The classic fairy tale, set in Depression-era Kentucky, stars Bradley Whitford (on video) as the narrator and features a rollicking bluegrass score performed by The Get Down Boys. Debbie Devine directs the world premiere of Hansel & Gretel Bluegrass by Bryan Davidson, opening October 29 at 24th Street Theatre.

In coal miner’s slang, “dead ground” means “no coal here.” In the Appalachian town of Butcher Holler, there’s lots of dead ground. Men are out of work and children are going hungry. As relayed by storyteller and radio program host “the Duke," Hansel and Gretel’s pa may have no alternative but to abandon them to the woods. Maybe somebody will find them and take them in. Maybe they’ll have a chance.

“Conditions were so bad in Kentucky in the 1930s, that some literally believed their kids would be better off on their own,” Devine says. “The truth is that children have been abandoned by parents throughout the history of the world. How do they survive? Children are incredibly resilient. They get through it by believing in themselves and counting on each other.”

Hansel and Gretel was made famous by the Brothers Grimm in 1812, the original story probably originated in the medieval period of the Great Famine (1315–1321), when desperate people were forced to abandon young children to fend for themselves.

“Theater changed my life at a young age, not as a career path to be taken, but as an empathetic, joyous way to understand the world.” Whitford says. “In a world where arts programs are being cut, more than ever kids and their families need access to cathartic, quality theater that doesn't condescend, but challenges and thrills them."
 

Hansel & Gretel Bluegrass opens runs 10/29 - 12/11. Tix $24 for adults; $10 for kids under 16; $15 for students, seniors and teachers. 24th St. Theatre is located at 1117 West 24th St., LA, CA 90007 (at Hoover). Parking $5 on the SW corner of 24th and Hoover. For tix and info, call (213) 745-6516 or go to www.24thstreet.org. For adults and kids 8 and up.