Hans Christian Andersen is long time beloved writer of some of most famous fairy tales of all time. Maybe I never grew up because I still love hearing the tales of this great writer. “The Princess and the Pea” and “The Ugly Duckling” are some of his most famous works. A new play, Hans Christian Andersen Tales Real & Imagined, produced by The Ensemble for the Romantic Century, looks at his life. The play does a marvelous job of showing how autobiographical Andersen’s writings are. His fairy tales cross boundaries of age, nationality, and beliefs. They also are a reflection of a man who had a lot of disappointments and discontent with himself. And yet, he was able to leave the world over 3,000 tales which bring joy to many.
Written by Eve Wolf, Executive Artistic Director of Ensemble for the Romantic Century, the play delves into the life of Hans Christian Andersen giving theater goers an opportunity to explore influences that fueled his creativity.The story is told though acting, puppetry, and classical music. The play is well designed with the right amount of each of the these components used.
The story is sad and it has some shocking moments. So warning: this is not a play for young children. It is a sad but realistic look at a writer whose talent brings magic moments to many who read his tales.
How the Story is Told
The play explores how Andersen’s complicated personal life inspired so many of his tales. Jimmy Ray Bennett plays the title role. The unraveling of this complicated tale begins with the character Hans Christian Andersen trying to summarize his life. He says it was a happy one.
Donald T. Sanders, ERC Director of Theatrical Production, directs the play which seems pleasant enough as that happy idea begins the show and we see how The Princess and the Pea comes to be. However, as the story continues, the young Andersen is shown as pretty much of a failure in school activities. His attempts at being an actor fail as his ability to write begins to come into his life.
Eventually he meets Edward played by Daniel Moody and at some performances Randall Scotting. Edward does not return the love Andersen desires, however, their attachment as friends remains for many years. He has relationships with other men and women, none of which work out. None are as important as Edward throughout his life. The Edward character is a Countertenor who sings several very powerful songs throughout the show.
After his rejection from Edward, Andersen appears to get his life in order and begins to become very successful as he acquires fame and fortune. As the play continues, we learn how poor he truly was as a child and the fate of his family who he appears to have deserted. Although he had wealth and fame, this part of his life seems to haunt him. Even in death, it seems he could not properly be situated. All in all, a very difficult life.
And yet all of this is critical to understand how autobiographical Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales really are. For example, in the scene right before intermission we see the creation of the little mermaid and the symbolism that he is basically a fish out of water as his friend Edward is to be married off.
“I am the water in which everything is mirrored. Often it gives me joy and blessings, but at times it is my torment. What a strange being I am!”
This quotation written by Hans Christian Andersen as a diary entry appears in the program’s Musicology Notes. It truly summarizes what the play tries to show about this man. Despite adversity, we see a man who gave a tremendous literary legacy to the world through his writing. The characters and tales he created bring joy and enhanced imagination to all who read and enjoy his stories.
Artistic Aspects of the Show
In addition to the acting, the play features puppet artists Craig Marin & Olga Felgemacher, founders of Flexitoon, one of the world’s most celebrated puppet production companies. The puppets used provide a variety of vividly designed characters to bring the story to new levels.
One of the most poignant puppets is a very small clown who represents Andersen. It has such a tragic little face on it and the movements are so sincere that you just feel sympathy for him as he goes through so much.
The movement provided by the puppet artists make the puppets seem to come alive at times. There are also very large ones which represent characters with oversized parts of personalities. The intermingling of the puppets with the actors provides a unique effect that adds a lot to the story telling and also emotion of the tale itself. In the early part of the play, scenes of his lack of success as a student are performed. Everything he attempts fails. To emphasize how defeated he felt, a very large headed puppet is used to represent the headmaster. This man is critical of him because Andersen is creating his own written work rather than adhering to the curriculum. The use of this puppet allows the audience to get a better feel of what Andersen might have experienced during that degrading time.
The Music
Another artistic aspect of the show is the music which complements and gives a better understanding of the action taking place. The music of Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten is used in a variety of scenes throughout the play. Max Barros and Carlos Avila are on pianos along with percussionist Shiqi Zhong. The presence of these performers with their instruments on stage is always a highlight of The Ensemble’s shows and this one continues that grand style.
Additional Information
Show Running Time: Approximately 2 hours with one intermission
Performances: Limited Run – Now through May 25, 2019.
Tickets: Can be purchased online at Dukeon42.org; by phone at 646-223-3010; or in person at The Duke on 42nd Street at 229 West 42nd Street.
For more information: Visit romanticcentury.org