Review: 'Hansel and Gretel' by WCSU Opera Ensemble

Danbury, CT - WCSU Opera Ensemble has brought a big production of HANSEL AND GRETEL by Engelbert Humperdinck to the VPAC stage on the Westside Campus in Danbury. The opera was directed by Margaret Astrup. The one remaining performance is Sunday, June 10 at 2pm.

The opera with a beautiful score is presented in three acts with two intermissions to allow for scene changes. Even with the intermissions, the entire show fit perfectly into two hours and the well-behaved children in the Saturday audience easily made it to the end. The 7pm curtain was a wise decision on the part of the WCSU production team.

The story of Hansel and Gretel is the classic folk tale by the Brothers Grimm. At a woodcutter's house on the edge of the forest, Hansel and Gretel play while their parents are out. Their mother returns and accidentally knocks over the milk jug that contains the last sustenance in the house. Furious, she sends both children out into the forest to look for strawberries. Their father comes home to find them missing, and warns his wife about the dangers of the witch in the forest. They set out in search of them. The second act opens when Hansel and Gretel have become lost, and go to sleep guarded by angels. Act Three begins in the morning when they wake up to discover a house made of gingerbread in the vicinity. They soon come across the owner – the witch – who proceeds to turn Gretel into a servant and starts fattening Hansel for the oven. Just before she can place him there, the children turn the tables and shove her in instead. They free the other child-victims (who have become gingerbread-children) in time for their parents to arrive and lead them in a hymn of thanksgiving.

Because this is an opera, everything is sung; I counted exactly two short spoken lines by the two leading characters. The two also had some dancing to master and highlights of the production to my mind were their duets. I am not sure how the two talented singers were able to sing so well when they had to eat on stage throughout their performances, but they managed to do so while eating strawberries in the second act plus candy, cupcakes with frosting, and cookies in the final act.

The three sets designed by Joshua Bob Rose (who also designed to the lighting for them) were all big, but the gingerbread house of the witch was the largest. I loved the creative manner in which a large tree stump was transformed into the cage employed by the witch for Hansel. Dr. Fernando Jimenez conducted the fantastic nine-piece orchestra in the pit, at the same time he directed the on-stage singers. Technical director Gregory Mandas had lots to do and everything worked perfectly. Matthew Dettmer worked some magic with his costume design that brought us to fairy tale Germany.

Singing in an opera is always a challenge and every one of the students pulls it off easily. Olivia Conforti of Naugatuck, CT dons a great wig to sing the mostly lower range role of young Hansel. Congratulations to this lovely soprano on her recent graduation from WCSU with a B.S. in Music Education; she plans to head to the University of Southern Mississippi for a M.M. in Vocal Performance while teaching at the TIDE School. Her former teacher Marianna Vagnini Dadamo attended the Saturday performance to hear her sing this role. Soprano Christine Manalo of Watertown, CT sings beautifully the role of his sister Gretel. Ms. Manolo is a third year Music Education major and a magnificent pit pianist who recently appeared as such at the Halo Awards with Watertown HS. Her credits include Flametta in THE GONDOLIERS at WCSU and THE MAGIC FLUTE at Yale Opera.

The roles of the brother and sister’s parents Peter and Gertrud are performed by tenor Dan Satter of Trumbull, CT and soprano Nicole Salamon of Greenwich, CT. Ms. Salamon (THE GONDOLIERS, AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS) recently graduated from WCSU with a major in Classical Voice and will attend NYU Steinhardt in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in Voice. Mr. Satter is a WCSU senior who is a professional choral arranger and composer.

The scary and magical witch is brought to life in a big way by Sergio Mandujano of Norwalk, CT. The role was written for a mezzo soprano, but is sometimes sung by a tenor, as in this version. Mr. Mandujano is a BA candidate was has appeared in COMPANY, THE GONDOLIERS, and THE DROWSY CHAPERONE as Adolpho. WCSU rising junior Amy Cerbie of Meriden, CT and rising junior Callie Sorrento of Carmel, NY took turns with roles of the Dew Fairy and the Sandman.

The 12 adorable children in the chorus who appear as silent angels and singing gingerbread children included Gavin Beard, Vivian Beard, Anna Conforti, Laura Delp, Sophia Desantos, Hayden Hughes, Nicholas Johnston, Matthew Judd, Jack Marchand, Abigail Pease, Brianna Poliquin, Elouise Reyes and Erin Wilcox. Ms. Wilcox and stage manager and WCSU junior Tyler Goff were co-directors of the chorus.

Nancy Sasso Janis Photo by Gary Rosengrant

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and on Twitter @nancysjanis417