Hansel and Gretel (opera) Hansel and Gretel (opera) Hansel and Gretel (German: ) is an opera by nineteenth-century composer Engelbert Humperdinck, who described it as a "" (fairy-tale opera). The libretto was written by Humperdinck's sister, Adelheid Wette, based on the Grimm brothers' fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel". It is much admired for its folk music-inspired themes, one of the most famous being the "" ("Evening Benediction") from act 2. The idea for the opera was proposed to Humperdinck by his sister, who approached him about writing music for songs that she had written for her children for Christmas based on "Hansel and Gretel".
Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy called "kinemans". The bodies of the kinemins were sculpted in clay by James Summers and cast in foam latex by George Butler. Summers also did the paint job and their "makeup. The puppets were one-third life-size and cost $2,500 apiece to build. The Witch was re-named Rosina Rubylips. This is different from the original opera, where the witch tells Hansel that her name is Rosine Leckermaul (translated as Rosina Tastymuzzle). The mother and father figures were sculpted to resemble Mildred Dunnock ("Death of a Salesman") and Frank Rogier, who supplied their voices. After production, the Hansel & Gretel sets were