The Light Princess
Opening Night: February 27, 2015
Closing: March 8, 2015
Theater: New Victory Theater
Can a girl who can’t fall at all, fall in love? Two witty wisemen sing a story of a young princess cursed by a wicked witch to float through life indefinitely. Twirling above the stage, through the kingdom and into a magical forest, she must find a way to come back to earth by her sixteenth birthday or be doomed to defy gravity forever! Directed by Allegra Libonati, The Light Princess from the acclaimed American Repertory Theater (Artistic Director, Diane Paulus) showcases the brightest talents of Harvard’s graduate acting program. Funny, romantic and cleverly choreographed to delightfully upbeat original songs, this whimsical new musical will have you giggling your way to cloud nine.
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March 1, 2015
If only NASA had existed in days of yore. Its scientists might have had coping strategies for the heroine of The Light Princess, who has an unusual fairy tale problem: weightlessness. This musical, performed at the New Victory Theater by the A.R.T. Institute at Harvard (a graduate program founded by the American Repertory Theater), has source material most Disney-saturated young New Yorkers won’t have heard of: a story by the Scottish Victorian George MacDonald. But that’s not the only reason to recommend it. Richly imagined and delightfully acted, this 70-minute production proves unexpected in almost every way. With a book by Lila Rose Kaplan, and a catchy pop score and lyrics by Mike Pettry, the show begins like many such narratives. A royal couple (Corey Sullivan and Steph Jack) turn to a witch, the queen’s vindictive sister, for a solution to their childlessness. The witch (Kristin Wetherington) delivers, but warns of a price. (“There always is,” she purrs.) The parents soon discover that their daughter lacks not just gravity, but gravitas: She feels no fear, sadness or love. If she can’t attain gravity by her 16th birthday, the curse will be permanent, and the witch will become queen.
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