Date: May 02, 2012

The Bronx Opera Company Presents "Hansel & Gretel"

May 18 and 19, 2012, at Hofstra University's John Cranford Adams Playhouse

Introduce Your Children to Opera – One Child Under 12 Free When Accompanied by a Full-Price Ticket

See Photos

Hempstead, NY … If the only culture your child is familiar with is oft-repeated shows on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, share an incredible experience at the opera this month when Hofstra University presents a production of Hansel & Gretel, performed by The Bronx Opera Company. The Engelbert Humperdinck opera, based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, will be performed in English, accompanied by a 30-piece orchestra at Hofstra’s John Cranford Adams Playhouse,  Friday, May 18, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, May 19, at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $30, $25 for senior citizens (over 65 with ID), $10 for students (with ID). A child under 12 gets in FREE with one full-price paid adult ticket. Hofstra faculty and staff may pay $20 each for up to two tickets upon presentation of a current HofstraCard. Hofstra students may receive one free ticket upon presentation of a current HofstraCard.

For tickets or more information call the Hofstra Box Office at (516) 463-6644, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. or visit www.hofstra.edu/hofstraentertainment.

Hansel & Gretel follows two mischievous children into Ilsenstein forest, where they meet the echoing trees, the Sandman, the 14 angels of protection and the Dew Fairy. They emerge in front of the enormous gingerbread house and meet the evil Rosine Leckermaul (“Rosina Tastymuzzle”), the evil witch that turns children into gingerbread.

Filled with parables about family life and struggles that ring true today, Hansel & Gretel is a delight for any age.

The fairy tale opera, based on the perennial classic by the Brothers Grimm, was originally written by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck as a gift to his sister’s children (the libretto is, in fact, written by his sister, Adelheid Wette). It was first performed just prior to Christmas Eve, 1893.

About the Bronx Opera Company:

The Bronx Opera Company was founded in 1967 by Michael Spierman, the organization's Artistic Director and principal Conductor.  The Bronx Opera's two annual productions are always sung in English with a full chorus and orchestra, featuring talented singers selected from an open competitive audition process. The Bronx Opera Company's modest ticket prices allow its high quality professional productions to be accessible to all. Many performers who began their careers with the company can now be heard in leading opera houses of the world including the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution of higher education where more than 12,000 full and part-time students choose from undergraduate and graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, communication, education, health and human services, honors studies, a School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

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Photos

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Hansel & Gretel (Yiselle Blum & Allison Pohl) stumble upon the famed Gingerbread House. Photo by Andrew Liebowitz/WrightGroupNY

Hansel & Gretel (Yiselle Blum & Allison Pohl), lost in the forest, are spied by the Sandman (Hannah Rosenbaum). Photo by Andrew Liebowitz/WrightGroupNY.

Hansel & Gretel (Yiselle Blum & Allison Pohl) and the wackiest of wicked witches (Jodi Karem). Photo by Andrew Liebowitz/WrightGroupNY.