The Light Princess (musical) facts for kids

The Light Princess is a musical created by Tori Amos and Samuel Adamson. It's based on an old Scottish fairy tale by George MacDonald. The story is about a princess who floats all the time. She can't keep her feet on the ground, both literally and emotionally. But then she finds love, which helps her feel grounded and connected to the world.

This musical first opened in London in 2013 at the Royal National Theatre. Actress Rosalie Craig played the main character, the Light Princess. The show was very popular and ran for a long time. A recording of the cast singing the songs was released in 2015.

Creating The Light Princess Musical

In 2013, the National Theatre in London decided to turn the fairy tale into a musical. Samuel Adamson adapted the story for the stage. Marianne Elliott, a director who won a big award called the Tony Award in 2011, directed the show. The music and lyrics were written by the famous singer-songwriter Tori Amos.

The musical was first planned to open in April 2012. However, the National Theatre announced that it would be delayed. It finally opened in September 2013.

Opening Night and Reviews

When The Light Princess opened, it received many good reviews. Rosalie Craig, who played the princess, was especially praised for her amazing performance. She was nominated for several awards and won the Evening Standard's award for best actress in a musical.

People also loved the dancing, lighting, stage design, and the music by Tori Amos. Other actors in the show were also highly praised. In 2014, Tori Amos mentioned that the team hoped to bring The Light Princess to Broadway in America. However, she wondered if the original London show might be too unique for American audiences.

Tori Amos on Creating the Musical

American singer/songwriter and classically trained pianist Tori Amos wrote music and lyrics for the musical stage production.

Tori Amos talked about making the musical. She said that the National Theatre encouraged them to be bold and not make the show too simple. She explained that she and Samuel Adamson wanted it to be a "feminist fairy tale." This means it explores ideas about strong female characters.

Amos knew the story might not always feel "warm and fuzzy." It touches on challenges between teenagers and their parents, which is still true today. She also wanted kids to be able to see the show because it's about a teenage girl. Even if some parts were a bit dark, kids were often completely fascinated by the story.

Concert Performance in 2018

On July 1, 2018, a special concert version of the musical was performed in London. Rosalie Craig returned to play Althea, the princess. Her husband, Hadley Fraser, played Prince Digby. Other talented actors like Trevor Dion Nicholas and Gabrielle Brooks also starred. Both Tori Amos and Samuel Adamson were there and received a huge cheer from the audience.

Story of The Light Princess

The musical tells the story of two kingdoms and their royal families.

Lagobel and Sealand Kingdoms

In the middle of a desert is the kingdom of Lagobel. It is rich because of the gold found in its sands. The kind king and queen have two children: an older son named Alexander and a daughter named Althea. When the queen dies, everyone in Lagobel is very sad. But Princess Althea doesn't cry. Instead, she floats into the air, unable to feel sadness or responsibility. Her father becomes cold and locks her in a tower with an orphan girl named Piper.

East of Lagobel, across a big forest, is Sealand. This kingdom has lots of natural resources, especially rivers. The queen of Sealand dies mysteriously after questioning the greedy king. No one in Sealand dares to cry, fearing the king's anger. But Prince Digby, the queen's son, doesn't smile after his mother's death. He becomes known as the "Solemn Prince of Sealand." He grows up to be a brave warrior.

War and a Secret Lake

On Prince Digby's birthday, Prince Alexander of Lagobel is killed by someone from Sealand. Sealand then declares war on Lagobel, wanting their gold. When the king of Lagobel realizes Althea will soon be queen, he tells her she must lead their army against Sealand. But Althea just laughs and runs away into the wilderness.

She finds a secret lake, which is the only source of water for Lagobel. There, she hears that the Lagobel army has been defeated by Sealand.

Althea and Digby Meet

At the lake, Althea meets Prince Digby. He teases her about floating. Digby also realizes how important the lake is for Lagobel. Talking with Althea makes Digby smile for the first time since he was a child. They fall in love and dance happily in the forest.

Back in Lagobel, people start to distrust the princess because of her actions in the forest. The king tries harder to make Althea normal again. He believes that if she cries, she will become heavy. He tries to arrange a marriage for her, hoping that if her marriage or child is ruined, she will cry.

A New Life and Peace

Althea escapes to the lake again. There, she and Digby declare themselves queen and king of the lake. They decide to start a family together. Digby asks Althea to return to the normal world with him and build a house. But Althea loves her watery home and asks Digby to stay. Digby heads towards Sealand and meets his brother. Digby tells his brother that he has "killed" the princess, meaning he has helped her find a new way of life. They return to Sealand.

The king of Sealand learns about the life-giving lake and plans to build a dam to stop the water flow to Lagobel. Digby returns to the lake to destroy the dam and is almost killed. Althea sees this and cries because she fears for his life. Her tears make her heavy again, and she can finally feel gravity.

Althea and Digby get married and bring peace between their kingdoms. Althea goes to university and becomes a marine biologist, studying ocean life. She also makes Piper her Prime Minister.

Musical Songs

The music for The Light Princess was composed by Tori Amos.

The Original Cast Recording has 30 songs sung by the cast. It also includes three extra songs, two of which are sung by Tori Amos herself.

List of Songs

• "Prologue: Once Upon A Time" – Company
• "My Own Land" – Company
• "My Fairy Story" – Althea & Piper
• "Queen Material" – Company
• "Sealand Supremacy" – Company
• "Zephyrus Call & Levity" – Althea & Digby
• "Althea" – Althea & Digby
• "Scandal" – Company
• "The Gauntlet" – Company
• "Better Than Good" – Company
• "The Solution" – Company
• "Highness in the Sky" – Digby
• "Proverbs & Let the Bells Ring & God, the Horror" – Althea & Piper
• "No H20" – Company
• "Zephyrus Call Reprise" – Digby
• "Darkest Hour" – Althea
• "After Darkest Hour" – Althea & Digby
• "Amphibiava" – Althea & Digby
• "Tinkle, Drizzle, Bubble, and Gush" – Company
• "Nothing More Than This, Part One" – Company
• "Part Two: Queen of the Lake" – Company
• "Drought" – Company
• "The Whistleblower" – Company
• "My Little Girl's Smile" – Company
• "Bitter Fate" – Company
• "The Wedding" – Company
• "Crash in the Universe" – Company
• "Tears" – Althea
• "Gravity & Epilogue: Once Upon a Time" – Company
• "Coronation" – Company

Cast Recording Album

An album of the 2013 London show was released in October 2015. It was produced by Tori Amos. The songs were recorded in 2014 while Tori Amos was on her "Unrepentant Geraldines Tour." Her team recorded the orchestra in April and then met with the different cast members when they were available.

The album includes all 33 songs from the show. It also has special bonus songs sung by Tori Amos. She was very happy to be able to release a cast recording for The Light Princess. Many musicals don't get an album because it can be very expensive and complicated to make.

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