Details 

Hansel & Gretel 

 

Hansel & Gretel

Musical Adaptation by Kevin M Reese]

Available in Musical & Non-Musical Versions

Video Promo Available Soon

Detailed Plot:
After Hansel & Gretel introduce themselves (HANSEL & GRETEL), We learn that their father is about to be layed off from his work and money is getting a bit tight for the family. When they overhear their mother talking on the phone to someone about selling their father’s baseball card collection, they THINK she is talking about selling THEM! They decide to hide in the forest until it’s time for their father to come home (after all, HE likes them). They decide to drop breadcrumbs along the way so they don’t get lost (DEEDLE-DUM, DIDDLE-DEE). As expected, they soon find themselves lost because some of the animals in the forest (the kids in the audience) have evidently eaten their dropped breadcrumbs. It’s beginning to get dark so they start looking for a place to sleep. After their night sleeping with the forest animals, they stumble upon a quaint little cottage out in the middle of nowhere– and it’s made of gingerbread, frosting and candy! They set in to devouring the house. Soon the owner arrives-- a little old lady. She just got back from buying new glasses and they’re not working correctly. She sees the two kids (NIBBLE, NIBBLE, LITTLE MOUSE) and thinks they’re burglars. She tries to call 911, but finds that her phone isn’t working. She decides to hold them until she can figure out what to do, so she captures the vandals in a cage, using a freshly-baked cake as bait. After a week (SEVEN DAYS A WEEK), she thinks they have learned their lesson, but she decides to make sure. She pretends that she plans to fatten them up so she can eat them. Thinking she's a Witch, the kids trick her into getting into the oven and they turn it on. The kids have a change of heart just in time and release the old woman from the oven. Her glasses have melted just enough that she can now see! It turns out that she isn’t really a witch– she’s just been very grouchy all these years because she couldn’t see very well! The very grateful old lady thanks the kids and shows them the way back home (DEEDLE-DUM, DIDDLE-DEE REPRISE). When they arrive home, they beg their mother not to sell them. When she realizes what has happened, she explains to them she was talking about selling a card collection– not them. We also discover that the father’s job is safe. Mom helps the kids discover that you should be careful jumping to conclusions (DON’T JUMP).

Sets:
Hansel & Gretel's House Interior (living Room)
Witch's Gingerbread House Exterior
Forest Exterior

Original Cast: 3:   1 Man, 2 Women played 4 characters

Theme:
Responsibility, Starnger-Danger, Friendship, jumping to conclusions.

Running Time:  35 Min.  

Target Audience: Ages 2 - 10, Families.

Characters:  4
Hansel
Gretel
Mom
Witch

Short Description:
Hansel and Gretel get lost in the woods and stumble upon the Witch's ginger- bread house and are so hungry they begin eating. The silly, near-sighted Witch decides to teach the naughty children a lesson about how to treat other people’s things. Well, suffice it to say this is a play about not jumping to conclusions--nothing is as it seems.

MUSIC:
1 Hansel & Gretel - Hansel & Gretel
2 Deedle-Dum, Diddle-Dee - Hansel & Gretel
3 Nibble, Nibble, Little Mouse - Witch
4 Week-Long Song - All
5 Deedle-Dum, Diddle-Dee (Reprise) - Hansel & Gretel
6 Don't Jump - All

Original Production
Originally produced by the Wichita Children's Theatre for the Summer Picnic Theatre Series. It opened June 9, 1996, and played fourteen performances. It was directed by John (JB) Boldenow, choreographed by Barb Schoenhofer, and costumed by Audra Wiese. The cast was:

Hansel . . . . . . . . . . . . Luke McHenry
Gretel . . . . . . . . . . . . Cara Statham
Mom . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Kice
Witch . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Kice