Audiences were transported into a magical world of gingerbread houses, wicked witches and wolves pitched against the woodcutter’s children lost in the woods in this promenade production of Humperdinck’s fairytale opera Hansel and Gretel.
Pippa Dames-Longworth’s Singing Salon brought the classic tale to life in the beautiful gardens and grounds of Charleston Farmhouse just off the A27 outside Lewes.
Two songs from Purcell’s Fairy Queen set the scene for the opera which led the audience on a journey with Hansel and Gretel from the flowering garden by the house, through the wooded orchard and ending up in the paddock. It ended in a joyous finale after the witch and her evil sidekick, the wolf were tipped into the burning oven.
The singers who came from all over the United Kingdom honed and perfected their craft under the guidance of mentor and director, Pippa Dames-Longworth.
Produced by Ptolemy Christie, the show helped introduce a host of new visitors to the famous setting.
The opera was adapted to fit in with its surroundings and was all the more captivating as a result. The next production – Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night on Tuesday, July 21 – promises to be a sell-out.
Four stars
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