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© Marionettentheater Schloss Schönbrunn
Hansel and Gretel
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November 2025  | ||||||
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Opera in a shortened version by Engelbert Humperdinck
Duration 1 h 15 min
Intermission after 30min
Spoken language: German
Synopsis in English and other languages at the Box office. Price € 1,-
The composer Engelbert Humperdinck - as a marionette – leads through his opera in a child-friendly way
This opera is about Hansel and Gretel, the children of a poor broom-maker-family. One day, their mother sends them into the forest in order to collect mushrooms. But they forget about the time and suddenly it’s too dark to find their way home. So they have to sleep in the woods for the night. When they awake on the next morning, they discover an gingerbread house, where the witch lives, who turns the children into gingerbread loaves. Hansel and Gretel are caught and kept as prisoners by the witch; they are also to be turned into gingerbread. However, Hansel and Gretel are smart: With the help of a trick they cast the witch into her own oven. But the story does not end here: as their worried parents arrive at the gingerbread house, they find not only their own children, but also all the other children who were rescued by Hansel and Gretel.
Program and cast
Puppeteer
Hänsel: Elisabeth Grümmer
Gretel: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Peter / Vater: Josef Metternich
Getrud / Mutter: Maria von Ilosvay
Hexe: Else Schürhoff
Sandmann: Amy Felbermayer
Taumann: Amy Felbermayer
Marionettenspiel
Christine Hierzer-Riedler, Werner Hierzer, Rudolf Schwarzenberger, Isabell Francisci-Ragger, Claudia Hisberger, Lisa Pippan, Saviz Foroughi, Antonia Petz, Georg Angerer
Marionettentheater Schloss Schönbrunn
Tradition for 250 years
The Marionette Theatre Palace Schonbrunn performs world-famous operas, musicals and fairy tales according to an old tradition. The theatre is located at Palace Schönbrunn. All puppets and stage elements are handmade. The playing technique is officially an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The two founders and artistic directors Christine Hierzer-Riedler and Werner Hierzer look back on over 40 years of international experience in the art of puppet playing.
The marionettes, the costumes and the set designs are produced in cooperation with prominent directors, stage and costume designers in the in-house workshops.
Two well-trained teams make it possible to perform in the theatre in Schönbrunn and at the same time on international tours.
We have been to (selection):
Athens, Brussels, Florence, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexico City, Montreal, New York, Paris, Beijing, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai, Stratford and many more.
In order to play a puppet it needs a training of approx. 1-2 years. After that it takes years for perfection and really bring the puppet to life. The whole ensemble of the Marionettentheater Schloss Schönbrunn was trained by Christine Hierzer-Riedler and Werner Hierzer and plays over 300 performances every year.
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