Voices soared this weekend as the Notre Dame Opera appeased the audience's sweet tooth with a production of Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel."

Setting the famous fairy tale to beautiful lyrical melodies and lines, Humperdinck ably extends the range of this tale far past two children, their parents and a witch, by adding angels, a sandman and a dew fairy — all to good effect.

Despite this extension, the production nonetheless remains focused on the adventures and trials of the title characters, Hansel and Gretel, played in this production by Michelle Holden and Anney Gillotte respectively.

Playing Gretel, Anney Gillotte delighted the audience, warming the stage with her cherubic face and gentle voice. While singing opposite a performer with a bit more vocal maturity, Gillotte nevertheless charmed the audience, inviting them not only to witness her character's happiness, but also to smile right along with her.

As an energetically naοve Hansel, Michelle Holden commanded attention with her soaring voice and strong abilities. Ms. Holden's mastery of the stage was especially apparent while engaged in childish play throughout the show, her voice reflecting an enjoyment of the task at hand.

Yet, it is this very enjoyment which seemed lacking in the production as a whole. Despite the opera being about two playful children, the actors were at times too concentrated on the moving melody lines to consider their enjoyment as characters or singers.

This was evident throughout, yet especially apparent in a scene in which Hansel and Gretel come upon the candy coated house of the evil witch. Instead of being elated by the absolute joy of such a childhood dream abode, they were restrained — as if they were so concentrated on making the singing beautiful that conveying a sense of joy to the audience was secondary.

Yet the energetic shot in the arm that this production needed was provided with brilliance by Paula Rae Kearney in her role as the Witch.

Kearney's first entrance, painted with black teeth and menacing fingernails, was comic perfection, peeking out of a Dutch door with a menacing joy. From this moment on, the production took a turn in a much more exciting direction.

With such a performer joining the zestful Holden and Gillotte onstage, "Hansel and Gretel" finally came fully into its own. While the production up to Kearney's entrance was technically impeccable, only with the witch's entrance did the audience become fully involved in the action.

During the hilarious sequence in which Gretel saves herself from scorching in the witch's oven, Gillotte and Kearney played comic prattle off each other gloriously — suggesting to the audience that these actresses would be equally perfect in a musical comedy.

Apart from Gillotte, Kearney claimed the stage as her own during a sky high solo performance in the third act. Brandishing a magic wand, this lovably terrifying witch clicked her clawish fingernails at the audience, inviting them to fall under the same spell as the children.

While casting her spell, the witch shook her hips as if her feminine wiles were the basis of her magic; such a transfer of voice into body carriage was wonderful.

Gillotte, Holden and Kearney collectively were sheer candy coated delight for the audience, yet these singers were required to work extra hard at points to have their voices heard over the booming volume of the orchestra.

Conducted by John Apeitos, the orchestra was — as with the actors — technically superior. Though, whether due to the acoustics of Washington Hall or simply due to the number of musicians, the singers were many times completely drowned out by the instrumentalists.

During the first act, the orchestra was so dominating that details or lines were often lost to the audience, thereby causing plot discrepancies. While no one can be blamed for this distraction, it nonetheless detracted from the overall effectiveness of the evening.

Volumes notwithstanding, the performers involved rose above any technical problems the production may have had. As in prior years, the Notre Dame Opera has proven that the musical talent on campus is extremely high.

After tossing the witch into her oven, Hansel and Gretel happily sing "Oh, the witch is toast," providing the audience with a giggle in what can be — at times — a serious opera.

Yet, as with the title characters, all does have a happy ending and the crowd at Washington Hall this weekend definitely walked out the door with a sweet taste in their collective mouth.

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