Witch Hillary Goes to the Opera is a popular children’s performance produced by the Opera of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, directed by Ivan Leo Lemo based on a text by Peter Lund. With more than one hundred performances and guest appearances across Croatia, the production has been introducing future opera audiences to the basics of opera since 2010, using the interaction between the lively witch Hillary (Dora Lipovčan) and the opera singer Maria Bellacanta (Ivana Lazar / Josipa Bilić), accompanied by Hillary’s companion, the cat Willy (Kristijan Potočki).
Witch Hillary, who is constantly online, one day wins tickets to the opera—despite not knowing what opera actually is. In the Witches’ Handbook she learns: opera is a form of theatre in which people sing. Curious, Hillary decides to discover why people sing in opera and teleports the opera singer Maria Bellacanta to her, who explains that opera uses singing to tell stories about princes, princesses, and magic. To convey the beauty of opera more vividly, Hillary creates a hologram of a piano and pianist, while Maria Bellacanta performs arias accompanied by the piano, featuring works by some of the most famous opera composers such as Mozart, Gounod, Donizetti, and Verdi.
Hillary learns that opera expresses powerful emotions, that it is composed by composers using musical notation, and performed by singers, instrumentalists, and a choir under the guidance of a conductor. Delighted by everything she has discovered, Hillary eagerly awaits her evening at the theatre. In her magic crystal ball she observes the impressive opera house and prepares for the occasion together with her new friend Maria Bellacanta. When she finally takes her seat in the auditorium, she realizes that opera is the greatest magic of all.
In 2011, the production was named Best Performance at the 11th Naj, naj, naj Festival, and Dora Lipovčan received the award for Best Actress at the same festival for her role as Witch Hillary.
Note: The performance is intended for children aged six and above.
