KLCO presents a fairy tale opera

KUALA LUMPUR City Opera (KLCO) is presenting German composer Engelbert Humperdinck’s all-time favourite fairytale opera Hansel & Gretel at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac).
The show starts this Thursday at 8.30pm with repeat performances over the weekend, including a special matinee show, designated Family Fun Day, on Saturday at 3pm.
The opera, based on the popular Grimm Brothers’ story of the same name, was composed in 1893. It tells the story of two mischievous children who are punished by their mother.
While out picking berries in the forest, they encounter a witch who turns children into gingerbread and devours them.
Hansel and Gretel is in three acts, and is sung in English with Chinese surtitles.
Colombian conductor Juan Montoya, who has been KLCO’s principal conductor since 2014, will lead an orchestra ensemble of eight players in this opera directed by award-winning stage director Christopher Ling.
Ling, who is also the artistic director of theatrethreesixty, had previously directed KLCO’s productions L’elisir D’amore, Amahl and the Night Visitors and La Bohème.
Singing the respective title roles of Gretel and Hansel are Ho Chi Mei and YiLing Chaing.
Both Ho and Chaing were also featured in KLCO’s last production, The Marriage of Figaro, singing the roles of Susanna and Cherubino respectively.
Making her KLCO debut is Malaysian queen of Shanghai jazz Janet Lee, who plays the villainess witch.
The classically-trained Lee has dabbled in musical theatre and dance, and now in opera.
Rounding up the cast are Samuel Lim and Cynthia Tan as the children’s parents – Peter the broom maker and Getrud his wife, as well as Bui Yik Ling and Sandy Cheng as the Sleep Fairy and Dew Fairy respectively.
Tickets for the show, priced from RM108 (Family Fun Day performance at RM88), are available from the TicketPro website and klpac box office.
For more, visit the Kuala Lumpur City Opera website.