There is a choice of three ways to tell this tale: you can stick close to the violent and bloodthirsty original fairy tale; you can make it child-friendly by cutting the horror; or you can play it for laughs in the style of a pantomime.
The new version at the Royal Opera House takes the middle course, with just the right amount of pantomime to give a thoughtful adaptation enjoyable by the whole family.
At the start, I thought that Antony McDonald’s production, which he both designed and directed, was rather short on humour, but I soon began to appreciate its genuine charm.
And when we were treated to the sight of the wicked witch and her gingerbread cottage, I realised that he had been saving the humour for when it is most effective.
The two children of the title are gloriously played by Hanna Hipp as the mischievous boy Hansel and Jennifer Davis as his older and slightly more mature sister Gretel.
They both capture the essence of their characters splendidly with Hanna Hipp particularly effective in portraying the sulky movements of the naughty Hansel.
The star of the show, however, is Gerhard Siegel as the witch, whose gingerbread house is designed to capture the attention of the adult audience by looking like something from Hitchcock’s Psycho, with a huge knife stabbing through its roof.
Once the wicked witch joins the story, it unashamedly turns into a pantomime and was clearly enjoyed by the many children in the audience.
This scene follows a ballet sequence which beautifully portrays the dreams the sleeping children are having of other fairy tales, as wolves, witches, Red Riding Hood, handsome princes, assorted animals, Sleeping Beauty and the rest of them take turns to enter the dance.
The charm of this sequence would not have worked so well if there had been too much humour preceding it.
Of the minor roles, particular praise is deserved by Eddie Wade as the children’s father Peter, who stepped in at the last moment when the original singer was indisposed.
His experience of singing the same role for Welsh National Opera must have helped him to fit into this production perfectly.
With the real Engelbert Humperdinck’s music, this all adds up to a delightfully seasonal production, certainly the classiest pantomime around.
• Box office: 020 7304 4000 or roh.org.uk (various dates and times until December 29).
