OUAT: The Ice Queen (press release - no spoilers) & "GALAVANT" Is the Bridge For How We Get There (TRAILER ALERT!)

Hi Elsa! (And probably Anna too.) This is your official welcome by ABC to the world of Storybrooke, Maine and the Once Upon A Time fandom:

 

By the way, I've been seeing complaints (and occasionally outrage) that there are "so many people" getting upset that ABC is doing the Frozen version of Elsa instead of The Snow Queen. I just gotta say.... well that's interesting! (And it's not from me.) While I'd personally love to see a little traditional fairy tale Ice Maiden/Snow Queen input, it's pretty clear that OUAT's format and popularity relies upon using known fairy tale characters (usually, but not always, from the Disney canon) in order for the twists in their stories to have so much impact, so, of course it's going to be Elsa from Frozen. I'm very curious to know where all these "fairy tale hipsters"(their term, not mine) causing such a ruckus are from. Although I think it's a little misguided because of what the show essentially is, I kinda love that they're making fans of OUAT and Frozen take somewhat of a look at the old tales, even if it's only to note that they exist.

The other main beef on the interwebs today? That Dreamworks owns the Jack Frost character that a huge portion of the (various) fandoms want to 'ship with Elsa (who is Disney) - and the tears of despair that there is no way that can possibly happen because Dreamworks/Disney = mortal enemies. O.o

Elsa & Jack cosplay by Akatsuki Tsukasa
(click this to see more amazing cosplay including with Anna)

We're so far out from how they're going to manage this yet... I'm just going to say it: let it go, people!  (Don't kill me. )If you're a fan, odds are you will love what they do, if for no other reason than apparently the writer room is like a Frozen mini-fandom and cares just as much as you do. Chill. (And please don't kill me.)

Worried about how you're going to last that long? Enter Galavant (the musical comedy fairy tale show I've posted on HERE as being in development at Disney).

But before it gets too boring to keep reading, look! A crazy, fun, Princess-Bride-meets-Monty-Pythonesque trailer (but with less dirt) to show you we're very unlikely to be bored while we wait... From the writer of Crazy, Stupid, Love and Oscar-Winning Composer Alan Menken… ABC brings you… um, this:

This is so much better than expected. I'm heaving a huge sigh of relief. (And I'm going to take it as an excellent sign that my kid thought it was funny too.)

And yes, it makes complete sense that Galavant would be the bridge show for Oncers. We also know that this time they're not going to screw up the between season programming for this show either, after what happened with OUATinWonderland (for OUATinW it was a mid-season kafuffle, but still, cancellation is a serious price to pay for an oops).

So: fairy tale shows from ABC for the next year at the least. Woot!

(Note: Fairy tale writers: got an ice maiden or Jack Frost story bubbling away? This is the year to get it out there. Just sayin'.)

Frozen II: It's Happening (Probably. Maybe. They're Thinking About It.)

Frozen in the Style of Mucha by Yar'Tzana-Serenade

Yes, it's true! There are rumors... but that's still as concrete as it is for now.

It's becoming more and more likely that, thanks to the film's monumental success, Disney will return to Arendelle for further 'Frozen' tales.Some fans might be a tad perturbed at the thought of a sequel, because the original is so adored, but the film's directors, Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, have admitted that the folks over at Disney are just as concerned. (Source)

Talk about a Frozen sequel, addressing the "discourse" of the fans is definitely happening amongst all the official-Frozen people but it's still early days of Frozen's success, historically speaking and it's still a "new movie". Though Frozen has just become the most successful animated film of all time (yep - broke the billion barrier!) it doesn't guarantee we'll be seeing sequels. It's pretty clear that any consideration of a sequel will want to avoid the (generally) lower quality writing and/or animation of the direct-to-dvd crowd. If they do take a stab at this, it's likely it will be big screen all the way.

Here's as much official word about it as was discussed in a recent interview (posted 4/4/14) the directors had with Den of Geek:

Fan made poster for Broadway Musical

We're past the age of straight to DVD sequels now, that much is thankfully clear. And obviously there's been talk about sequels to this, a musical... but how closely do you stay now as guardians of it? How do you stop The Jungle Book 2 happening to it? How do you protect these characters, or do you have to accept that it's someone else's now? 

