There is something rather apt about State Opera South Australia placing Hansel and Gretel at the centre of its 50th anniversary celebrations. Engelbert Humperdinck’s much-loved opera is steeped in German Romanticism, but its appeal is rooted in a tension between tradition and reinvention.

Overtly Wagnerian yet still very much a fairy tale of dark folklore and magical beliefs, this exciting new production brings that tension to life in ways that feel both connected to the past and original.

Sofia Troncoso and Kangmin Justin Kim in State Opera South Australia’s Hansel and Gretel. Photo © Andrew Beveridge

It opens with the poor family in their small house on the edge of the woods. Jonathon Oxlade’s clever design creates a believable domestic world, while rotating structures and stylised trees make it also the stuff of dreams or nightmares. When we later see the metallic interiors of the trees, the set takes on a newly surreal feel.

Excellent lighting by Bernie Tan-Hayes is crucial to the effect, playing with our sense of scale, atmosphere and menace. The Witch’s world is bathed in red, with frighteningly large hands...