Schonbrunn Schlosstheater: The Magic Flute & Hansel and Gretel

Date: Aug 4 — 7:30 pm

Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts

The Magic Flute is originally one of Mozart’s operas, telling a fable about Prince Tamino taking risks to save his beloved Pamina. Along the way, the prince comes across the embodiment of both good and evil, who describe the real world to the characters in the opera and audience. The opera will be staged in the form of a puppet performance in order to enlighten children on an appreciation for the opera. To make it more enchanting to children, the opera has been rearranged with lively asides in Chinese, so children can enjoy the classic work with some guidance. Hansel and Gretel are brother and sister, whose father is a lumberjack. Their stepmother decides to take them to the forest and abandon them, since she detests them, because they eat too much in a famine, in the hopes that she and her husband wouldn’t starve to death. The lumberjack takes his wife’s advice despite having some reluctance. Lost for a few days, Hansel and Gretel follow a beautiful white bird in the woods and come to a house made of cakes and candies. Hungry and tired, the brother and sister do not hesitate to eat. The door opened, an “old woman” turns up and lures them to the house and promises them that she will give them a big soft bed and goodies. At first, they are happy, but later they find out that the “old woman” is an evil witch, who eats children. Nevertheless, they defeat the witch and save themselves.