Familiarity gets a lousy rap, what with it often associated with the contempt it allegedly breeds.
Amir Haidar and Michelle Yu are having none of that. As the lead actors in this year’s holiday season panto at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, the pair know each other well. Familiarity, in their case, breeds mutual admiration.
Hansel & Gretel – The Sticky and Sweet Panto, running for an ambitious 45 performances from November 21 to December 28, stars Haidar and Yu in the title roles as two siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of nasty witch who lives in a gingerbread house.
With the play written and directed by Capitol Theatre artistic director Rob Kempson, the circle of trust is complete. Back in 2023, Kempson directed the Capitol Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, which brought Haidar and Yu together onstage for the first time. This year’s holiday production marks Haidar’s fourth Capitol production while Yu returns to the historic venue for a third time. Both are thrilled.
“I have done pantos in the past and I just love them — they’re so much fun,” enthuses Haidar. “I’m always grateful to be asked, or considered, to apply to work at the Capitol.”
“To work with Rob, to work with the energy there, is absolutely beautiful. To get to do it around the holiday time, and to get do it in that environment with a new kind of show, was really exciting for me. It took no convincing for me to be like, ‘Yes, please. Please have me.'”
Yu is no less excited to be back in the Capitol fold, recalling her first experience as an audience member taking in a production of 9 to 5.
“I remember so clearly that my friends who were working on the production just had the best time,” she says.
“Rob always assembles really good people, and he makes it really feel like a second home. You see familiar faces every time you pass through, from the ushers to Rob who’s running the whole thing. Everyone knows everyone’s name. There’s a community-based vibe, which is just such a great work environment to be a part of.”
By definition, a panto — short for pantomime — is a type of musical comedy that originated in 18th-century England, where it continues to be popular holiday theatre fare. Based on a well-known fairy tale, with a story adapted for a broader audience, key elements of a panto are audience participation, slapstick comedy, theatrical cross dressing, and music and dancing.
Hansel & Gretel – The Sticky and Sweet Panto checks all those boxes, says Haidar, noting how appealing that is as an actor.
“At the beginning of my career out of school, I got the incredible opportunity to do four pantos at the Stirling Festival Theatre from 2013 to 2016,” recalls Haidar, terming that run “one of the more formative experiences of my entire life. I wouldn’t be the actor I am today without it.”
“It’s a different beast of a show. The rules are completely different; the way the audience approaches it is completely different. It’s informed by the fact that it’s during the holiday time, and there’s a specific merriment and joy that comes with that, but the function of the show is different. It’s meant to entertain, to make you laugh and make you think about things a little differently, but it’s just fun. It’s challenging because you kind of have to be quicker on your feet.”
For Yu, this is her second panto role, having made her panto debut a couple of years ago in Halifax.
“It feels like such a tradition for the families who are coming to see you. They’re excited and you’re a part of their formative Christmas memories, which is something I feel so grateful for whenever I’m do any holiday show, panto or not. My panto experience has really taught me how to engage with audiences. It requires you to be more present every single show. You can’t go on autopilot in a panto the same way you can with a set script.”
Not lost on either Haidar or Yu is the fact they are portraying characters that beloved by generations since the German fairy tale was first collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. As such, audiences will arrive with some pre-conceived expectations.
“Pantos are usually based on fairy tales or well-known stories, so there’s always this archetypal or well-known character idea you’re stepping into,” Haidar says. “But the cool thing about a panto is it’s subverted and it’s turned on its head.”
“I was re-reading part of the script today and I was like ‘Wow, Rob was able to turn the stories a little bit onto their head and change the characters in a way that you’re introduced to this version of Hansel and Gretel in a way that’s really fun. Yes, there’s a little bit of what you’re used to, but it’s twisted enough in a fun way that I’m excited to create our version.”
Yu fully concurs, assuring audiences “are going to completely forget what show they thought they were walking into by scene two. It’s so ridiculous and silly and fun.”
