Gretel by Rebecca Spurgeon is a reimagined version of the classic Grimm fairy tale

The Hindu

18-06-2025

Jagriti Theatre's upcoming play, Gretel, reimagines the classic German fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, made famous by the Brothers Grimm. The original story follows two siblings, Hansel and Gretel, who try to make their way back home, after being abandoned in a forest. There, they wander into a magical house and fall into the clutches of a wicked witch. Through their courage and quick thinking, they trick the witch, escape captivity and return home.
Directed by Rebecca Spurgeon, Gretel explores the concept of home, and who defines it. 'For me, the main idea in Hansel and Gretel is ultimately about the search for home and all through the play, we look at how the idea of home can vary from person to person,' says Rebecca.
The central idea that the pay deals with is that home does not have to be a specific place or a specific person; you can create that sense of home in any place you feel you belong. 'We wanted to show how a journey is about asking questions, the minute we become comfortable with where we are, and if we stop asking questions, then we may not be able to move forward.'
'In this play, the character Gretel has been developed as a person who always asks questions, and, because she wants to know, she stands a chance of finding more answers, hence being an important force in helping both of them return home safely.'
Ashiqa Salvan, who plays Gretel, says the character has been developed as a larger representation of women in society. 'In the story, Hansel is seen as the solution maker, and Gretel is seen as someone following him. We developed her character, where she asks and contradicts, she found her own way of doing things, which ultimately helps both of them,' says Ashiqa.
She also pointed out how stories are normally written and told in a manner where the men are usually the protagonists. ' Women invariably are presented as supporting or following the protagonist. We tried to tell the story in a way that Gretel is the protagonist.'
Akhshay Gandhi, who plays Hansel, says, 'Hansel plays the role of a responsible adult, showing he is in control, even though he might not have a clue about what to do next. The character brings out the humanity of a person, what it takes for someone to be responsible when you are not equipped to do it.' The one takeaway, Akhshay says, for people to be empathetic to caregivers.
The music for the play will be performed by Ananth Menon and Vedanth Bharadwaj. 'The songs were written even before the script came out, so a lot of the script was improvised based on the music,' says Ananth.
This production is a collaboration between Jagriti Theatre and Okapi.
The play will be staged at Jagriti theatre on June 20 at 7.30 pm, and June 21 and 22 at 3.30 & 7.30 pm.
Tickets for the play will be available in Bookmyshow.com