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Hansel & Gretel (Royal Ballet at the Linbury Theatre)


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********SPOILER ALERT!********

 

What did people make of the women lying with her head in the oven and the ending? I thought that she was the Witch's mother who had committed suicide or possibly been murdered by her son who was a "Mummy's Boy" and could not face parting with her body. Was the photograph which Hansel put up at the end of the Witch, who had now replaced his deceased mother in his affections despite the abuse (the result of the "grooming" and/or Stockhouse Syndrome)?

That's pretty much what I thought.

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I'm pretty sure that the (coloured) photograph put up at the end was different to the (b&w) one which H&G had been looking at / carrying around earlier. Why did the Wich seem so attached to the dead body in the kitchen?

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I thought last night was an exciting theatrical experience, took me a while to get used to the Linbury set-up but think I must have had one of the best views from the front row of the Upper Gallery, could see everything although I had to bend over the railing sometimes.  I imagine some people had horrible views.

 

Indeed.  There has been an awful lot of re-seating during the run, I gather.  Assuming that the staging isn't revised between now and next season, some very careful thought will need to be given to pricing, or even taking some seats out completely.  Views from the left-hand side of the auditorium at least will have been severely restricted.

 

Aileen, congratulations!  I see you've just got over the 1000 posts mark.

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Beryl, I was also in the front row of the upper gallery and I had a good view of most of the action/dancing. There's no doubt that where you sit at a performance (and/or the height of the people sitting in front of you, if you are short) can really affect your enjoyment and appreciation of a work, particularly one like this.

 

Alison, you're very observant. I obviously have a lot (too much?) to say!

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********SPOILER ALERT!********

 

What did people make of the women lying with her head in the oven and the ending? I thought that she was the Witch's mother who had committed suicide or possibly been murdered by her son who was a "Mummy's Boy" and could not face parting with her body. Was the photograph which Hansel put up at the end of the Witch, who had now replaced his deceased mother in his affections despite the abuse (the result of the "grooming" and/or Stockhouse Syndrome)?

 

I read it that way too - Hansel showing the photo of his mother, made them bond over their lost mothers, in a weirdly strange show of empathy (love?). The Sandman became jealous and 'unleashed' the ball of fury that was Gretel from the doghouse, to break the bond (and get 'his' witch back). The Witch realises what's been going on as he breaks from the Sandman's spell and regains a measure of clarity and a degree of his life back - but getting that was too much to face, so he took it away himself in the oven alongside his mother.

 

The photo they hung up at the end was indeed the Witch ( a real photo of whoever was cast that night). As they had been 'deserted' by their father (and the despised step-mother), and had lost their mother anyway, as they began to morph into said parents, they grasped at the only 'affection' they'd known...

 

Well, that's my 2p worth anyway!! I guess only Liam really knows - and I doubt he's telling!

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Yes, they did begin to morph into the parents who had deserted them, which possibly implies something else very disturbing. A horror story, rather than a fairytale, but one which, sadly, is based on the reality of children being neglected, abandoned, abducted and abused.

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I saw H&G twice yesterday - in hindsight a bit too much of an emotional rollercoaster for one day! Need to lie down and watch something like La Fille to recover! 

 

Personally, I thought this was a great piece - utterly gripping and disturbing in equal measures. It can be easy to be overwhelmed by the set and storyline, but underneath this I found some very interesting choreography. In particular, the various Pas de Deuxs of the different relationships were brilliant. The Act I father/step-mother PdD was electric and riveting (even more so with the opening night cast of Morera/Gartside) and the Act II PdD between the son and witch was creepily affectionate (from both parties). I can't think of a single current choreographer than can touch Scarlett for PdD work - he reveals the very heart of his characters in a way that is reminiscent of MacMillan to me.

 

Sat on the front row (so close I nearly got hit by a teddy bear wielded by Leanne Cope!) I was worried that the acting and dancing would lose something by such close inspection but this was not the case. Some people seem to have found the piece cliched - maybe I just haven't seen enough horror movies because I didn't. In particular, the ending to Act I was one of the most spine-chilling moments I've seen whilst watching a dance piece.

 

 

**SPOILERS**

My two cents on the body in the oven. I thought that perhaps the witch was a captive himself and the body represented his previous captor. I thought this theory might have been trashed when he was so empathetic with Hansel and the picture of H&G's dead mother, but when the picture later transformed to the witch... perhaps this is just a vicious cycle...

 

Oh, and does anyone know why Yanowsky didn't play the witch in the end? Having a woman in that role would completely change the piece... 

 

Edit: turns out I don't know the difference between 'yesterday' and 'tomorrow'!

Edited by DavidW
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Yes, I agree that a woman in the role of the Witch would have completely changed the piece although the abuse could have been non-sexual. I wonder whether this is the reason that Zenaida was replaced; the story and the choreography would have to have been different for each cast (not really practical).

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I wonder whether this would work on the main stage. You would lose the feeling of claustrophobia and possibly of voyeurism which could lessen the mood, but this would be compensated for by more space for dancing and the opportunity to make more scene changes plus better sightlines for the audience.

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Indeed.  There has been an awful lot of re-seating during the run, I gather.  Assuming that the staging isn't revised between now and next season, some very careful thought will need to be given to pricing, or even taking some seats out completely.  Views from the left-hand side of the auditorium at least will have been severely restricted.

 

Aileen, congratulations!  I see you've just got over the 1000 posts mark.

 

I was sitting on the reverse side of the stage, near the front, after the first 5 or 10 minutes I thought I was going to go home with a stiff neck from looking right all the time, but then the action moved to the centre so all was well. I certainly would have been unhappy with some of the seats though.

 

**SPOILERS**

The Sandman became jealous and 'unleashed' the ball of fury that was Gretel from the doghouse, to break the bond (and get 'his' witch back). 

 

Ah, I missed that, thanks. From where I was sitting I couldn't see anything in that corner so I had no idea what was going on!

Edited by Timmie
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