While traditional British pantos cleverly incorporate adult-oriented humour in a way that goes over the head of the children in the audience, making the show suitable for the entire family, most North American pantos have “nice” versions for families and “naughty” versions for adults. Such is the case with Hansel & Gretel – The Sticky and Sweet Panto, which features a nice version suitable for kids aged eight and up and a naughty version ladened with mature language and themes that is recommended for those aged 16 and up.
“It’s now become this thing that happens everywhere,” says Haidar of the dual panto script.
“The naughty version is naughty in a super fun way — not in any crass or tacky way. The songs will probably be the same, and the general storyline will be the same, but there are certain jokes and innuendos.”
“Some people might think that because there’s a naughty and nice version, the nice version isn’t as fun or enjoyable or as vibrant. I feel families are going to get such a fun time out of it because there’s so much in it that’s exciting, whether there’s naughtiness in it or not.”
As for performing together again, that’s an experience both Haidar and Yu are embracing.
“I’m paraphrasing here, but Rob always says, for his theatre, he has a no-jerks policy,” notes Haidar. “Anytime someone asks me about someone that I’ve worked with, it’s never ‘Are they a good singer? Are they a good actor?’ It’s ‘What are they like to work with? Are they kind? Are they nice? Are they generous? Do they have a good work ethic?'”
“I can’t say enough amazing things about Michelle in terms of skill and talent,” he adds of his co-star. “If you’ve heard her sing, you’ve heard no one else sing. Getting to work together on Little Shop of Horrors was such a beautiful experience. She’s one of the nicest humans I’ve ever met. There’s something exciting about stepping into a show where maybe you don’t know certain people, but there’s also something exciting about stepping into a show to pay off not only someone you know but you think so highly of.”
Yu doesn’t hesitate for a second in reciprocating Haidar’s praise, addressing him directly.
“I know you’re blushing, but you truly have no ego about you,” she says. “You’re here to make the best version of a piece of a show and that’s really inspiring. I’m so excited to work together again. I was reading through the script and there were some parts I that was like ‘Oh, this is so Amir.'”
With opening night drawing nearer, both Haidar and Yu are as anxious as kids on Christmas Eve.
“Just getting to opening night is always my pat on my shoulder because it really takes such a huge team effort for everything to come together,” says Yu, adding “It’s like ‘We did it. We got here against all odds.'”
“Rob always makes sure the audience knows we built this from scratch here in Port Hope,” adds Haidar.
“This is so cliché, but what makes theatre so special is it’s a fleeting moment we’re all sharing together. That’s especially true for a panto, where every show, based on how the audience will react, will be a little different every night.”
Beyond Haidar and Yu, the cast includes Jacob MacInnis portraying the Witch, with Kory Fulton, Arinea Hermans, Jeremy Lapalme, Yunike Soedarmasto and Nathanael Judah filling out the ensemble. Musician Justin Han is also in the mix.
The production’s creative team is comprised of choreographer Genny Sermonia, music director Scott Pietrangelo, music arranger Jeff Newberry, set designer Anna Treusch, associate set designer Mary Witlib, costume designer Joyce Padua, lighting designer Michelle Ramsay, sound designer Christie Heriot, stage manager Kat Chin, assistant stage manager Jess Gordon, and assistant director Jill Harper.
The “naughty” version of Hansel & Gretel – The Sticky and Sweet Panto runs at 7:30 p.m. from November 21 to 27, November 29 and 30, December 3 to 7, 10 to 14, 17 to 20, 22 and 23, and 26 to 28, with an additional evening performance at 8 p.m. on November 28 and matinee performances at 2 p.m. on December 16 and 18.
The “nice” version has matinee performances at 2 p.m. on November 22 and 23, 30, December 6 and 7, 13 and 14, 20, 23, 27 and 28, with an additional matinee performance at 3 p.m. on November 29 and morning performances at 10:30 a.m. on November 26 and December 3, 10, and 17.
Tickets are $48 for adults over 30, $40 for youth and adults ages 13 to 30, and $22 for children 12 and under. The November 21 “naughty” performance, which is a pay-what-you-can preview, is almost sold out.
To order tickets, visit the box office at 20 Queen Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays or 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, call 905-885-1071, or order online at capitoltheatre.com/hansel-and-gretel/.
