Into the Woods: Vancouver Opera's new Hansel and Gretel

By Kevin W Ng, 30 November 2016

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“the young cast... threw themselves into their roles with energy and enthusiasm”

Reviewed at Vancouver Playhouse, Vancouver on 29 November 2016

Humperdinck, Hänsel und Gretel (In English)

Vancouver Opera

Alexander Prior, Conductor

Brenna Corner, Director

Pascale Spinney, Hänsel

Taylor Pardell, Gretel

Ryan Downey, Witch

Peter Monaghan, Peter / Father

Leah Giselle Field, Gertrude / Mother

Vanessa Oude-Reimerink, Dew Fairy, Sandman

Rigoletto goes to London in Vancouver Opera's season opener

Kevin W Ng, 30th October

Sarah Dufresne shines as Gilda in Glynis Leyshon’s gloomy staging of Rigoletto, set in Victorian London.

****1

Muhly's Dark Sisters comes to Vancouver

Kevin W Ng, 26th November

Vancouver Opera's bold presentation of Nico Muhly's Dark Sisters is enjoyable but less audacious than its subject matter might suggest

***11

Vancouver Opera’s Rigoletto redeemed by its cast

Kevin W Ng, 3rd October

Vancouver Opera's opening production of the 2015-16 season features an ideal cast let down by stale production

***11

Sweeney Todd cuts a dash in Vancouver

Kevin W Ng, 25th April

Vancouver Opera's updated Sweeney Todd is an incisive and disconcerting theatrical experience, backed by a musically excellent cast

****1

La bohème as escapist epic at LA Opera

Néstor Castiglione, 22nd November

Puccini's tale of bohemian love lives on at the Dorothy Chandler as LA Opera launches its 2025-26 season.

****1

Seattle Opera’s fast-track Don revealed in stark black and white

Stephen Pritchard, 19th March

Cut-down Mozart meets monochrome cinema. This certainly won’t be the most sumptuous Don you’ll ever see, but it is committed, imaginative and admirably compact.

***11

More reviews...

Kevin W Ng

Kevin writes about music and culture, with a focus on opera. Originally trained as a violinist, he has a particular interest in 20th-century music. He is currently based in New York City.