Hansel and Gretel are lost in the forest again, but this time they’ll be looking for clues instead of breadcrumbs.
DeWinton-based Goodger-Pink Productions brings a British pantomime revival of the classic fairytale by Calgary playwright Dan Gibbins to the Rotary Performing Arts Centre this December.
Artistic producer Samantha Duff said she’s looking forward to bringing the panto-style show back to the stage for the holidays because it lends itself to audience interaction and family fun.
“It’s always nice when the kids get to go to a theatre show and they don’t have to sit still and quiet for the whole time,” said Duff. “It’s a lot to ask for a young child to sit down in the seat for an hour and be engaged, so we find the more audience interaction we have with them, the easier it is for them to stay engaged.”
Audience members will be encouraged to boo the bad guys, cheer for the good guys and shout responses out to characters on-stage, she said. From the very beginning of the show, Gretel breaks the fourth wall by talking to the audience and getting their attention, she said.
In traditional panto-style, the audience will also be drawn into on-stage arguments between characters by taking sides and shouting along, she said.
“There’s a couple of moments where a bad guy might be sneaking up on one of the good guys and we’ll get the audience shouting things like, ‘He’s behind you!’” said Duff.
Some characters, including the witch, will interact to the point of walking directly into the crowd. The intent is to make the audience feel as though it’s in the forest with the cast, rather than being separated from the story, she said.
The unique take on the Hansel and Gretel story introduces Gretel as a 12-year-old forest detective who loves the mystery side of life, who brings her eight-year-old brother along on her adventures.
When something odd in the forest begins causing trouble in the village, Hansel and Gretel venture out to investigate and eventually stumble upon the gingerbread house in its centre.
The classic witch becomes the pantomime dame, with her hilarious sidekick – and new character to the traditional story – the crow.
“He’s just sort of a woodland creature that helps the witch along the way, so he kind of adds some hilarity to the story,” said Duff.
A comical narrator will guide the audience through the tale, introducing characters and different parts of the forest, she said.
“That’s something else different from Hansel and Gretel, the narrator who kind of takes us through the story,” said Duff. “It brings a funny little twist to it.”
The stage is set to come alive with funny, bright-coloured costumes and fun costumes, she said.
Part of the fun is the well-crafted script peppered with jokes for the adults in the audience, she said.
“That’s something we really pride ourselves on – it’s not just for children,” said Duff. Adults truly do enjoy the show as well because there’s a little bit of humour just for them.”
The hour-long production will run Dec. 8, 9, 15 and 16 at 7 p.m.; Dec. 10 and 17 at 11 a.m., and Dec. 11, 17 and 18 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children and can be purchased at okotoksculture.ca, goodgerpinkproductions.com, by calling 403-938-3204 or at the door.
