Creating Community in “Hänsel und Gretel”

The streets of New York City become Hänsel and Gretel’s playground in opera director Kevin Newbury’s interpretation of the classic fairytale.

“Hänsel and Gretel is a story about the search for home and sustenance and security,” he says. “So I wanted to find a context where we could really dive into this idea.”

Combining his love of New York history with Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel, Newbury’s production brings the 1893 opera into 1977 and sets it on the Lower East Side. Oberlin Opera Theater, conducted by Raphael Jiménez, will present four performances at Hall Auditorium from November 5-8. Tickets are available online.

Why choose July 1977? ”That was a really potent year, especially in New York,” Newbury says. A brutal heatwave and a serial killer’s rampage, on top of existing economic insecurity and crime, had intensified the city’s reputation as a dangerous place. “But at the same time, it was an incredibly vibrant moment of a cultural and artistic renaissance.”

Although the director first played with this setting in his 2025 production at The Juilliard School, the Oberlin staging adds elements, along with a new set and costume design. “It's a whole new team here at Oberlin,” Newbury says. One recent touch: making Hänsel and Gretel’s father a vacuum cleaner salesman instead of a broom salesman. “That's our little reference to Midwestern sweepers instead of vacuums.”

As the two children wander the city, they find a collection of residents who look out for one another—a characteristic element of New York that Newbury himself has experienced over 25 years. “So much of this production is about building a community on stage,” he says.

A key part of that community is the children’s chorus, members of Oberlin Choristers who appear periodically throughout the show—including at the end, a moment that is traditionally depicted as the gingerbread children coming back to life. Populating the streets of New York are inhabitants like the dancer who teaches Hänsel and Gretel some disco moves, a saxophonist busking for money, and a “flower lady” whose bicycle is overflowing with flowers.

But don’t forget: there’s also “a crazy witch that wants to eat children. That's the other variable, I guess,” Newbury says.

Beyond opera, Newbury directs in all kinds of mediums, including film, theater, and rock concerts. But “I love everything about opera,” he says. “I think it can be the perfect synthesis of visual arts, music, and compelling, vulnerable storytelling.”

To him, Humperdinck’s opera stands out for its beautiful score and tight construction. “It’s really well-paced, and it's emotional, it's moving, it's really funny. I think it's one of the best operas out there, actually.”

Despite the gritty 1970s setting, the director emphasizes the production’s vibrancy and humor. “Our production is a tribute to the wonder and imagination of childhood,” he says. “It’s a lot of fun, and the cast is wickedly funny.”

This is Newbury’s first time at Oberlin, and he’s spending the whole semester here. In addition to working on Hänsel und Gretel, he’s also been teaching classes about opera theater and directing.

“The students are just incredible,” he says. “They're so inspiring, such an interesting group of people, and I'm really loving my time here.”

While exploring campus, “I discovered the art library, which is my new favorite place,” he adds. “That is just an incredible resource—it’s a director's dream.”

PERFORMANCE DETAILS
Thursday, November 5 to Saturday, November 8 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Hall Auditorium
67 N. Main St.
Oberlin, OH 44074

Content Advisory: This production includes depictions of homelessness, poverty, hunger, crime, distressing situations involving children, and the demise of a comic-yet-villainous character who is shoved into an oven. This production will use theatrical haze throughout the performance. Signs will be posted in the lobby.

—

Stephanie Manning ’23 completed her bassoon performance degree at Oberlin while finding her way into journalism as a classical music critic. She returned to Cleveland after finishing a graduate diploma in journalism at Concordia University in Montreal. A regular contributor to ClevelandClassical.com, she has also published articles with Signal Cleveland, The Montreal Gazette, and Carnegie Hall.