Classic Fairytale "Hansel & Gretel" Modernized in Thailand's First High School Production of a Full-Scale Opera 

We have all heard of Brothers Grimm's fairytale of two young siblings, Hansel and Gretel, who got lost in the forest and ran into an evil witch living in a gingerbread house. This time, these characters are recreated and presented in an exciting new direction, and by high school students, no less! 

After the immense success of last year's musical West Side Story, Young Artists Music Program (YAMP), the pre-college division of College of Music, Mahidol University, steps up its game this time by choosing to present Hansel & Gretel in the first full scale production of an opera by a high school in Thailand. 

This masterpiece by nineteenth-century composer Engelbert Humperdinck is hailed by New York Times as "one of the sweetest yet most lushly captivating scores in the entire operatic repertory." 

The performance will be under the assured direction of Pattarasuda Anuman Rajadhon, a graduate in Performing Arts from London's Goldsmiths University and an esteemed opera director and actor. Her previous directing works include Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tiresias, Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas, The Three penny Opera, Mulan and A Thousand and One Night.

For Hansel & Gretel, YAMPtransforms the whole of its own building into one dashing metropolis, a concrete jungle and perfect backdrop for the classic fairytale's reimagining as a contemporary opera, tackling social issues of the present era.

"Performing a full opera right in the middle of our building and so close to the audience is both a challenge and a great learning experience," muses Head of Voice Department, Ajarn Kamolporn Huncharoen. "Our vocal students, still full of innocence and mischief, are much closer in age to the characters than most opera actors in any previous productions. We are using this to full advantage."

Come and see if Hansel and Gretel can defeat the modern-day witch and find their way out of the urban maze this time around!

"Hansel and Gretel" will be staged from March 5 to 8 at 7 p.m., at YAMP Building, College of Music, Mahidol University, Salaya. Ticket prices are 500, 800, 1,000, and 1,500 baht. For more info, promotions, and booking, visit Facebook page: YAMP Voice Production