‘The Light Princess,’ a Musical at the New Victory Theater
Laurel GraeberMarch 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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