SYNOPSIS

Act I (Peter’s House)

As the curtain rises, Hansel and Gretel are busy working. They soon become distracted and resort to dancing and playing games. At the height of their frivolity, their mother (Gertrude) returns and discovers their laziness. In her anger, she accidentally knocks a pitcher of milk to the floor, shattering it and spilling its contents. She blames the children and banishes them to the woods to pick strawberries, after which she collapses in frustration and exhaustion. Her husband and the father of the children (Peter) returns home after an exceptionally successful afternoon of selling the brooms, which he makes for a living. When he inquires as to the whereabouts of the children, she tells him of their fate. He is horrified, since the forest is the dwelling place of the evil Witch who entices children and bakes them into gingerbread cookies. Both parents rush out to rescue them.

Act II (The Forest)

As the children pick strawberries and collect flowers in the forest, they begin to play games again. Before they realize it, they devour all the berries they have picked, and it has grown too dark to collect any more. Hansel confesses that he has lost the way, and Gretel begins to panic. The Sandman sprinkles sand into their eyes, causing them to fall into a deep sleep, during which angels appear and protect them.

Act III (The Witch’s House)

The next morning, the Dew Fairy wakes the children. They describe to each other a wondrous dream that each had, after which they discover the Witch’s candy house. When they try to flee, she casts a spell on them, locks Hansel in a cage, and turns her attention to the oven. Gretel speaks the magic words, freeing Hansel from the spell. When the Witch invites her to look in the oven, Gretel plays dumb and asks her to show her how. The Witch bends over to demonstrate and Hansel and Gretel push her into the oven, breaking the spell that has been cast on all of the gingerbread children. Father and Mother appear, and all rejoice in a hymn of Thanksgiving.