Chris: ...I think with John Lasseter being there, he's such a guardian of the movies now... especially of Frozen, he really was such a big part of it. And the characters too. I think we'll be right there, but he's the 800 pound gorilla who says no, our characters don't do this. They don't go there. 

Jennifer: Right now, I certainly feel very protective of the characters, and it'd be very hard to see that happen. Having said that, the fans have seen different things in the film, some of which wasn't our intention, but they're responding to it, and there's a discourse going on. 

There really is. 

Jennifer: It's flattering. They're talking about our film at a deeper level than just it was good, it was bad. And that in itself means a lot. You don't want to take that away from fans. There is that balance of wanting to stay involved and protecting the characters, certainly going forward, but also liking the world that each person is making.

Basically, "yep we're thinking about it but don't get too excited, we're still feeling precious about this relatively new film." (You can read the whole interview HERE.)

Earlier this year Disney's CEO, Bob Iger, hinted that a follow-up to the animated behemoth is already in the pipeline as he told a conference call with investors that the film "has real franchise potential." (Source)

So, yes. They're definitely thinking about it. But the real question is: why am I blogging about it on a fairy tale news blog? Well Frozen has officially forever altered the way The Snow Queen will be considered; The Snow Queen as a character, the manifestation of snow, ice and Winter powers and also of the fairy tale. At least it retains the idea of strong women which is so prevalent in Hans Christian Andersen's story, though I'd love to see that connection strengthened a little more.

The Four Seasons - Tapestry artwork by Brittney Lee- Character artwork by Bill Schwab

It's a complete dream on my part, but now that the Disney-ness has been dealt with, with regard to this fairy tale rewrite, and certain cliches have been, at least, bent, if not broken in Frozen, I can see it paving the way to tap more of the original Snow Queen story and themes in a sequel, especially the idea of seasons and maturation, which is one of the reasons I really love the depiction of the Disney characters as shown in the image at the head of the post - there's more of an echo of the fairy tale than the artist probably realizes. The development art, immediately above by Disney artist Brittney Lee, shows the concept of applying the seasons to the story, themes and characters isn't foreign to them either, so you never know...

Whatever the case, Frozen and all associations with The Snow Queen (whether we like them or not) are not going away any time soon. Fan art, stories and theories are only continuing to grow and take some interesting - and fairy tale friendly directions (more about that soon, hopefully). Speculations are already growing about the film's transition/morph into a Broadway production, despite the fact that Disney has made it clear they are taking it slowly and carefully on that project and that we are unlikely to see anything for a few years yet.

So what do you think? Excited about a possible sequel? What do you think are the chances of fairy tale elements involved if there is? (And what if they're NOT from Snow Queen?)

'Pushing Daisies' Looks To Be Getting a Revival. Or Two! *-fist-pump-*

You know the show I'm talking about, right? One of the shows that was (most agree) an unfair victim of that writer's fiasco a few years back? I've rarely met a fan of fairy tales that this show didn't appeal to.

In fact, when I heard this announcement I completely guarantee to you that my face was not the only one that looked like this:

'Pushing Daisies' was that stylized, fantasy show, where the most normal and innocent thing becomes the focus of something truly bizarre and fantastic, all in the middle of an ongoing mystery, and, oh yeah, death. In this show, the colors were saturated, the sets were distinctly staged and the people were bizarrely unique, particular and fantastic. You never knew when things were going to take a turn for the weird, or when a magical moment might happen or when people might break into song. It was bizarre and wondrous and able to ponder very deep truths in the midst of pie... very much like fairy tales. In fact, that's the very word that was often used to describe - a mix of wonder, magic and macabre, just like a good old fairy tale. (With extra singing.) 

So I'm gonna just leave this announcement here (ok, I added bold, underline and embiggened the letters... and yes 'embiggened' is a totally appropriate frankenword, worthy to be included in any article discussing Pushing Daisies!):

Pushing Daisies show creator Bryan Fuller has announced that he’s hoping to bring the cast back for a project or two. 

Fuller states in the interview, “I’ve had conversations very recently with Barry Sonnenfeld about financing a film, and with Kristin Chenoweth and Warner Brothers about developing a stage musical.” 

Additionally, Fuller said that some sort of revival is also on its way: “We’re working on something that is definitely a Pushing Daisies revival, and the idea would be to have as many cast as we can to participate in it.” 

