The University’s Opera Viva troupe is out to prove that opera isn’t just for your grandparents anymore. In its upcoming performance of Engelbert Humperdinck’s classic Hansel and Gretel, this talented and innovative group of students plans to hit the stage with a high level of intensity, appealing to operatic aficionados and newcomers alike. Opera Viva has been preparing for the show since late February under co-directors second-year College student Niki Afsar and third-year College student Emmet Crawford, and their hard work promises to pay off.
The opera strays quite a bit from the fairy tale version every kid knows by heart — take away the trail of breadcrumbs and the evil mother of the original tale, and you’re left with a show much more representative of growing up.
In the operatic version of the beloved story, Hansel and Gretel are sent into the spooky Ilsenstein Forest to fetch strawberries because their caring yet stern mother can’t provide for the needs of her family. After losing their way and coming across such supernatural creatures as a Sandman and a Dew Fairy, the children ultimately encounter a witch “less menacing and more whimsical,” than her storybook counterpart, Afsar said.
“We want the audience to take away that sense of childlike wonder, and maybe get lost in the music and the fantasy of it all, almost like Hansel and Gretel get lost in the woods,” Afsar said.
Afsar, like many other students in Opera Viva, has been involved in opera from a young age, but the troupe is open to singers old and new. The directors treasure the opportunity to work with performers from all sorts of different backgrounds.
“I often have a clear vision for what I want to see, but I also like to work with my singers and hear what they have to say,” Afsar said. “This collaboration has ended up with some of the best details in the show.”
Anyone with a foot in the theater door knows a show is more than what you see. Behind the scenes, students have been busy working with the pit, organizing the music and putting together the set.
“We’ve kept the set relatively simple to emphasize the idea that this is a children’s world: simple, with characters that epitomize good and evil and [are] often full of magic and wonder,” Afsar said.
Simple does not mean effortless, though, and all of Opera Viva has been working hard to turn its vision into a reality.
An opera show may not be part of a typical college student’s night out, but Opera Viva’s Hansel and Gretel has a lot to offer, even for those who have yet to experience the art form.
“It’s something different and exciting,” Asfar said. “Our performers are truly fabulous singers and musicians who deserve an audience to appreciate their talent.”
Hansel and Gretel opens Friday, April 5 at 8 p.m. and continues Saturday and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $3 for students and $5 for the general public.
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