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Theater Under The Stars Delights with
Hans Christian Andersen Musical: My Fairytale

Review by Ann Blumenthal
Photos courtesy PCPA

Kevin Cahoon as Hans Christian Andersen and Erik Stein as Shadow

This summer, Solvang’s outdoor theater, PCPA Theaterfest, presented an engaging season of well loved productions (including Hairspray and Two Gentlemen of Verona) but they really outdid themselves with the American premier of My Fairytale, an imaginative musical from Denmark about Hans Christian Andersen.
  I was very excited in anticipation, and it did not disappoint. Danish impresario Flemming Enevold has created a fantastical carnival of Andersen’s best loved tales. Andersen (Kevin Cahoon) is torn between his desire to write whimsical fairytales and his ambition to write for the premier singer of his time, Jenny Lind (Lesley McKinnell in a magnificent performance). On the stage of the Royal Theater he is pulled into a universe where characters from his stories talk to him and need his help, and his Shadow (Erik Stein) plays Devil’s Advocate. It was fresh and funny as it moved through Andersen’s bewitching tales, with slight echoes of other fantastic productions such as Into The Woods, Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.
Watching it under the night sky after a picnic on the lawn added perfectly to the magic.

Kevin Cahoon as Hans Christian Andersen

  Alejo Vietti’s fantastically inventive and lavish costumes were as important a part of the story as any of the characters, and the scenery was elegant and polished.
  I particularly enjoyed the use of the ensemble first as supporting actors, then as living scenery, then as chorus. I thought the choreography was marvelous, and some of my favorite scenes were of the ensemble dancing and singing. Lesley McKinnell stole the show in a number of roles in addition to Jenny Lind, and her pure, clear voice soared in the night air. Andersen’s Shadow did a great job as counterpoint to all the sugar plums and the peasant Boy (Marisa Dinsmoor)  sang and acted like a seasoned professional.

 The delightful musical score, by Stephen Schwartz (composer/lyricist of Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked), was exuberant and beautifully performed. “On the Wings of a Swan” was lovely, but it is difficult for me to pick a favorite–there wasn’t one song I didn’t enjoy. It was a satisfying Broadway experience in Solvang.
 The timing couldn’t have been better for Solvang to host the American premier of this thoroughly enjoyable musical during its Centennial year. My Fairytale was originally performed in Denmark to celebrate Hans Christian Andersen’s bicentennial and the story loosely follows themes and events from Andersen’s own life.
  For over 45 years, PCPA has brought superb, quality theatrical productions to the Central Coast. My favorite is sitting under the stars, but it is the excellence of their programs that keep me coming back, year after year.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Dickens’ Christmas Carol, and PCPA is performing it at the Marian Theater in Santa Maria from November 10th through December 23rd.
  Next year’s lineup includes some marvelous offerings, including Little Women, All My Sons, Romeo and Juliet, and Legally Blonde, The Musical.
  I am especially excited about seeing Chekov’s Three Sisters. As a teenager I worked as an usher and saw The Three Sisters performed 17 times. I loved it. Except I never saw the first two minutes—I always had to wait outside to usher in latecomers. I am really looking forward to finally seeing what happens in those first two minutes.