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The Siblings
The Siblings is Rabbit Hole's adaptation of the classic fairy tale, "Hansel and Gretel". This production wasn't for children, though. Turns out Mom's having private conference with God and he's telling her to abandon the children in the woods...in order to ensure survival. Or so she reports to her husband one morning. Events unfold that probe questions of loyalty, betrayal, and survival of the flesh at the cost of the soul.
Originally produced by Rabbit Hole, the production was picked up by the Midtown International Theatre Festival and presented there in July of 2006.
cast
Paul Daily as Hansel
Amanda Broomell as Gretel
Catherine Siracusa as The Witch
reviews
"...modernized and played through a glass darkly, The Siblings paints a dangerous world where benign images of family and trust transform into terror. With a deceptively simple text and virtually no accoutrements, Mr. Elefterion and his gifted ensemble evoke a nightmarish forest of narcissism and greed. It's a harrowing experience and, ultimately, shocking."
- Kate Snodgrass, Artistic Director of the Boston Playwrights' Theatre
"Rabbit Hole Ensemble's mission commits the theater group to a "distinctly minimalist aesthetic that focuses on space, audience, and the performer...to produce a uniquely direct and candid experience." Their current production of The Siblings proves they aren't kidding around. This is a seriously stripped-down production which is effective in its presentation and refreshing in its eschewal of anything not absolutely essential to telling its story.
The Siblings is simply a good story, told clearly by skilled actors, revealing all the rich facets and layers of complex, disturbing human drama contained in it. This revelation provides more thrills than any million-dollar tech-spectacular ever could, and it's worthy of your support."
- nytheatre.com
"...writer and director, Edward Elefterion, does a wonderful job of combining old with new and was masterfully able to elicit true emotion and fear from his cast to create an endearing story against nothing but a black back drop."
- broadwayworld.com
"The production enchants with minimal artifice or technical assistance. The Siblings, Rabbit Hole Ensemble's riff on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel," is an eerily resonant theatrical meditation on the power and pitfalls of faith....the ensemble is uniformly strong..."
- offoffonline.com
"The Rabbit Hole Ensemble's minimalist presentation, particularly the stark black and white lighting, works wonders in creating an appropriately harsh psychological atmosphere. The Siblings raises some very uncomfortable questions and offers no answers, leaving you with plenty of food for thought and inspiration for your own dark dreams."
- thegothamist.com
"...the five hard-edged performers...are so tightly choreographed and conducted that you know you're watching a fully conceived and flawlessly executed piece of theatre."
- talkinbroadway.com
"The play's spookiness comes from the emptiness of the setting, which mirrors the scarcity in the characters' lives."
