Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel
A delicious treat for all the family returns this Christmas.
Royal Opera House
Sun 22 December 2024 - Thu 9 January 2025
7.30pm
Sent into the woods to look for strawberries, the hungry Hansel and Gretel are about to embark on a fantastic adventure. As they fall asleep, a fairy-tale world comes to life around them. But the mysterious forest is not always safe for children, and little do they know, something darkly delicious awaits them when they wake… They can’t believe their luck when they come across an edible house made of chocolate – but their host, a witch in disguise, has an insatiable appetite – for young children! Brother and sister must use all their cunning if they are to survive – and break the charm that has captured many children before them.
Kate Lindsey and Heidi Stober (making her debut with The Royal Opera) star as Hansel and Gretel in Engelbert Humperdinck’s enchanting opera. Drawing out the magic of the score is conductor Giedrė Šlekytė, who also makes her debut. Antony McDonald’s witty and imaginative production is the perfect treat for families and operatic newcomers alike.
A Grimm history
Brothers Jacob Ludwig and Wilhelm Carl Grimm were distinguished academics and folklorists. Through their work, preserving and transcribing the oral tradition of folk tales, they preserved much precious material from being lost. Their first publication, in 1812, of Kind und Hausmärchen (Child and Household Tales), featured the story of Hansel and Gretel, and was such a success that they produced several more collections, inspiring similar story-gathering efforts across Europe.