The Bantam of the Elementary School Light Opera

**"The Bantam of the Elementary School Light Opera"** is the second segment of the thirteenth episode of the first season of *Hamster & Gretel*, and the twenty-fifth episode overall. It is paired with "A Mammoth Problem" and premiered on Disney Channel on November 26, 2022.

Gretel is offered to take over the lead role for an elementary school play directed by Hiromi, which she begrudgingly accepts. Additionally, things are going wrong during rehearsals, which Gretel believes is due to a school urban legend known as the Curse of the Bantam of the Opera.

## Plot

During rehearsals for a school play for *The Vikings of Venzance* being directed by Hiromi, actress Miranda abruptly quits due to the unfavorable conditions of the props. This leads Bailey, Hiromi, and the other actors to turn to stagehand Gretel to take her place. However, Gretel is hesitant to do so due to a negative experience she had while participating in a past play. Fred tells the actors about a legend about the curse of the Bantam of the Opera, which Hiromi dismisses as a "silly school myth." Later, when Kevin returns with astronaut costumes he obtained from a discount store, Hiromi improvises and modifies the play to have a space theme. However, a mishap during another rehersal leads Gretel believe that the legend of the Bantam is true, only for no one to believe her after Fred determines that the true cause was faulty wiring.

At home, Gretel vents to Kevin about her fear of performing onstage, who reassures her that being a true hero sometimes involves pressing on in spite of one's fears. However, on opening night, the Bantam appears and destoys the set and many of the props. Hamster and Gretel chase after the Bantam, while Hiromi―in part due to Kevin's encouragement―improvises once again in order to avoid cancelling the play. Meanwhile, Hamster and Gretel discover that the Bantam is actually Christine DePoulet, a former high school mascot who went into hiding after suffering from stage fright while participating in the school's first production of *The Vikings of Venzance* 25 years prior. Gretel gives her the same advice Kevin gave her, after which they earn a standing ovation for their performance.

## Cast and characters

* Meli Povenmire as Gretel Grant-Gomez
* Michael Cimino as Kevin Grant-Gomez
* Beck Bennett as Hamster
* Hiromi Dames as Hiromi Tanaka
* Joey King as Fred Grant
* Matt Jones as Dave Grant
* Carolina Ravassa as Carolina Grant-Gomez
* Priah Ferguson as Bailey Carter

### Additional voices

* Cree Summer as Christine DePoulet/Eastside Bantam
* Brock Powell as Governor, Frank, Boy
* Romi Dames as Miranda, Baguette Girl

## Songs

* Frank's Discounted Discount Costumes (jingle)

## Running gags

### Image scene transitions

Gretel, tearful on a star
(used to transition to Gretel's dressing room at the school theater)

## Transcript

*Click here to read the full transcript of **"The Bantam of the Elementary School Light Opera"**.*

## Background information

### Trivia

* This is the last episode to air in 2022.
* According to writer Alex Estrada, he originally pitched this episode with different audio for Gretel's thousand-yard stare when recalling her last acting performance, after being asked to take over the lead role. Instead of Gretel's "I am a ham" line being echoed a couple times (with accompanying visual effect), an excerpt of *Adagio for Strings*, composed by Samuel Barber, would play, alongside a multitude of gunshot sounds, and an excerpt from Lyndon B. Johnson's 1986 Address to the Nation.

### Allusions

* ***The Phantom of the Opera*** - The title of this episode, as well as the nickname of the Eastside Bantam that sabotages all the school plays (the Bantam of the Opera), are allusions to the title of this novel, as well as Erik, the titular Phantom himself. Also, like how Erik hides in his lair deep inside the bowels of the opera house, Christine DePoulet (the true identity of the Bantam) hides in her lair within the bowels of the school auditorium.
* ***The Pirates of Penzance*** - *The Vikings of Venzance*, the play that Hiromi is producing with the elementary school kids and was also produced by the high school in the mid-90s, is most likely based on the comedic opera *The Pirates of Penzance*, with *The Vikings of Venzance* having a similar name, both plays being about a specific kind of marauders at sea, and having a monarch leading said marauders (in this case, the Viking Queen, as opposed to the Pirate King).
* ***Amphibia*** - The scene where Gretel has a flashback about why she doesn't participate in school plays anymore is very similar to Anne's flashback in the episode "A Caravan Named Desire"; both girls end up tripping while saying their lines, leading them to accidentally destroy the stage and props, as well as harming fellow child actors.
* ***To Kill a Mockingbird*** - The ham costume Gretel wears in the last play she acted in, is very similar to the ham costume Scout Finch wears for the Halloween pageant (particularly in the film adaptation), complete with the word "HAM" spelled out on the front.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.dgepress.com/disneybrandedtelevision/shows/hamster-gretel/episodes/a-mammoth-problem-the-bantam-of-the-elementary-school-light-opera/
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/alexthestrada/status/1596524506751062017 (video only)