Hansel & Gretel

Created by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop and Pacific Opera Victoria Artistic Director Brenna Corner for Vancouver Opera, this inventive production of Hansel & Gretel creates a wildly imaginative, visually stunning, and magical retelling of Humperdinck’s beloved opera.  When the siblings lose their way in the forest, they enter a world of towering puppets, magical creatures, and the irresistible lure of a dangerously delectable gingerbread house. Lush music and playful humour intertwine with Old Trout’s signature puppetry, turning the opera delightfully on its head while honouring the heart of the fairytale. At once enchanting and surprising, this production celebrates resilience, family, and the enduring power of love, inviting audiences of all ages into a magical operatic adventure.

– Brenna Corner

In Hansel & Gretel, a moment of childhood mischief sends two siblings tumbling into a world where imagination takes on a life of its own. Lost in the forest, Hansel and Gretel drift between play and uncertainty, encountering strange sights, curious figures, and dreamlike visions that feel as though they’ve stepped straight out of a storybook. Even as hunger and fear linger, wonder is never far behind.

That sense of enchantment leads them to a house made of sweets – irresistible, dazzling, and just a little too perfect. But its magic hides a darker truth. Captured by a witch, the children must rely on their wits to escape, turning the strange, playful world around them into their greatest advantage.

Blending danger with delight, Hansel & Gretel becomes a tale of resilience told through a lens of whimsy, where the forest feels alive, the uncanny feels playful, and even in the face of peril, imagination offers a path home.