by Heather O’Donovan

Opera deals with its fair share of heavy subjects. Characters get jealous, they seek revenge, they frame one another, and they commit murder. Cheery stuff to bring the kids to, don’t you think?

While there are many operas out there in which every character makes it out alive, the high-drama nature of the genre tends to lend itself to subject matter that we might consider PG-13. So what do you do if you have a younger child at home that you can’t wait to introduce to opera? Bring them to see Carmen and cover their eyes and ears when José stabs our heroine? Yeah, we didn’t think so.

Luckily, there are plenty of operas out there that we consider PG- or G-rated that adults will enjoy, too! Here’s a list of some of the most kid-friendly shows you can see that are fun for the whole family.

Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel

A favorite among opera outreach programs, Hansel and Gretel is an adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. This was Humperdinck’s first opera, but it came about accidentally. His sister had been creating a play based on the story, and she wanted it to feature a bit of music. Humperdinck agreed to compose four songs, but soon became so fascinated by Hansel and Gretel that he decided to turn what he had already written into a full-scale opera, which turned out to be the spark for the rest of his career.

The opera tells the tale of Hansel and Gretel, two children who live a modest life in a cottage with their mother and father. When the mother sends the children off into the woods to pick some strawberries for dinner, the two encounter a series of magical figures. They meet the Sandman, who puts the children to sleep by throwing sand upon their eyes; the Dew Fairy, who awakens them; and the evil Witch, who attempts to fatten them up so she can cook and eat them. Ultimately, the children prevail. They shove the Witch into the oven, breaking the spell that she had cast upon all of the other children who had traversed her path in the woods, turning them from gingerbread men back into humans. Kids will love the opera for its fairy tale nature, and adults will adore it for its lush, almost Wagnerian orchestral writing and captivating story. Originally in German, companies frequently perform it in English.

Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Another fan favorite frequently performed in outreach programs around the country is Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute). A Zauberoper, or “magic opera,” it’s the perfect piece for the kids (and great for mom and dad, too). From the overature’s exhilarating music, to the heart-wrenching vocal lines of Pamina’s aria, to the comedic pitter-patter of Papageno and Papagena, Mozart offers endless treasures for the listener’s ear.

In the The Magic Flute, Tamino is tasked by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter, Pamina, from the evil Sarastro. The Queen gives Tamino a magic flute that will keep him from harm along the way. Tamino is joined by Papageno, a comical bird catcher who desperately wants to find a pretty woman with whom he will spend the rest of his days. When Tamino arrives at Sarastro’s temple, he discovers it is not Sarastro who is evil, but the Queen. Tamino falls in love with Pamina, but Sarastro bids Tamino to be silent as a test to see whether he is worthy of joining Sarastro’s followers at the temple. When the Queen of the Night appears with a dagger and tells Pamina she must use it to kill Sarastro, Pamina is horrified. She rushes to Tamino, but is heartbroken when he will not speak to or console her. In the end, Papageno finds his Papagena, Tamino and Pamina make up, and the Queen and her followers are banished from the temple. Like Hansel and Gretel, Die Zauberflöte is also frequently performed in English translation.

Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges

L’Enfant et les sortilèges is the perfect pint-sized opera for any child who’s in the habit of acting out. It tells the story of a boy who has been on his worst behavior. He throws a tantrum when he is grounded by his mother, wreaking havoc in the room and breaking many of the things around him. Soon, those objects come to life and speak of the misery the child has caused them. The fire in the fireplace warns the child that it warms the children who are good, but that it burns the naughty ones, so the boy had better watch out.

The magic of the opera will captivate younger audience members (and maybe cause the more rambunctious ones to turn over a new leaf, if you’re lucky), but the dynamic nature of Ravel’s score is what will keep adults on the edge of their seats. Of his music, Ravel stated that there was “a bit of everything” in the score: “Massenet, Puccini, … Jazz, Operetta, and Monteverdi.” Ravel also made dance an integral part of the action. Armchairs do the minuet, and wallpaper figures come to life in a pastorale. Ravel’s enchanting story lasts only 45 minutes, making it the perfect piece for the little ones who may get squirmy after an extended period of time sitting still.

Massenet’s Cendrillon

If you’re looking for something on the longer end of the spectrum (don’t worry, no Wagner here!), we’ve got another recommendation. No list of kid-friendly anythings would be complete without some reference to Disney, and this one is no exception. Sadly, for all of those children (and adults) out there who won’t stop belting “Let It Go” at home (and in the car, at the store, on the train, on the plane … ), Frozen has not yet been adapted into an opera. However, Cendrillon, Massenet’s version of the Cinderella story, may be just the ticket for your budding Disney prince or princess.

In Cendrillon, Cinderella lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters. In Massenet’s version, Cinderella’s father is alive and well — well, as well as he can be married to such an impossible woman as his new wife, the wicked and manipulative Madame de la Haltière! There are no great surprises in this opera, but Massenet’s musical retelling of the Cinderella story is utterly charming and completely captivating. Kids will find the Fairy Godmother enchanting, they’ll root for Cendrillon, and, if you see the Laurent Pelly production, they’ll be talking about the magical set made from the pages of fairy tale books for weeks to come.

Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment

Our final kid-friendly creation on the list is La Fille du Régiment. To be entirely honest, I never considered La Fille du Régiment to be something for young folks until I attended a dress rehearsal of the Metropolitan Opera’s production a few months ago. The audience was made up almost entirely of school-aged children on a field trip. They were absolutely captivated by the drama on stage. They roared with laughter throughout, and applauded wildly after some of the more tender moments. These kids were loving the show, and for many of them, this was the likely the first opera they had ever seen.

La Fille du Régiment tells the story of a woman named Marie who was brought up among a regiment of male French soldiers that had found her abandoned when she was just a baby. She soon meets and falls in love with a outsider named Tonio, a Tyrolean — a member of the very side Marie’s regiment is fighting. When he learns that Marie will only be permitted to marry a member of her regiment, Tonio abandons his roots and enlists with the French. All seems to be going well until the sergeant, Sulpice, meets the Marquise de Birkenfeld, a wealthy and comically haughty woman, and it is revealed that Marie is her long-lost relative. Marie is sent away to live with the Marquise, but she despises the chateau’s opulence and longs to be with Tonio. Ultimately, Marie and Tonio end up together, and everything is tied up in a pretty little bow. The kids will laugh at the impetuous, impatient, rebellious Marie, the ostentatious Marquise, and the goofy sergeant Sulpice. The adults will marvel at the beautiful bel canto lines and vocal pyrotechnics raining down upon the audience.

Via