BEFORE HANSEL, THERE WAS,
HELL YEAH, GRETEL!

Witches. Talking dolls. Folk and rock music. Chicken-legged houses. If that doesn’t get your attention, then you may already be inside Baba Yaga’s oven.

From July 20 to 27 at New Village Arts and Scripps Ranch Theatre, Riot Productions is going to cast a spell over San Diego with Gretel! The Musical, a trippy, tender, feminist reimagining of the fairy tale you think you know. No candy houses here—this story is rooted in the original Russian folklore that gave birth to the Hansel and Gretel myth, and spoiler alert: Hansel is barely a footnote. Before the breadcrumbs, before the brother, there was a girl on a mission, and her name was Gretel.

Written by Jason Tremblay and Suzan Zeder, with music by Jenn Hartmann Luck and lyrics by Luck, Zeder & Tremblay, this folk-rock fantasia follows Gretel as she sets out to retrieve the skull of undying light from Baba Yaga—the grandmama of all witches. Along the way, she meets stargazing knights, sun-chasing horsemen, and the kind of impossible tasks that would make Hercules cry into his protein shake.

Directed by BJ Robinson, the cast includes Priya Richards as our fierce heroine and Lyric Boothe (a standout in The Prom at SDMT) as Gretel’s haunted, helpful “Little Doll”—and yes, Boothe plays guitar while navigating grief and magical realism. Sarah Alida LeClair (who also music directs) dons Baba Yaga’s ragged shawl and plays the cajon (a box-shaped percussion instrument originating from Peru) with Robinson, who also offers vocals. Sharon Taylor on cello (arrangements by Nora Karakousoglou) gives the show a heartbeat made of shadows and strings.

Why go? Because Riot Productions doesn’t just stage musicals—they riot against the bland and expected. With an eye on intersectional feminism and people of color, and an ear for queer-forward storytelling, this company is giving Gretel the space (and skulls) she deserves.

And if you’re asking what the heck is a chicken-legged house—well, that comes straight from Slavic and Russian folklore, specifically the legends of Baba Yaga. In the traditional tales, she lives in a hut that stands on giant chicken legs, which allows it to move around, spin, or turn its back to visitors—basically the original mobile home. It’s one of the most iconic, surreal elements of the Baba Yaga mythos and shows up across Russian fairy tales.

Gretel! The Musical is a wild, warm journey through grief, identity, and girlhood—wrapped in folktale trappings and scored with earthy flair. It’s a cautionary tale retooled for anyone who’s ever had to grow up too soon and fight like hell just to survive.

You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll want to adopt a haunted doll.

photos by Bracken Klacka

Gretel: The Musical
Riot Productions
New Village Arts Center, 2787 State Street in Carlsbad
July 20 and 21 at 7
Scripps Ranch Theatre, 9783 Avenue of Nations in San Diego
July 25, 26 & 27 at 7
ends on July 27, 2025
for tickets, visit Riot Productions