Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I'm all for a dark take on Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel." This is, after all, a tale with child abuse and cannibalism at its core, topics of which the Brothers Grimm had no difficulty writing, in both figurative and metaphorical terms. In this grotesque production, however, director Richard Jones doesn't simply touch on these themes, he molests them. Among his subtle directorial touches are the following: on hearing about the Witch, Mom vomits large chunks of food in full view of the audience; said Witch force feeds Hansel by sticking a tube and funnel down his throat; after the Witch is pushed into the oven (she's gassed, get it?), Gretel smears some chocolate on Hansel's upper lip, making him appear like Adolf Hitler. Excuse me, this is the Met's annual holiday opera for children? What's next, "Wozzeck" in a new translation by Martin McDonough?
Maybe Jones believes that, with the proliferation and popularity of violent video games, children's tastes have changed, that they crave more graphic and grotesque forms of entertainment. Perhaps. But do we, as adults, have to give it to them? Can we not endeavor to preserve and/or foster a sense of magic and wonderment in our children? Isn't there a balance between exposing them to the "real" world and encouraging imagination and flights of fancy? Jones is all for the former, but is far less successful at (and seems less interested in) the latter. Imagine a version of "The Nutcracker" in which Clara is raped by The Mouse King, or the ethnic dancers are ragged, starving street urchins who knife one another for sugarplums. That's the kind of production this is.
For the most part, the roles are superbly realized and sung. The exceptions are a dull Philip Langridge, whose performance as the Witch is as flabby as his prosthetic arms, and a dour and screechy Rosiland Plowright, decked out, for some reason, as a cross between "AbFab's" Patsy on a bender and Michael Caine in "Dressed to Kill." Thankfully, conductor Vladimir Jurowski has an expert handle on the intricate beauty of the lush, transcendent score, even if his stage director does not.
If you want a story about nasty children with nasty parents who have nasty things happen to them, perhaps this is the "Hansel and Gretel" for you. (Or maybe you should check out Ravel's "L'Enfant et les Sortileges.") But if you're looking for a production that charms, delights and reinforces your faith in humanity and the triumph of good over evil...look elsewhere.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Humperdinck - Hansel and Gretel (The Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series) (2008)
The Metropolitan Opera's acclaimed Live in High-Definition series, which projects live performances into theaters across the globe, has met with unprecedented critical and commercial success and has made opera convenient and affordable to millions of viewers worldwide. Now, EMI Classics is proud to collaborate with The Met to release 6 new DVDs made from these broadcast performances.A striking new English-language production of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, starring Alice Coote and Christine Schäfer, with tenor Philip Langridge in the role of the Witch. Vladimir Jurowski, one of the world's most sought-after conductors, leads a sensitive account of Humperdinck's enchanting score, and Richard Jones and John Macfarlane provide a staging that is "is tough and dark, sparse and savage, an exploration of deprivation, cruelty and gluttony in a contemporary always-always-land."-Financial Times
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