Hansel and Gretel live with their mother and father on the edge of a dark forest. It’s been ages since they’ve had anything good to eat, and Hansel’s rumbling tummy always seems to land him in hot water. Though he tries his best to act brave, it’s usually his clever sister Gretel who has to get him out of a tight spot. When she isn’t vanquishing witches, she loves to sing, dance, and make flower chains.

Hansel and Gretel’s mother scolds the children for avoiding their chores. In her anger, she accidentally knocks over a jug of milk. She sends the siblings into the forest to gather strawberries for the family’s supper, unaware of the dangers that lurk there…

Hansel and Gretel’s father is a broommaker who works hard to feed his hungry family. In times of trouble, he always reminds them: “When in need or dark despair, God will always hear our prayer.”

When the children get lost in the spooky woods, they’re frightened by the echoes and shadows of the forest. But the Sandman comes to sprinkle magic sand in Hansel and Gretel’s eyes that helps send them off to dreamland.

Also known as Rosina Lickspittle, the Witch lives in a tasty house made of cake. While she might seem like a sweet old lady, make no mistake: she’s got an appetite for children. Riding around on her broomstick, she collects kids to turn into gingerbread cookies.

After Hansel and Gretel slay the wicked Witch, the gingerbread kids turn back into boys and girls. They prance about in celebration, just as Hansel and Gretel’s parents arrive—overjoyed to be reunited with their precious children!

Familiar Fairytale Figures

For his production of Hansel and Gretel, British director Antony McDonald has added some characters to the original opera. For instance, when Hansel and Gretel are lost in the woods, you might see some strange figures flitting through the trees: a hunter deer, a woodcutter fox, and a forest spirit McDonald calls a Will-o’-the-Wisp. Terrified by the scary things they imagine in the shadows, the siblings are protected by a group of fairytale characters the audience will recognize from other storybooks or cartoons. Rumpelstiltskin lays Hansel and Gretel down in a bed of straw, Rapunzel cuts off her long golden braid for their pillow, and Little Red Riding Hood tucks them in with her crimson cloak. What other characters do you recognize?