Synopsis
Act I
The air of a little Dutch village in the 19th Century is filled with Holiday cheer. (Celebrate the Season). Hilda, the teenage daughter of a successful local merchant, announces that her father will sponsor a race with prizes for the fastest children on the winter canals. (Silver Skates.) No one needs silver skates more than Hans Brinker who, with his sister Gretel, is forced to use handmade wooden skates on the ice. Hans laments his ability to win the race but finds confidence in the support from his good friend, Annie. (I’d Be a Champion!)
The townspeople carry on with their holiday preparations (Carol to Saint Nicholas). Hilda visits the Brinker household, bringing a warm winter coat that no longer fits, knowing it will help Gretel in the cold weather. (In The Spirit of the Season). After Hilda leaves, Hans and Gretel’s mother, Metje, is saddened by her inability to provide a holiday feast for her family since her husband, Raff, is comatose and has been unable to work for several years. (The Visit of the Saint).
The village children are excited about the coming eve of St. Nicholas but warn the traditionally unfriendly Carl that he might not be as happy when he wakes the next morning. (Coal in Your Klompen). Meanwhile, Hans continues to worry that he is unable to make enough money with his chores to pay for medical help for his father. Peter, the oldest of the group, finds he has lost a purse his father entrusted to him containing twenty guilders. The children scatter to help find the purse. Hans comes across it and wonders what he could do with so much money (Twenty Shining Silver Guilders).
As evening falls, the villagers thoughts turn to the origins of the holiday (Holy Day Child), while in the Brinker household, Gretel is upset when her otherwise sleeping father suddenly make a gesture that knocks her music box onto the floor. (Surely You Remember). Raff becomes agitated, stands and begins shouting. Metje is frightened and sends Gretel to find Hans, the doctor is needed.
Hans and the boys scatter to look for the doctor, while Herr Von Gleck kisses his daughter Hilda and instructs her to take Gretel home while he joins the search for the doctor. Gretel watches this interaction wistfully. (You Know Your Father Loves You).
The village children receive their gifts in their separate homes as the Brinker family anxiously watches while the doctor tends to Raff. The doctor needs permission to operate, and Hans urges his mother to give the nod. (The Gifts From St. Nicholas).
Act II
The children are subdued, waiting for news of Raff’s surgery. Hilda’s father tries to brighten the mood, pointing out the beautiful winter weather and the coming race. (Pretty Day). Soon, attention falls on Carl, who has been caught in yet another questionable activity involving Peter’s lost, found and lost again purse. Peter urges Carl to behave himself! (I Don’t Want to be Good). The villagers enjoy the weather and celebrate the holiday (The Little King). At last Peter is alone with Hilda. He stumbles all over himself trying to make conversation. (When You’re Around).
In the Brinker home, Raff is indeed regaining his health and reuniting with his children. First he marvels over how Gretel has grown during his coma. (Shaloo-La-Lay). But it is more difficult with Hans. Raff is surprised to find the family in difficult financial straits thinking he had left them well off with funds he had secreted in the big tree outside. Hans feels that as the man of the house, he must be stern and a chasm opens between them when Hans disagrees with his father. Hans leaves to sell household goods for food.
Outside, the villagers cheerfully enjoy the weather and the growing excitement in the air regarding the coming race for the silver skates. (In the Spirit of the Season reprise). Hans meets Annie after buying bread in the market. He bemoans the fact that he made his father angry when all he really wants is for his father to be proud of him. Annie explains that St. Nicholas has given her a wishing bead. She used it to wish Hans’s father would be well. Now she passes it on to Hans, so he can also have a wish come true. (One Wish). The day of the race dawns, another beautiful winter day on the canals. (Pretty Day reprise). Raff and Metje are on hand to cheer their children on as the race is about to begin. They all realize the the big tree where Raff buried his treasure was cut down and their money is safe under the stump. The race begins. Hans is well ahead when Carl slips through the thin ice. (The Race). Hans yields his place to help Carl and Peter wins the silver skates. But the biggest prize goes to Hans when he hears his father say, “Hans! I am so proud of you! (One Wish reprise).
Production History
Hans Brinker, a family-friendly production by New Tuners Theatre with support from the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, received critical acclaim at its premiere at the Theatre Building Chicago. Recognition included an After Dark Award for the score and a Jeff Citation for the choreography. The show had a prosperous six-season run in Chicago during the holiday season, spanning from November to January.
The original production of Hans Brinker was meant for family audiences at Christmastime. To facilitate the younger viewers in understanding idioms borrowed from Dutch as well as older English words, the producers elected to include a small glossary in the program.