We’re hoping that they’ll be able to get the full cast to return, which includes Lee Pace, Kristen Chenoweth, Anna Friel, Ellen Greene, Chi McBride, Swoosie Kurtz, and maybe even Jim Dale as the narrator.

Yes, yes! Any! Both! Just-doo-eeet!! And please note: we will not love this as much if the cast are not exact clones of the previous ones we loved.
OK.
Party on.

Sources: HERE & HERE

"Frozen" Is Heading To Broadway (Fingers Crossed for Rewrites!) But We Already Knew That, So Let's Check Out Other Theatrical Snow Queen Productions (Pt 1)

Idina Menzel (voice of Elsa and Disney's current reigning queen) photographed for GO magazine

It wasn't really a question of "if"but "when". I wasn't the only one to feel that Frozen was "front loaded" with songs - meaning that they had a musical in mind from the beginning and had to write the movie to accommodate the songs. By the looks of it the only thing they were waiting for was to make sure Frozen was making the money-makers happy enough, the fans passionate enough and an Award Winner (first a Golden Globe, next an-almost-guaranteed Academy Award) to throw a ton more green into, what is no doubt going to be, an insanely expensive theatrical production.

The official news:
One day after Frozen won the Golden Globe, Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed to Fortune that the studio is in talks to turn the animated hit into a Broadway musical. No date has been confirmed for when the stage version will debut. “We’re not demanding speed,” Iger said. “We’re demanding excellence.”

Yes - don't rush - you have a big job there.. and please revisit some of the story issues while you're there please? Kthxbai.

So the main questions regarding Frozen-the-Musical (ugh - that sounds hokey) are:

1) Will they bow to pressure from almost every source and write more of Elsa, the Snow Queen's story (and thus make it reflect more of the spirit of the original fairy tale - though more of the plot is pretty much a solid "ain'tgonnahappen") or will they just add more songs? 

2) How on earth are they planning to design, pull of a production that can run every night of the week (and sometimes more) that won't let the Frozen fans down in terms of the magical ice and snow stuff (because, let's face it, THIS is what people are going to come to see: Let It Go and the ice castle construction). 

3) They will rewrite for the stage, it's unavoidable - but what will the emphasis be? Will they fix some of those glaring holes the movie has? 

At least the Fixer Upper song will be more at home, as will Love Is An Open Door. They are two examples of just-fine-but-completely-unnecessary-for-the-main-story songs that Broadway is good at using, for getting those tricky backstage mechanical set-ups in place and working in time and for lengthy/complicated costume changes - something fun that the audience doesn't mind get sidetracked with a little because in the back of your mind you're aware that in a very physical sense, they need time to get the next piece of awesome ready (something you DON'T need in a movie by the way because.. it's a movie. :/ )

Apart from ridiculously high expectations on the ice and snow theatrical effects, another main headache for the production will be finding Idina sound-alikes. It doesn't matter if you have a "good voice" - no professional versions of Let It Go (all of which have amazing vocal talents) have come close to Idina Menzel's rendition. She's the one who put a ton of life into Elsa with her performance (quite possibly a lot more than Disney was prepared for, since they stuck with the "Anna is the main character/it's her story" party line) and, especially within the story, the actor-singer playing Elsa who can't carry that song as a true storyteller, is in danger of flattening the entire show. (Of course, if they adjust the writing to include more Elsa this will be less important.. just sayin'.)

Will it be more like HCA's Snow Queen? No. But I know whatever they design and however they create the technical effects of snow, ice and snowmen, it will be both cutting edge and informative for all those people who want to bring a new version of Snow Queen to the stage.

(And, honestly, it would be a fantastic project to work on! I wish those employed to do so, the very best.)

While this news tends to send Frozen fandoms into ecstatic comas of joy (or worry, since Idina probably won't be involved), I thought it would be fun and inspiring to have a look at a few recent and very different Snow Queen productions that most definitely ARE fairy tales after Andersen's story (and I'm going to stick with theater and not even delve into ballet & dance because that's a whole other set of posts for another time!).

I'm going to start the round-up after the jump and then continue in upcoming posts (otherwise this would be as long as a football field with all the lovely pics! :)
✒ ✒ Click the "Read more" link below for the first highlight in the Theatrical Snow Queen Round-up ✒ ✒

Breaking News/Rumor Mill: There's A "Wicked" Musical Animated Miniseries Currently in Production (& Chenoweth & Menzel Are On Board!?!)

