.

Tickets are available at the door the night of the show or beforehand at Central Bank and Hawthorn Bank downtown, Capital City Music and Dancer's Alley. Pricing is $15 for adults, $5 for students and $35 for a family of five.

"If they are lucky," Riggs said, "children may even be surprised with a sprinkle of fairy dust on their head from the Sandman himself!"

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