Review: Hale Centre Theatre's World Premiere of HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN IN NEW YORK is Disarmingly Charming

The world premiere of Hans Christian Andersen IN NEW YORK on Hale Centre Theatre's Jewel Box Stage is a disarmingly charming throwback to the Golden Age musical.

Hans Christian Andersen IN NEW YORK (music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Paul Blake) is a brand new musical commissioned by the estate of Frank Loesser (GUYS AND DOLLS, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT EVEN TRYING) featuring the Oscar-nominated score of the 1952 film Hans Christian Andersen and other trunk songs.

Hans Christian Anderson, a great-nephew and namesake of the famous fairy tale author, lives in 1962 New York City. The former Broadway performer has inherited a failing bookstore and runs a children's dance studio in the back to keep the lights on. When he falls behind on lease payments, he decides to put on a neighborhood show to make up the difference, and everything changes when he meets a special family.

As Hans Christian Andersen, the phenomenal Ryan Shepherd (double cast with Alex King) carries the show just like an adored song-and-dance man of yesteryear.

Teaira Burge is a wonderfully likeable Nancy Offenbach (double cast with Amy Shreeve Keeler), with her children played by the sweet Olivia Dietlein as Natalie (double cast with Jane Wilkins) and the supremely adorable Mason Burnham as Ian (double cast with Link Evans).

Other memorable characters include Mark Pulham as Old Hans (double cast with Keith Evans), Erin Royall Carlson as Bunny Bailey (double cast with Korianne Johnson), Mark Knowles as Harry Porter (double cast with Ben Anderson), Selena Quayle Proctor as Bobbie Tone (double cast with Ashley Carlson), and Mckelle Shaw as Ruthie (double cast with Koryn Sobel), along with a team of talented young girl performers.

The colorful scenic design by Jenn Taylor, which includes the bookstore and dance studio back-to-back on a turntable, is both functional and eye-catching, providing just the right amount of pleasing spectacle without overwhelming the intimate show. The bright costume design by La Beene and lighting design by Casey Price are also fitting and well-coordinated.

Director Dave Tinney brought all the elements together in a pleasing fashion, including the fun choreography by Lindsey D. Smith, to create an effective debut production.

Fundamentally, Hans Christian Andersen IN NEW YORK is another iteration of the Golden Age "let's put on a show" trope. The similarities to WHITE CHRISTMAS and HOLIDAY INN in plot and style, even down to the holiday theme, are glaring (it's not surprising to note that Blake co-wrote and co-produced WHITE CHRISTMAS on Broadway). The musical walks the fine line between paying homage and being derivative, ultimately satisfying due to the well-drawn characters and entertaining musical numbers.

However, it is abundantly clear that the storyline services the songs rather than the other way around. The book doesn't provide a convincing argument as to why this story is connected to Hans Christian Andersen except for the obvious desire to utilize the popular songs from the film. Those songs are sung randomly throughout the piece with no or minimal stated connection to Hans' famous relative.

Hans mentions a couple of times that he is a failed writer, but that thread is neglected. In addition, his famous great-uncle appears to him several times to provide encouragement but doesn't actually play an important function in any of the proceedings.

Believe it or not, there's a simple change that has the potential to solve all the problems listed above while also strengthening the leading man's character arc considerably. Old Hans could mentor his descendant in writing a show about his life and stories, solidifying the relatives' connection to one another and giving the songs from the Hans Christian Andersen film a purpose. Hans could play his great-uncle in the musical with the children performing the other numbers with him in rehearsal and performance, just as they do now, but the numbers would make more sense tied to a narrative actually connected to the fairy tale author.

The other revue-style numbers would have to be jettisoned (such as "Tallahassee") or could still work in a new context either in the show-within-the-show or elsewhere (such as "The Music of Home"), but this would tighten the score considerably. The Christmas theme of the performance would also have to go away, but this would reduce comparisons to other existing musicals and allow it to be an evergreen piece, less awkward to be staged outside the holiday season.

There can still be scenes that take place at Christmas time with references to mistletoe and more, but they don't necessarily need to be at the climax. By all means utilize the popular song "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve," but use it to push forward the romance through story and not as a closing number that doesn't encapsulate the full show that came before it.

This musical was designed as a vehicle for Frank Loesser's catalog with the focus understandably on how it could be devised to fit the most songs. But moving forward it's time to re-evaluate what can be done to make the disparate parts most in harmony with one another. Having the characters write and produce a Hans Christian Anderson-themed musical has the best chance of doing just that, giving potential for wider future success.

In the meantime, the Hale Centre Theatre production is a necessary step in the broader development process, providing local audiences an exciting first glimpse of the show, which even in its current iteration has much to recommend it. We can say we saw it here first!

Hans Christian Andersen IN NEW YORK plays through July 15, 2023. For tickets, call the box office at 801-984-9000 or visit www.hct.org.

Photo Credit: Hale Centre Theatre

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