I haven't been able to confirm this via any single additional source but this was announced yesterday (Tuesday), November 26th. There is no identifying title, handle or nickname behind the Tumblr that I can see (the header is above), but that person tagged the post with #Wicked Musical #Kristin Chenoweth and #Idina Menzel...

I know a lot of people are dying to see something done with the Wicked musical (as opposed to Gregory Maguire's book - though there's a whole crowd excitedly watching the various on/off developments for that too) but I wouldn't have thought "animated musical miniseries" would be what we would see first.

Here's the sneak peek or "test & promo animation":

Well, it's clear whoever did this has a good idea of what they're doing. What else do we know? Not a lot but here are the points listed in the FAQ:

It will be 2D (hand drawn)

It will be a televised miniseries event made by a feature animation team (first time this has been done)

It’s by a major studio that has done 2D before

Not WDFA (Walt Disney Feature Animation)

The animation on here is test/promotional material and is not final

The event is very early in pre-production

I (the Tumblr owner) briefly worked on the production

Hmm... I'm very much wondering if this is due to the hard work and inspiration of Heidi Jo Gilbert, who, not only storyboarded "Defying Gravity" herself in her spare time (and received much praise and support for it) but has been (gently) lobbying Stephen Schwartz for permission to do this (or to have him get someone else to do it, but preferably with her on board) for a good couple of years now.

By Heidi Jo Gilbert from her "Defying Gravity" personal project storyboard

Here's her open letter to Stephen Schwartz (who convinced Marc Platt to make a musical instead of a movie and resulted in the award winning Wicked: The Musical):

I know you can relate to the plight of loving a story, loving a medium, and trying to convince someone in power to see your vision! You did it with Marc Platt when you convinced him to make it a stage musical. I’m just approaching you with the same sincerity. Is it possible to talk you out of doing a live action movie adaptation? Would you consider doing a traditionally animated adaptation? In my heart I think the musical needs the medium, and I think the medium needs your musical. I just love them both so much and hopefully that shows through in the story reel.
Sincerely,Heidi Jo Gilbert

Take a look at Ms. Gilbert's storyboarded sequence, Defying Gravity (it's pretty great):

Ms. Gilbert got so much attention and acclaim at the time (about 2 years ago) that Theater Advisor interviewed her regarding why she thought Wicked should be an animated movie and how she might go about it, if it were up to her. Here's an excerpt:

TA: What inspired you to make this animation of Wicked? 

Heidi: Wow I don’t really know where to start with that question. If I had to give the short answer I’d just say my love for the story and my passion for hand-drawn animation. But if you want the long story… 

by Minkyu Lee (one of the Wicked-in-animation inspired trio)

I first discovered Wicked from my twin brother. He got the album for Christmas the year it came out. I didn’t know anything about it …but when I looked through the album and saw Stephen Schwartz and Idina Menzel my interest was peaked. I obviously knew Stephen Schwartz from his animation work. And I had seen Idina Menzel on broadway as Amneris in Aida and I loved her. I fell in love with the music and the story. But I think the idea of an animated Wicked first came when I was going to school at CalArts. There was a small group of us Wicked nerds. I think we really annoyed a lot of the other students with our constant stream of Wicked talk. I don’t even remember where the idea came from, it was just like this hive mind. We just had to make it into an animated film! It had to be hand-drawn and we had to be involved! Ha ha! We didn’t think about all the obstacles, how we’re still just students, how hand-drawn animation was dying, how Universal owns the rights. We just loved the story, loved the music, and just had this dream to see it animated.  

by Heidi Jo Gilbert (check the colors! Looks familiar?)

We all got jobs at Disney after graduation. Three of us just never let go of the idea, me, Jennifer Hager, and Minkyu Lee, two of my best friends from school. I got laid off from Disney when production on The Princess and the Frog was wrapping. I had all this time on my hands, and the freedom to work on whatever I wanted. Minkyu had done these awesome character designs and visual development for Wicked for one of his portfolios. I just kind of thought to myself, nothing is ever going to happen until we just do something. So I just invested my whole heart into storyboarding that sequence. Everyone has their dream projects. This would be mine. I love that the story is about the friendship between two girls, and not just a love story. I like that it’s not really a happy ending. I just think animation would be the perfect way to tell that story onscreen. And I also think hand-drawn animation needs a story like that to tell. I just love them both so much and that’s what inspired me to do it. I know it’s a long shot, but it’s just coming from a sincere desire to see that story animated and the hope to be a part of it!

