BY GABRIELLE RUTTICO
If you believe that fairy-tales are for little kids and Disney fans, OperaBox and Love Opera’s Hänsel and Gretel is about to blow your mind.
The tale of two children outwitting the Gingerbread Witch is not to be dismissed as child’s play, according to director Sarah McKellar. She has seen in Ernst Humperdinck’s opera adaption what most people miss – the many links between the fictional characters and the lives of modern and, dare it be said, all-grown-up audiences.
“I wanted the characters of Hänsel and Gretel to feel like they could be someone you know who’s alive today,” Sarah explains.
“Most classics are still so popular because the characters and situations resonate through the ages – we just have to be brave enough to capitalise on that, even if that means alienating the ‘purists’ in the audience.”
Sarah has been busy cultivating this talent for putting, in her words, “a fresh spin on classic tales.” Three years ago, she founded North Sea Boat Terminals, a theatre company that has dedicated itself to making Shakespeare accessible without dumbing down its literary genius. The troupe has successfully produced All’s Well That Ends Well and Romeo and Juliet, both of which achieved this mission beyond expectation.
“The responses I’ve received from young audiences and people who would usually avoid these plays has been so positive that it feels absolutely worth it,” Sarah says.
“I’ve always loved Shakespeare particularly, and I think it’s such a pity that many people find his works so hard to watch.”
With this mentality, it is no surprise that Sarah was delighted to accept the offer to direct Hänsel and Gretel. The young director was not intimidated for a second at the jump from Shakespearean theatre to opera. She saw it as a rare opportunity to expand into a new genre, surrounded by some of Perth’s best musicians to support her. “It’s incredibly exciting to be learning so much about the art form,” Sarah remarks.
Sarah is not the only one to be inspired by the prospect of learning. Part of OperaBox and Love Opera’s mission is to engage emerging artists, rather than employ the established maestros and prima donnas. This in no way means the performances are of a lesser quality – quite the opposite. These keen young artists are loving every minute of the learning experience, and producing some of Perth’s finest opera while they’re at it.
The pair of cheeky children are played by the stunning Jenna Robertson and gorgeous Alexandra Bak. Both sopranos usually work with the Western Australian Opera, but are immensely enjoying the chance to play lead roles in a smaller company. What makes their roles even more challenging is the fact that they are playing children. Jenna said on Facebook that “preparing Gretel at the moment is especially fun as this is the first time I’ve played the role of a child, so it’s a completely new acting experience.”
Eva-Marie Perissinotto (nee Middleton) is exploring the dark side of her normally lovely personality as the Gingerbread Witch. Eva-Marie studies and lectures at the University of Western Australia, and her students are rather amused at her appointment as a rabid child-eater in the opera. All were relieved to hear that she also performs the more socially acceptable role of Hänsel and Gretel’s mother, reassuring them of their safety in her classroom.
Like Eva-Marie, engineer Thomas Friberg has sung with OperaBox for several years (despite his obvious mathematical capability which could land him a ‘real’ job). He plays the role of the slightly-too-drunk-for-comfort father in Hänsel and Gretel.
Emma Taylor is both the Sandman and Dew Fairy in this production; a rather ironic combination as she puts the children to sleep as the former character and wakes them several hours later as the latter. She is joined on stage by a chorus of angels who protect Hänsel and Gretel as they fall asleep in the forest. These cherubic singers are led by Chorus Master Nola Formentin, teacher at Mercedes College and member of the WA Opera Chorus.
Taking care of the orchestra with his usual flair is Christopher Dragon, the young conductor who has taken Western Australian musical circles by storm. Christopher was recently appointed Assistant Conductor of the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra after a highly successful cadetship there in 2013 under Paul Daniels. Sarah, along with the rest of the cast and crew, are very grateful to have such a talented young Musical Director to work with, and says, “I love to collaborate, and Chris is very easy going and very talented so I feel very lucky to be paired with him for my first opera production.”
Choreographer Claire Thomas has been ballet dancing since she could walk and does a very fine job of it, too. Her extensive experience with ballet sets makes her a perfect choice to choreograph the dancing in Hänsel and Gretel, adding extra sparkle to the already charming opera. This is also the first time that choreographed ‘proper’ ballet dancing has been included as part of the performance.
The set designers are a pair of students from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Olivia Tartaglia and Rhiannon Walker have no easy task, especially given the three performances are in different locations around Perth. However, the crew are relishing the challenge and, as Sarah reminds us, “the plus side is that we have the opportunity to perform for a broader audience.”
For the pair of opera companies, it is all about two goals: giving emerging artists the opportunity to be involved in a professional production, and giving people who would normally never go to the opera the chance to get a foot in the door. While Sarah has certainly taken no shortcuts, this production with its modern setting and humorous twists is perfect for opera lovers and those of us new to the scene alike. In Sarah’s words:
“The great thing about fairy tales is contemplating, even for a few hours, the possibility that magic is real and around us. That may sound like hippie nonsense but it’s really a chance to be a child again for a little while, and I think that’s good for us.”
For more information on the production, check out https://www.cutcommonmag.com/operabox-inc-hansel-and-gretel/ .
Image supplied.
