Starring: Emily Fons, Simone Osborne, Russell Braun
Director: Joel Ivany
Music: Engelbert Humperdinck
Libretto: Adelheid Wette, based on Hansel & Gretel by the Brothers Grimm
Venue: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Run Information: Hansel & Gretel is currently running through February 21, 2020.
Rating: ★★★★
This Toronto-inspired production shines a new light on Engelbert Humperdinck's classic opera.
Something magical is happening at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Joel Ivany’s contemporary take of Hansel & Gretel. Engelbert Humperdinck’s classic opera has been plucked out of its traditional forest setting and placed in a low-income apartment building in Toronto. Perverse as that may sound to traditionalists, the result is spectacular.
Hansel (Emily Fons) and Gretel (Simone Osborne) spend most of their time lost in their imagination, while their parents, Peter (Russell Braun) and Gertrude (Krisztina Szabó), work menial jobs to earn ends meat. After a fight with their mother, the two children are sent into the enchanted forest — where they encounter a Sandman (Anna-Sophie Neher), a Dew Fairy (also portrayed by Neher), and an evil witch (Michael Colvin) — in order to find food.
In this production, however, all the action occurs in a community housing building, which is jaw-joppingly rendered by set designer S. Katy Tucker. The premise of Ivany’s version is that Peter and Gertrude are in on their children’s journey and are playing along — enlisting the help of their neighbours and the building’s superintendent to play the parts of the fantastical characters out of the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale. Sure, Ivany’s vision is at times confusing (especially in the second act) and contradicts Adelheid Wette’s libretto, but this deconstruction shines a new light on this classic work. It focuses on themes of poverty, community, and most of all, childhood imagination.
As the two young siblings, Emily Fons and Simone Osborne are whole-heartedly convincing as Hansel and Gretel, respectively. Their lush voices complement each other, which is wonderfully captured in “Evening Prayer”, the famous meditative duet that closes out the second act. And the amount of youthful energy that both actors possess is astounding. Ivany has the pair bouncing around Tucker’s two tiered set, all while singing Humperdinck’s folk-inspired music with exceptional breath control and enunciation.
Russell Braun lends his booming baritone voice to the role of Peter, and steals every scene he is in. It is quite hilarious to see Braun and Kristina Szabó, both perennial COC favourites, cladded in Adidas track clothes (the quirky costumes are by Ming Wong). As Gertrude, Szabó makes the most of her small role, though at times her voice sounds shrill, especially in her higher register.
Anna-Sophie Neher brings an air of buoyancy and pixie dust to the roles of the Sandman and the Dew Fairy. Her warm soprano voice beautifully cradles the two arias she is handed. Rounding out the cast is the hilarious Michael Covin as the evil witch. He spends most of the time speak-singing, but it fits his pantomime-esque role.
The COC has billed this production as perfect for young audiences and Ivany’s direction definitely will not disappoint children — or anyone, for that matter, who typically gets bored at the opera. He uses every inch of Tucker’s set, which features four different apartment units. It’s fun to let your eyes wander to the side action occurring in the other apartments, though the subtle lighting design by JAX Messenger ensures your eyes always find their way back to the main action.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the stunning projection design (also created by Tucker) which reflects the imagination of the two children. While the Toronto-inspired projection scene during the overture left me impressed, the final stage picture before intermission will stay in my memory for years to come.
The wonderful visual design is complemented by the first-rate (as always) COC orchestra, under the direction of Johannes Debus, who brings fine attention to detail to Humperdinck’s Wagnerian-inspired orchestrations.
It should be noted, however, that this new production was not entirely well received upon its premiere. The muted response on opening night highlights that this production is not for everyone. But if you are willing to shake the synonymous forest setting out of your head and are open to seeing a piece of art that reflects the society we live in today, then this production is for you.
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