You can read the whole interview HERE.

At the time of the buzz about Ms. Gilbert's boarded sequence, Universal held the rights to using the Wicked property but I'm not sure who is holding it right now. Guess we'll just have to follow the Wicked Leaks Tumblr and watch for updates...

Fairy Tale Villains Do the "Spell Block Tango"

Todrick Hall's "Spell Block Tango"

Note: I meant to post this yesterday but time got away from me, (I always wish I could clone myself a few times during Halloween week!), so apologies for not alerting you before it went viral. 

This is another musical gem from Todrick Hall*, creator of Cinderonce, and is very fun. Not only is it extremely well done, it's great to hear the villainess' (ahem, including Scar) "arguing their POV", Chicago style. It's in perfect keeping with the current trend of retelling stories from the villains point of view (and it makes me want to see Chicago re-done with fairy tale characters).

The lyrics have been adjusted for each character and the Queen of Hearts' plea of "not guilty" is priceless.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, The Spell Block Tango.

Enjoy.

Kind of genius, really. I can't wait to see what Todrick Hall will do next!

* A former American Idol finalist turned actor and filmmaker, Hall has become known for his YouTube videos that combine show tunes or Top-40 hits with popular culture, such as his video "Cinderonce", which told the story of Cinderella using only Beyoncé songs.
* Source

Once Upon A Musical? (ABC Orders a New Fairy Tale Musical Comedy Pilot)

Enchanted's Prince Edward

Take some Once Upon A Time, add a (liberal) dash of Alan Menken, grab some Glee fans, a few extra princes and princesses, find an ABC prime time family slot and voila! You have the formula for ABCs next ordered pilot.

And it shall be called "Galavant".

Here's (a mash-up of) the announcement(s):

Galavant is a musical comedy from Dan Fogelman, who created ABC’s The Neighbors—perhaps the most unheralded turnaround story from last season—and also wrote Crazy Stupid Love. Music and lyrics will come from legendary composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater. It won’t be the first time the trio works together, as it previously collaborated on Disney's Tangled, as well as a musical episode of The Neighbors.It centers on the handsome Prince Galavant, who is looking to fight for his one true love. Unfortunately, a king stole her and Galavant is out for revenge. (Sources: Variety, AV Club &  Celebrity Cafe)

ABC (and Disney) are going all out in fairy tale rehash land right now. We have Once Upon A Time going to Neverland and new spin-off Once Upon A Time In Wonderland debuting, a live action reboot of Cinderella (spring-boarding off the animated classic by the way), Maleficent being the anti-hero du jour, soon to be followed by Cruella de Vil in the same vein (as confirmed yesterday) and if that goes well I going to predict Ursula as next antihero cap off the rank, considering their brand new villainess cosmetic line - in which Ursula apparently got a hold of some sort of Slim Fast potion... (topic for another day...!)

Bizarre? Yes. Surprising? No.

Since Glee's smashing success, which manages to tap into both popular prime time viewer popularity and geek-extreme fan-bases we've seen musical specials and episodes increase their frequency of appearance. When Nashville proved it could easily holding it's own musical niche on TV, (and Disney suddenly noticed enthusiasm for Enchanted hadn't waned at all but that people were eagerly awaiting news of just when the sequel would be greenlit) it wasn't too surprising that Disney started looking to add a family fairy tale musical project to their slate.

I just don't know if it's going to be truly awesome or truly terrible.

TV writing and production is crazy-fast and musical comedy is one of the hardest genres to successfully write (both in terms of lyrics and music, let alone for a weekly series) but I wish the team luck (a lot of it).

They certainly look like they're going to make a serious go of trying to make this good and if Menken is adding his name you know they're sure this is at least possible to do well (and not ruin his reputation of eight Oscars and counting).

So what do you think?

Could you handle another fairy tale series, a la musical comedy style?

Bret McKenzie Developing Labyrinth-esque Comedy-Musical Fairy Tale

Bret McKenzie (left) with Flight Of the Conchords partner Jemaine Clement (right)

I stumbled across this little nugget of news yesterday...

