GAOS' panto of Hansel and Gretel are sure to cause a ruckus!

: Published: 09 November 2026

GAOS has been keeping this glorious tradition alive for over 50 years, presenting a pantomime almost every year. And every bit of it — on stage and behind the scenes — is created by volunteers. Make plenty of noise, and remember: the louder you are, the better GAOS is doing! This year's panto is The Brothers Grimm’s "Hansel and Gretel", a dark, cautionary tale of survival rooted in the grim realities of famine and abandonment.

However, when adapted into the vibrant heritage of traditional pantomime, this bleak German folklore undergoes a spectacular, festive transformation. While the core narrative remains—two lost children outsmarting a cannibalistic threat—the pantomime replaces the story's inherent dread with boisterous theatrical conventions. The terrifying witch becomes a comic villain to be booed, the desperate parents make way for slapstick archetypes, and the eerie forest turns into a stage for song, dance, and audience participation.

Ultimately, where the original Grimm tale uses fear to teach resilience, the stage pantomime repurposes the same journey into a communal celebration of good triumphing over evil.