Funday Times

Hansel and Gretel
By Anuradha Samarajiva
Open up any self-respecting book of fairy tales and you’ll find the story of Hansel and Gretel. It’s one of the more exciting stories with its evil stepmother, wicked witch, and even a delicious gingerbread house. But not exciting enough for the dramatists at Belvoir College, who’ve decided to liven it up for their first major production.

The school, which previously staged variety shows, has decided to take on a full play, with costumes, sets, and eighty-five eager young students. Their adaptation of Hansel and Gretel, under the direction of Mrs. Claire de Silva, comes complete with funny rhymes, singing and dancing, new characters, and even a surprise ending.

The choreography by Mrs. Oosha Saravanamuttu and the music by Mrs Charya Subasinghe promise to be exciting, with many different characters, including a lion and Spencer the Cat, taking part.

Stephnie Kinson as Gretel and Kannan Sriskandaraja as Hansel are the brave brother and sister at the centre of the story. Sumi Saj as the witch and Halimar Nazar as the stepmother both take on the role of being evil villains. Chamindra Amarasinghe plays the children’s father, with Natasha Philip as Spencer the Cat, and James Mahadeva as the narrator.

And what about the untraditional ending? The director Mrs. de Silva can only say that it offers a moral for all parents: be patient with your children. She’s taken that advice to heart and is very proud of the students taking part in the play. Despite their young age (all are ten or eleven years old) she said “they’ re a hardworking bunch, who have given up their time to get this play on the boards”.

Hansel and Gretel plays at the Bishop’s College Auditorium on the 8th and 9th of July, starting at 6:30 pm. Tickets are being sold at Rs. 500, 350, 250 and 200 for the balcony, and they can be purchased from the school office at 20 Dickman’s Road.

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