Get Your Tricks and Treats at Oregon Ballet Theatre This Fall

This story is published in cooperation with Willamette Week and Oregon Ballet Theatre.

Oregon Ballet Theater (OBT) is serving a dark, delicious treat this October. Its U.S. premiere of Hansel and Gretel offers a fresh take on the famous fairy tale, where “once upon a time” becomes a wondrous candy-colored tour de force.

The fantastical ballet was choreographed by master storyteller Loughlan Prior and combines dark comedy, magical music by Claire Cowan, and a whimsical look that will delight audiences of all ages.

The distinctive visual style is reminiscent of LAIKA’s quirky Coraline, with a touch of Tim Burton’s irreverence and the spookiness of black-and-white silent movies like Nosferatu. Prior created this intricately imaginative ballet in 2019 for the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB). While his Hansel and Gretel is inspired by the classic folk tale, the ballet is an original, artistic vision, filled with delightful surprises, such as dance hall music and a chorus line of pink-iced gingerbread men.

Opens in new window

Prior, who became the choreographer in residence for RNZB after a decade of performing with the company as a soloist, says as a child he was “mesmerized by this Brothers Grimm story, particularly the sibling’s journey from poverty to the allure and danger of the witch’s gingerbread house.”

Expanding on the universal appeal of the source material, Prior’s ballet emphasizes the children’s emotions. “[W]e journey with Hansel and Gretel as they begin with downtrodden, heavy movements, reflecting their hunger and uncertainty,” he says,”ultimately transitioning to triumphant, energetic, ‘full-bellied’ dancing as they emerge victorious.”

OBT’s artistic director, Dani Rowe, believes the ballet is especially ideal for the company’s dancers because they have “a gift for storytelling, and Hansel and Gretel lets them flex their comedic chops in a way that’s both playful and deeply engaging.” The dancers portray Prior’s rich characters, including the mischievous and daydreaming Hansel and his wiser sister, who uses her wits to survive in a sugary but surreal landscape where the devious witch shimmies her shoulders like a sassy jazz dancer.

Opens in new window

“Hansel and Gretel strikes the perfect balance of comedy, darkness, and whimsy,” Rowe says. Prior agrees. He says Kate Hawley, the set and costume designer, kept this balance in mind when creating a playful look for the ballet, which expresses both the fear and the wonder children experience in the face of the unknown. For example, Hawley played with scale to make “ordinary things feel extraordinary,” such as the giant ice cream cones the witch sells from her old-fashioned bicycle.

“I loved creating the filmic visuals,” Hawley says, including “the forest of forks from my cutlery drawer, [and] the haunting wee bird children.”

Hawley, whose design credits include Crimson Peak and Suicide Squad, shares that this was her first time designing specifically for dance. “The choreography and music were being composed at the same time,” remarks Hawley. “So the spaces we created and the clothes sets I designed were tailored specifically to these needs. I [also] had to consider how each character’s costume would be constructed to allow specific movement.”

The silent film aesthetic–like an ice cream moon, which alludes to the 1902 movie A Trip to the Moon–also captures the imaginations of adult audiences. For the beginning of the ballet, Hawley drew the costumes and sets in shades of gray to reflect the anguish of the loving but impoverished parents who can’t afford to feed their children.

Opens in new window

Before long, though, the set sparkles as the mystical Sandman dances with his corps of Dew Fairies through a starlit forest. The ballet then bursts with exhilarating color when the siblings discover towers of tempting sweets on the witch’s banquet table.

Rowe is particularly excited to bring this one-of-a-kind production to Portland because it marries “high art and entertainment.” She notes that the captivating fairy tale also complements the dramatic and contemporary works of OBT’s 2024/25 season. While offering what she calls “knowing laughs for the parents,” Hansel and Gretel is sure to connect generations.

This lively fall-time treat is a rare chance for Portlanders and beyond—whether they be individuals, families, or friends—to savor a U.S. premiere, making it the perfect recipe for an enchanting October entertainment. Learn more and grab tickets at obt.org/24-25-season/hansel-and-gretel.

SEE IT: OBT’s Hansel and Gretel will be performed at Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay Street, for two weekends, October 5-12. 503-222-5538, obt.org. Tickets start at $32. Suitable for ages 5 and up.