Thursday, Dec. 22 – Hansel and Gretel
It takes on classic fairy-tale form: The story of a lost-in-the-woods brother and sister who are lured in with (what else?) candy by an evil witch and then encounter a throng of this-would-never-happen-in-real-life circumstances while trying to escape. But Richard Jones’ version of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel opera also offers an interesting twist, with two women – Alice Coote and Christine Schäfer – playing the childlike sibling characters and a male tenor – the late Philip Langridge – singing the role of the malevolent witch. Jones’ production, described by Opera Today as “a lot of good fun on the stage,” was originally performed by the Metropolitan Opera in January 2008. Tonight’s holiday encore broadcast plays on Cinemark’s big screen as part of the Met’s Live in HD series, which means the opera’s elaborate staging (keep an eye out for the group of chefs with oversized heads) will be that much bigger, and with the low ticket price of just $12.50, that much better. – Aimee Vitek (6:30 p.m. at Cinemark at Festival Bay Mall, 5150 International Drive, 407-352-1042, fathomevents.com, $12.50)