The Sixth Form College Farnborough

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Farnborough Sixth Form College marked the end of its academic year with a magnificent operatic production of Hansel and Gretel in the Prospect Theatre this week. The College’s Youth Opera Project was launched in 2006 in response to the growing talent of the student singers under the expert tuition of Director of Music, Paul Bambrough.

 

Despite having just completed gruelling A and AS examinations, the students responded magnificently to the challenge of the Engelbert Humperdinck opera written in 1893. Hansel, played by 18 year old mezzo-soprano Ellen Hunter of Hook, and Gretel, played by 17 year old soprano Sarah Brown of Wokingham, were magnificent in their lead roles, confidently singing with perfect pitch against a 33-strong orchestra of students, former students and friends of the College. They commanded the stage and portrayed their respective roles with great energy, perfect timing and strong facial expressions as the story described the mischievousness of the two children, their wonder and fear of the forest, and the terror of being caught by the witch.  

 

In the forest, the children were protected in their dreams by the good elves who played joyfully with clever acrobatics and juggling, by ballet-dancing angels and even by a giant Noddy who joined the watchful team.

 

But in the morning, the children found themselves in the witch’s lair, a terrifying but comical place, laden with piles of mouthwatering goodies which Hansel and Gretel began to devour. The witch, played by confident tenor Daniel Barnes, 17, of Farnborough, was at once terrifying and comical as he prepared a spell in a memorable scene of flying flour and squirty cream, with cream cakes pushed into his assistant’s faces for good measure.

 

But the production ended triumphantly as the children shoved the witch into his own oven to burn amid the crackling flames. In the final joyous scene, Hansel and Gretel were reunited with their parents played by 17 year old soprano Vicky Tay of Binfield and 17 year old baritone Daniel Coldridge of Fleet.

 

This was a brilliant, colourful and ambitious production from a young cast performing well above their years, as has become the custom at the Sixth Form College.

 

Speaking to students after the performance, College Principal, Dr John Guy, said, “I am constantly amazed and delighted by your talent and by the inspiration and challenge of your teachers – and all this was achieved within a period of a few weeks since major examinations.”