Opera to premiere ‘Hansel and Gretel’

One of the world’s best-known children’s stories will be brought to life this weekend as IU Opera Theater presents “Hansel and Gretel.”

Performances will take place at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Musical Arts Center, with additional shows at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 and 8 p.m. Nov. 22.

The original story of “Hansel and Gretel” was passed down through oral tradition for centuries before being written down and published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812.

German composer Engelbert Humperdinck composed the opera for “Hansel and Gretel” using a libretto based on the Grimms’ version of the story by his sister Adelheid Wette.

It first premiered in Weimar, Germany, in 1893 under conductor Richard Strauss and continues to be performed around the world.

Although the opera is heavily influenced by the Grimms’ story, there are “gigantic” differences between the two versions, Stage Director Vincent Liotta said.

“The original story is actually quite scary,” he said. “The opera is a story for children.”

The characters of Hansel and Gretel are children but played by adults in the opera due to the size of the large orchestra, said Liotta.

Soprano Jessica Beebe, a second-year doctoral student in voice, plays one of the two Gretel roles in the double-casted production.

She said she found it challenging to portray someone so young.

“The difficult part for me is becoming the child,” Beebe said. “It’s hard for me to set the technique, the preparation, the school, the learning that I’ve had to be an opera singer and to have that, but channel it into a childlike attitude and just act like a kid.”

Although this aspect of her role has been hard to get used to, Beebe said she has enjoyed it overall.

“Acting like a child and also singing like a strong adult has been kind of a complex, but it’s something good to achieve as a singer,” she said.

Humperdinck’s version of “Hansel and Gretel” is in German, but IU Opera is performing the English singing translation by librettist Cori Ellison.

“A lot of things make sense and are easier to understand than the abrupt German translation,” she said.

Second-year master’s student and mezzo-soprano Meghan Folkerts is one of two women to play Hansel.

She has played smaller trouser roles (when female singers portray male characters) in the past, but this is her first lead role as a male character.

“It’s been a great learning experience, especially since it’s something that my voice type will lend itself to in the next couple of years,” Folkerts said.

The fact that her character is still a little boy made her job a bit easier.

Folkerts also said she thinks “Hansel and Gretel” is a great first opera for people to see.

“It’s a fairy-tale opera, so everyone knows the storyline,” she said. “It’s in English, so there’s no language barrier, and the music is absolutely gorgeous.”

Beebe said she thinks audiences will automatically be taken with the overall magic of “Hansel and Gretel.”

“You can’t leave the show without having joy in your heart and a smile on your face,” she said.

Follow reporter Rachel Osman on Twitter @rachosman.