Cure for Mondays: children's theater

Hansel and Gretel Musical in Manila

Lang, Andrew, ed. The Blue Fairy Book. New York: Dover, 1965.

Hansel and Gretel was one of the stories that enchanted me when I was little. The story goes that Hansel and Gretel found a house in the forest made of bread (and sugar?) owned by a very old woman. The old woman, was in truth, an evil witch who pretended to be a good old dame to lure the children into her house.

Not long after, Hansel and Gretel found out that the witch had viciously planned to eat them so they fled her sacchariferous house unharmed.

How they outwitted the witch and how that story really ended escapes me now. All I remember is how amazing that hardbound book was with all the colorful pictures in it.

Whatever I know about Hansel and Gretel at this age come from faithful translations of Grimms’ Fairytales. We all reach an age when we discover that so many of the fairytales we knew as kids were sugar-coated and far from their original version.

One of the required readings in Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World, an online course that I took up last year, was Children's and Household Tales by the Grimms’ brothers. What got me thinking was whether to let our children read the child-friendly versions of Grimms’ fairytales or let them wait until they’re ready and allow them to enjoy the English translations of Children's and Household Tales.

My husband and I decided that introducing them to a few chosen original Grimms’ tales was a good idea as we cherish genuine literature. We’re saving Jacob and Wilhelm’s other dark tales for when they’re older.

Musicals: Moments When We Embrace Happy Versions of Grimms’ Fairy Tales

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Watching musicals is certainly delightful and educational. They are also the kind of entertainment that we want our children to indulge in. Musical theater productions for children are created to fascinate and stir the imagination of young minds.

Children also develop appreciation for theater if they are adequately exposed to it. In an article at education.com, it interestingly mentioned that theater plays a major role in global literacy. (More on the positive effects of theater on children later.)

Although we want to remain faithful to the original version of Grimms’ fairytales, the whimsical, colorful and gleeful presentation of Grimms’ tales in musical plays should be embraced by families. There is so much about theatrical interpretations or adaptations of stories that open wide, shimmering doors into a magnificent world for children. The story itself is just a part of an entire magical world that they become a part of, so yes, Grimms’ fairy tales in musical should not be missed.

Hansel and Gretel: A Children’s Musical

Director Luigi Nacario and Musical Director Eugene Belbis will be presenting their interpretation of “Hansel and Gretel” in a musical on June 8, 2014 at the Eastwood Mall Atrium at 3 p.m. The musical will feature the CampArt Kid Actors.

Nacario’s “Hansel and Gretel” won the 26th Aliw Awards for Best Production for Children and the 2013 Broadway World Philippines Awards for Best Book, Lyrics for a Filipino Musical.

For details, you may contact Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Concierge at 709-9888, 709-0888 or 0917-8380111.