Recipe for a Comedy-Musical Fairy Tale 
by Bret McKenzie (aka half of Flight of the Conchords, aka Austenland & LOTR actor, aka Academy Award winning songwriter)

Take:
- one part Labyrinth
- one part Princess Bride
- one part Muppets
Fold into one film.
Add:
- singing dragons
- singing monsters
- live people
(Caution: do not let monsters & dragons eat people without prior clearance)
Mix with liberal doses of Flight of the Conchords style wit
Add lashings of James Bobin's** writerly-expertise
Blend well.
Set to simmer in pre-production for many months.
-- Proceed with secret baking process (signed NDA*** required to view) --
[Note: Make Jim Henson proud.]
Do NOT set aside to cool.
Share immediately with friends.
Consume with enthusiasm.

** James Bobin was co-writer and director on The Muppets.
*** NDA - non-discloure agreement
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Tori Amos' "The Light Princess" Starts Rehearsals (+ Film Making Comp To Win Tickets!)

Do you remember a little post from a few years ago, mentioning Tori Amos was composing lyrics and a score for George MacDonald's fairy tale The Light Princess*? Well the show is finally complete, started rehearsals a couple of days ago and is due to open in the National Theater, London, this September 25th (2013). And yes: You can now buy tickets!

All the official information and ticket links are HERE.

Press release:

Once, in opposing kingdoms lived a princess and a prince who had lost their mothers. Althea, unable to cry, became light with grief and floated, and so was locked away. Digby became so heavy-hearted that he could never smile, and so was trained as a warrior. 

One day, he declares war. Althea is forced out of hiding and down to ground but, in defiance of her father, she escapes, only to encounter the solemn prince on contested land. Beside a lake the warring heirs begin a passionate and illicit affair. But for Althea to find real love, she must first confront the world’s darkness and face her own deepest fears. 

The Light Princess brings together iconic singer-songwriter Tori Amos with playwright Samuel Adamson and directorMarianne Elliott (Curious Incident) in this spectacular coming-of-age story. A dark fairytale about grief, rebellion and the power of love. 

I’m done, Father,Keep your crown,I swear you’ll never bring me down!I am not queen material!

The cast went into rehearsals on Monday (August 5th, 2013) and are tweeting their experiences! Check the latest tweets HERE (no account required). Sounds like they're having a ball and like it will be a great show too.

We now also have some details about the show and how Ms. Amos adapted the fairy tale for a modern audience.
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"Fidgety Fairy Tales" - The Mental Health Musical

A new fairy tale musical is about to tour schools during October in Northland, Minnesota, specifically to raise awareness about the delicate subject of mental illness. (The poster from the September preview run at the Hilton is shown above.)

From Duluth News Tribune:

In this fairy tale, Little Hood has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and gets distracted easily on the way to Grandmother’s house. Sleeping Handsome is a young prince who suffers from depression and decides to prick his finger on a spindle so he can fall asleep for a long time.

Rapunzel isn’t locked in her tower; she is staying there because she has an anxiety disorder that makes her terrified to leave.

Reportedly, the number of children being diagnosed with some form of mental illness is increasing, even among preschoolers, and the musical aims to send the message that suffering from such an illness is indeed a very real issue for kids but can be treated and is nothing to be ashamed of. It even attempts to highlight some positive aspects of some of the conditions, eg:

The hyperactivity that goes along with Little Hood’s ADHD, for example, can make her a great multi-tasker if channeled correctly.

You can find out more about the musical HERE and HERE (from the Star Tribune) including about the students acting both in the production and as ambassadors for mental health (one actor learned how to deal with his anxiety and is seeking to share his 'success story' with other kids) and theories for the rising numbers of children being diagnosed. They have a blog with additional pictures and information HERE. The page from the Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health website (MACMH), profiling the musical, is HERE.

Public performances will be staged from October 22-24 in Cloquet, Minnesota.

"The Tale of the Beauty and the Tail of the Beast" - the Musical

Paul Boyd's musical interpretation of Beauty and the Beast is going to Belfast for a season (December 4th, 2009 to January 9th, 2010), this time with extensive rewrites and a new production which promises to be funnier than ever.

The revamped-rewritten musical "The Tale of the Beauty and the Tail of the Beast" will be staged by Belfast's Lyric Theater and sounds like a lot of fun.

