Seattle Opera Presents Family Day

Start Halloween early by joining Seattle Opera for its Family Day presentation of Hansel and Gretel! This Oct. 30 performance of Engelbert Humperdinck's masterpiece offers students age 18 and under $15 tickets for almost any seat.* During intermission, activities will include a costume dress-up station, crafts, interactions with costumed characters, and even trick-or-treating (just in time for Halloween!). Sunday, Oct. 30 will also offer an audio-described option for visually-impaired patrons (for more information, click here).

You can never be too grown-up for the magic of a Brother's Grimm fairy tale. That's very clear from Seattle Opera's Hansel and Gretel, which The Stranger praised as "innovative and highly recommendable." From the vivid imagination of Frenchstage director Laurent Pelly, this edgy version presents a thrilling quest ending not in a gingerbread house, but in a house of supermarket treats with a checkout lady from hell!

"Hansel and Gretel is a remarkable opera, but its well-known storyline is just the tip of the iceberg," said Seattle Opera General Director Aidan Lang. "The whole work is supported by an orchestral score of Wagnerian sumptuousness that combines the simplicity of folksongs with passages of thrilling splendor. It is a feast for the ears and the eyes."

In this 21st century tale of temptation and excess, Hansel and Gretel live in a giant cardboard box set against a toxic sky, and when they go searching for their family, they get lost in a forest of dead trees and litter. After being captured, they must go head-to-head with a Witch, the one who presides over a free-for-all supermarket packed with high-sugar treats. There's a happy outcome for all, save for the one intent on fattening up little children!

Bachtrack praised Hansel and Gretel as a production that "admirably and artfully layers in generous dollops of touching sentiment and outrageous humor."

*Family Day information: Please note valid student ID or proof of age is required for entry at the student Family-Day rate. At least one full price adult ticket must be purchased with EVERY student ticket order. Limit four $15 student tickets for each full price adult ticket purchased. Student tickets are not available in the Dress Circle, Orchestra Center Aisle, and $25 Second Tier seating sections.

Hansel and Gretel runs through Sunday, Oct. 30. Tickets are available online at seattleopera.org or by calling 206.389.7676or 800.426.1619. Tickets may also be purchased at the box office by visiting 1020 John Street (two blocks west of Fairview),Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Ticket prices start at $25. Groups save at least 20 percent: 206.676.5588 orgroups@seattleopera.org. Seattle Opera Ticket Office: 206.389.7676/800.426.1619. Online orders: seattleopera.org.

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