Artistic performances, an imperial setting and state-of-the-art stagecraft add up to an unforgettable theatrical experience for all the family. Program highlights include Mozart's Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, a kids'version of Die Fledermaus and Aladdin and the Magic Lamp.

 

The Magic Flute is originally one of Mozart's operas, telling a fable about Prince Tamino taking risks to save his beloved Pamina. Along the way, the prince comes across the embodiment of both good and evil (appearing as Sarastro and Queen of the Night), who describe the real world to the characters in the opera and audience.

 

The opera will be staged in the form of a puppet performance in order to enlighten children on an appreciation for the opera. To make it more enchanting to children, the opera has been rearranged by the Schönbrunner Schlosstheater, with lively asides in Chinese added, so children can enjoy the classic work with some guidance.

 

Hansel and Gretel is a German fairy tale that comes from the Grimms' Fairy Tales.

 

Hansel and Gretel are brother and sister, whose father is a lumberjack. Their stepmother decides to take them to the forest and abandon them, since she detests them because they eat too much in a famine, in the hopes that she and her husband wouldn't starve to death.

 

The lumberjack takes his wife's advice despite having some reluctance. Lost for a few days, Hansel and Gretel follow a beautiful white bird in the woods and come to a house made of cakes and candies. Hungry and tired, the brother and sister do not hesitate to eat. The door opened, an "old woman" turns up and lures them to the house and promises them that she will give them a big soft bed and goodies. At first, they are happy, but later they find out that the "old woman" is an evil witch, who eats children. Nevertheless, they defeat the witch and save themselves.

 

 

 

Kleist once said that the marionette may be made of lifeless things like wood and fabric as long as it is kept in the closet of the puppeteer. But as soon as he takes the marionette in his hands and moves it on stage it becomes a graceful and spirited being in a way that is almost magical.

The Marionettentheater Schönbrunn is a private theatre. The two founders and art directors Christine Hierzer-Riedler and Werner Hierzer are looking back on more than 40 years of international experience in performing with marionettes.

 

They acted as puppeteers in New York, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Paris, London, Madrid, Rome, Berlin, Los Angeles, Miami, Brussels, Montreal, Boston, Beijing and Seoul.