Director

The Queen of Spades

Wormsley

When Hansel and Gretel find themselves lost in the forest, they happen upon a house made of gingerbread. Unable to resist temptation, the siblings begin to eat the house, only to be captured by the witch who lives inside.

EPSG:4326

Hänsel Und Gretel

Susie Sainsbury Theatre

Gerald Barry’s witty and highly original adaptation of this much-loved masterpiece will be conducted by Douglas Boyd and directed by Jack Furness, following his celebrated Garsington productions of The Queen of Spades and Rusalka. The visually striking, colourful and bombastic production features the return of Jennifer France, Henry Waddington and Seán Boylan, with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

If you have any preconceptions about an opera based on Oscar Wilde’s brilliant 1894 comedy of manners and misapprehensions, be prepared to abandon them. The composer Gerald Barry adores the play and has taken inspiration from Wilde’s statement “That we should treat all trivial things in life very seriously, and all serious things in life with a sincere and studied triviality”, turning the play inside out and upside down with reckless effrontery. As Barry has said, “The play’s bones are unshatterable. My version is an X-ray of it.” Any shattering that occurs during the course of the entertainment is more likely to be of plates than of dramatic structure.

Director

Jack Furness

Events

Upcoming events

10 - 23 Jul, 2026

The Importance of Being Earnest · Garsington Opera

Past events

May 29 - Jul 4, 2025

The Queen of Spades · Garsington Opera

19 - 22 Nov, 2024

Hänsel Und Gretel · Royal Academy of Music

About

Jack Furness hasn't added a bio