Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921)
Hansel and Gretel
Robert Thicknesse at Eden Theatre, Inverness [28 Apr 05]
WHAT was that about working with children? Halfway through Humperdinck’s fairytale opera a gang of local kids troops onstage dressed in sheets — angels, see — and hangs around for a bit before sloping off again: the naffest piece of staging I’ve collected in a while, and indicative of some confusion about the purpose of Scottish Opera’s mid-scale touring arm.
Yes, it’s a good way of getting parents into the theatre — and of confirming their worst suspicions about opera. For the next year (and the foreseeable future, outside Glasgow and Edinburgh), Scottish Opera on Tour is what remains of publicly funded opera in Scotland; so I thought it would be interesting to see what it was like.
Click here for remainder of article.