Hans Christian Andersen News

TriArts Sharon Playhouse, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Simpkins and Managing Director Justin Ball, celebrates its 25thAnniversary Season with the award-winning musicals Les Miserables and Falsettos, along with Disney's The Little Mermaid, on the Mainstage. Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie and the new musical Nine Wives (by Douglas J. Cohen and Dan Elish) will play Stage 2 in the Bok Gallery. The Youth Theatre will present the Tony-winning Spring Awakening.

Two classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales come to life in spectacular fashion through the art of puppetry in the world premiere of The Grocer's Goblin & The Little Mermaid, today, January 31 - February 16 at The Rose Theater.

On February 18, Sony Classical (USA) will release Arabesque, soprano Olga Peretyatko's second album on the label. Her new CD coincides with a 2013-14 season that not only showcases the young star in important European debuts—including Berlin and Milan—it also offers an opportunity to hear her eagerly anticipated Metropolitan Opera debut when she returns to New York in the spring. Olga Peretyatko's MET debut in I Puritani this coming April follows her acclaimed 2011 BAM appearances in Robert Lepage's production of The Nightingale, which the Financial Times cited as soaring “with effortless charm as the coloratura Nightingale.” Bloomberg News noted that she was “greeted with a thunderous ovation,” and The New York Times called her “sweet-voiced and technically agile.” Ms Peretyatko possesses a dazzling technique, a touching sensibility, a vocal richness, and a strong personality that the new recording highlights brilliantly.

Two classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales come to life in spectacular fashion through the art of puppetry in the world premiere of The Grocer's Goblin & The Little Mermaid, January 31 - February 16 at The Rose Theater.

Renée Fleming returns to one of her signature roles, the title character in Dvorák's Rusalka, for six performances beginning January 23. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts his first Met performances of the opera about a water spirit in love with a human prince, adapted from the same sources as Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale 'The Little Mermaid.' Check out highlights below!

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Antonin Dvorak's Rusalka, the famed Czech composer's darkly sensual fairy tale, which makes its eagerly anticipated company premiere in a new production opening on Saturday, February 22, with six performances through Sunday, March 16. Performance dates are February 22, 26, March 4, 7, and 10, all at 7:30pm, with a matinee on March 16 at 2pm.

Renée Fleming will return to one of her signature roles, the title character in Dvorák's Rusalka, for six performances beginning tonight, January 23.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, under the artistic leadership of Glenn Edgerton, will present its first-ever mixed repertory program devoted to the work of a single choreographer during the Spring Series, March 13-16, 2014. This engagement's four works by Sarabande (1990), for an all-male ensemble and set to Bach's second partita for solo violin with electronically manipulated live vocals; and Falling Angels (1989), for a cast of eight women and set to part one of Steve Reich's phased-percussion composition, Drumming, to be performed live by Third Coast Percussion, Ensemble- in-Residence at the University of Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.

Today, Walt Disney Studios has unveiled the first images from the Frozen-inspired suite at Quebec City's famed Hôtel de Glace, in celebration of Disney's 'FROZEN' Blu-ray & Digital HD release. Created entirely out of sculpted ice and snow and supervised by the film's art director Michael Giaimo, the 'Frozen Suite' is modeled after Anna & Elsa's bedrooms. The collaboration will also include a 'Frozen Activity Cave' bringing the wonder of Disney's wintry tale to life like never before. The suite will be unveiled this weekend and remain open through March 23.

Columbia University School of the Arts is proud to announce the 2014 Columbia Stages season of director and playwright Thesis Productions at Cloud City, The Connelly Theater, and The Pershing Square Signature Center. Columbia Stages has expanded its season to a variety of venues throughout the city in order to provide third-year students with high-quality presentation spaces that meet the needs of their individual visions.

Lincoln Center Theater has announced that Bill Army, Will Brill, Laurel Casillo, Chuck Cooper, Steven Kaplan, Will LeBow, Mimi Lieber, Charlotte Maier, Andrea Martin, Deborah Offner, Matthew Saldivar, Matthew Schechter, Bob Stillman and Amy Warren will join Santino Fontana and Tony Shalhoub in the cast of its upcoming production of ACT ONE, a play written and directed by James Lapine from the autobiography by Moss Hart. The production is scheduled to begin previews Thursday, March 20 and open on Thursday, April 17 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater (150 West 65 Street).

Hyde Park School of Dance (HPSD) is reviving its original production of Hans Christian Andersen's The Nightingale, featuring more than 80 student dancers. Performances are March 15 and 16 at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., Chicago.

In yet another stunning coup, Disney's newest animated movie musical FROZEN started last week as the #1 movie in the country, became the #1 soundtrack during the week and has now capped it this weekend with standout single 'Let It Go' cracking the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40.

The multi-award winning NINE O'CLOCK PLAYERS have announced the second show of their 2013-2014 season and 85th year of bringing extraordinary family theatre to Southern California with a world premiere musical adaptation of THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES, book, music and lyrics by Carol Weiss, musical direction by Gerald Sternbach and directed by Todd Nielsen. THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES will preview on Sunday, February 23 and will open on Sunday, March 2 at 2pm and run through Sunday, March 23 at the Assistance League Theatre, 1367 N. St. Andrews Place in Hollywood.

Theater artists from across the region will convene for a play development conference at The Rose Theater on Saturday, February 8, from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. The conference is being presented in collaboration with Theatre for Young Audiences USA (TYA/USA).

Today in 2008, The Little Mermaid opened at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre, where it ran for 685 performances. The Little Mermaid is based on the animated 1989 Disney film of the same name and the classic story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. The musical's book is by Doug Wright, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman (written for the film) and new lyrics by Glenn Slater. The musical had a pre-Broadway tryout in Denver, Colorado in July through early September 2007. The original cast featured Sierra Boggess in the title role of Ariel, Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, Brian D'Addario and Trevor Braun alternate as Flounder, Norm Lewis as King Triton, Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula, Tituss Burgess as Sebastian, Tyler Maynard as Flotsam, Derrick Baskin as Jetsam, Jonathan Freeman as Grimsby, and John Treacy Egan as Chef Louis.

Columbus Children's Theatre presents The Princess and the Pea, based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen, adapted by William Goldsmith, tonight, January 9, 2014 - Sunday January 26, 2014. The production is directed by William Goldsmith.

Billboard reports that Disney's FROZEN soundtrack could slide past Beyonce's self-titled album to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart by Sunday.

Renée Fleming will return to one of her signature roles, the title character in Dvorák's Rusalka, for six performances beginning January 23.