A opera singer has to cope with role reversal for a part, reveals Sharu Delilkan
Playing a bloke on stage doesn't phase Anna Pierard. The mezzo soprano, who plays the brother in Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel next month, has played the part of a knight. Pierard played Ruggiero in Handel's
opera Alcina - and experienced her first stage kiss with a woman. She is more than prepared for the role of Hansel. "The challenge is quelling my inert energy. Playing a male means being extremely economical with my performance." "I love observing my expressive Spanish husband - that's perfect [background] for the stage." Pierard will return from Spain to make her Kiwi debut in Hansel and Gretel. In this century-old take on the Brothers Grimm fairytale, the audience follows a brother and sister along the overgrown path from childhood innocence to adult awareness. As Hansel, Pierard is part of a star line-up that includes director Michael Hurst, mezzo-soprano Helen Medlyn (witch and mother) and soprano Ana James (Gretel). Born in Tauranga, 31-year-old Pierard comes from a musical family. Things changed at 18 when her aunt Catherine, a soprano, faxed a Purcell duet for them to perform at Anna's grandparents' golden anniversary. "I started shaking like a leaf and suddenly I felt this hand on the small of my back. It was like I was given the wind beneath my wings," she says.
Hansel and Gretel, Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna, July 5, 7.30 pm. Tickets: Ticketmaster, ph 0800 111 999. TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, Manukau, July 7, 7.30 pm. Tickets: TicketDirect, ph 0800 484 253.
