“Hansel and Gretel,” in the production by the Children’s Theatre Fantasy Orchard, is the traditional Grimm Brothers’ story told with dramatic flair. It is a fascinating illustration of the varied faces of good and evil, ranging from the caring and courageous brother and sister to the father who makes a bad decision that he grows to regret, to the malevolent stepmother and the wicked witch.
The play uses modern-day special effects such as strobe lights and smoke machines to intensify the atmosphere of the plight of Hansel and Gretel, played with simplicity and charm by Gil Santoscoy and Monica Bravo. The stage really lights up when the witch (played by Kevin Heckman, who also portrays the stepmother) appears. This is not, however, a drag queen character. Heckman is dressed in a peasant woman’s clothes and wears a mask that seems to epitomize evil. This almost imperceptible ambiguity adds a macabre edge to his performance which is frightening enough to be scary and funny enough to provoke laughs. This witch is the gourmet chef of sorceresses whose luscious language, as she describes the pleasures of making a meal of these “kiddiekins,” is the delicious, mouth-watering frosting on the cake of her evil intentions.
Dana Low, who directed the production, has staged the climactic scene, in which Gretel outwits the witch, with dramatic suspense. She also adds a little extra jolt to heighten the fear and increase the sense of relief that follows. While the play gently emphasizes the danger of befriending strangers, it primarily delivers a message of hope to both boys and girls who can come away with the belief that they too will have the resourcefulness to outsmart their own demons either imagined or real.
“Hansel and Gretel” continues through June 6 at the Ivanhoe Theatre, 750 W. Wellington Ave. Phone 773-539-4211.
