November 4, 2002

Shakespeare Santa Cruz Presents Gretel & Hansel

By Scott Rappaport

It’s a story you remember—done in a way you’ve never seen.
Gretel & Hansel: A New Twist on an Old Tail, returns for its second Shakespeare Santa Cruz holiday season with a new director, different choreography, and a variety of new cast members.

Bruce Wallace Hostetler, assistant producer for Ashland’s renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival, will make his Shakespeare Santa Cruz (SSC) directorial debut with the annual holiday production.

"It’s a musical, it’s funny, and it’s fast-paced with lots of dancing and audience participation," Hostetler noted. "The play has changed since last year. We’ve tightened the script, cut some dialogue and songs, and added a new song. I think it’s a better show this year. It’s tighter and tells the story better."

That story includes a man in drag playing the wicked stepmother, a chorus of crows, and dancing cats.

"It’s done in the English panto-style," explained Artistic Director Risa Brainin. "Panto is an English theatrical form that takes a fairy tale and turns it on its ear. It mixes musical theater with vaudeville and melodrama."

" I think most of all, it’s irreverent," she added. "You know the basic story of Gretel & Hansel, but you never know when the crows will break into song or a chorus of cats will perform a great dance number."

The original production was conceived and directed by SSC Artistic Director Paul Whitworth, now on a two-year sabbatical. Kate Hawley is the author, with music by award-winning composer Craig Bohmler. Gretel & Hansel will run November 15 through December 15 at the UCSC Theater Arts Mainstage. The show is a collaboration between Shakespeare Santa Cruz and the UCSC Theater Arts Department.

For more information, visit the Shakespeare Santa Cruz web site.

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