Before the lights dimmed at Zuzi’s Theatre, it was already clear this wasn’t grandma’s idea of a fairytale. Swirling pseudo-fog made the small theatre seating a little more than 100 people smell like a makeshift haunted house. A piercing mix of notes spraying from the orchestra during last-minute tuning added to an eerie atmosphere.

“”Lost,”” a pop opera presented by Arizona Onstage Productions and directed by Kevin Johnson, put a spin on the classic story of two lost children, “”Hansel and Gretel.””

Gabby, played by Corina Riggs, and Hanlon, played by musical theater performance and management senior Jody Mullen, find themselves abandoned in the mountains of Appalachia by their greedy father at the command of his new trophy wife.

The two then encounter a nightmare lineup of ghostly characters from the folklore hall of fame, all under control of an evil witch named Mamba.

Mamba and her husband, Laborious, are actually Ananias and Eleanor Dare, two of the 117 pioneers known as the Lost Colony, stuck searching for salvation by rebuilding their lives. The group mysteriously disappeared after landing in Roanoke, N.C., in 1587. The true, historical story turns to folklore and fantasy for an explanation.

Other characters revolving around American historic figures include a condemned Salem witch, a Confederate soldier killed in action, a starving Native American and an abused slave.

Captivating colors and musical ambiance draw the audience into a hypnotic dream world and leave more than a few eyes watery with emotion.