Essentially, it's Madame LePrince de Beaumont's Beauty and the Beast as performed by an 18th century traveling theater troupe with all the players preoccupied with their own personal stories, resulting in a (smartly put-together) comedy of errors.

Paul Boyd is well known for his excellent musical adaptations of fairy tales in the UK. You can find out more about Paul HERE.From the Lyric Theater's UK website:

This fun-filled musical follows an 18th century acting troupe, Monsieur Affable’s Performing Players, one of whom has gone missing, another has delusions of grandeur and all are reading from a script that is entirely in the wrong order. This well known tale is given a hilarious and unusual twist. The multi-talented cast plays numerous roles delivering some of Paul Boyd’s funniest lines, cleverest lyrics and most captivating score.

Live music, played on stage by the actor-musicians wielding an impressive variety of instruments, is an integral part of the play and is a hailed aspect of the production. Here's a lovely preview (of the music) in the new 2009/2010 trailer:

You can find out more about the production HERE (and if you click on the link at the bottom of the page for more information you can see some photos from past productions too).

Tori Amos and The Light Princess

NOTE: My apologies to my email subscribers who got this post in their inbox without any content earlier today!

Singer-songwriter Tori Amos, who's music is famously "fairy tale influenced" is well into development on a new musical based on a short story fairy tale by George MacDonald: "The Light Princess".

If you're not aware of the story it's a short, funny tale (with lots of puns and tongue in cheek) about a gravity-deficient princess who has trouble falling into/in anything! (She was cursed at a christening by someone who was forgotten from the invitation list- of course).

With chapter titles such as:
"Won't I Just?", "She Can't Be Ours.", "She Laughs Too Much", "Try Metaphysics" and "Try a Drop of Water", you can see there's a lot of 'levity' to this tale.

You can read the story HERE, hear the story HERE and for those interested in studying the form and metaphor of the story further there's an essay by Elmer Schenke available to read online that discusses the story called "ANTIGRAVITY: MATTER AND THE IMAGINATION IN GEORGE MACDONALD AND EARLY SCIENCE FICTION" - you can read that HERE.

But back to the musical.

From the independent.co.uk:

It figures that Amos, 45, once dubbed "Queen of the Fairies", should be attracted by a story about a princess whose lack of gravity causes her to float above the world. But as the North Carolina-born singer and pianist points out, MacDonald's fantastical allegory has substance and a malleable, enduring resonance, the princess's "lightness" being a vehicle for Amos to explore modern-day illnesses such as anorexia, and other elements of MacDonald's work lending themselves to environmental themes.

This being Amos, we can expect the work (which she hopes to complete by 2010) to be packed with feminist ideas. "The thing about the original story I wasn't crazy about is that the princess's disability gets blamed on an old hag," she says. "We're not going to deal in spells cast by old ladies; we're dealing with problems caused by power and greed, many of which start with men."

This sounds like a weighty interpretation of a story in which humor is integral to both the telling and the tale so I'm curious as to how Tori balances those elements in her version. She's working with writer Samuel Adamson on the story and has already written a few of the songs for her feminist retelling of the story.

Again, from the independent.co.uk:

Amos says some of the music in the piece is Wagnerian in approach, while one song, "Delectable Guy Pain", was partly inspired by the Shirley Bassey hit "Big Spender". There's an aria for the princess that Amos likens to a darker take on "Memory" from Cats. "Whatever you think of Andrew Lloyd Webber, he knows what he's doing with a melodic arc," she adds.

(You can read the whole of the long article, which discuss Tori's current projects and releases HERE.)

Here's Tori on adapting to the different style of working, with the people from National Theater (from spinner.com):

"It seems to be a full-time commitment," she says of the musical. "I've never written for other people before. Writing for a company and researching their characters, understanding how they speak, working closely with the playwright ... I've never experienced anything quite like it before. The collaboration process that I have when I'm making records is that the material is written and then you're working on arrangements. With 'The Light Princess,' another scene might be written or added or changed, which then will mean that a completely different set of songs have to be written for that scene. I like to work, so I don't mind how much work it takes. I'm not saying I'll never write another one. I'm enjoying it. But if you're writing a musical, you better like your collaborators. I happen to get along with them very well."

You can learn more about Tori Amos, read lyrics from her songs and see lots of lovely things HERE at her website.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this musical turns out!