At this year’s Luminato Festival, HANS: My Life in Fairy Tales offered a thoughtful and imaginative take on Hans Christian Andersen’s life. Presented by Kidoons and WYRD in association with The 20K Collective, this world premiere work at the Young People’s Theatre marked the 150th anniversary of Andersen’s passing by blending episodes from his life with the stories they inspired.
Written and directed by Craig Francis and Rick Miller — the creative team behind Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jungle Book, and FRANKENSTEIN: A Living Comic Book—Hans moves fluidly between biography and fable. In a tangible nod to the multiplicity of identity and the way we change as we grow, there are three Andersens on stage. Annie Luján brings curiosity and vulnerability to young Hans, Adam Paolozza infuses adult Hans with energy and wry humour, and Astrid Atherly offers a calm, reflective presence as older Hans. The three actors also take on a range of additional characters from Andersen’s world and stories, shifting seamlessly through simple costume changes, accessories, and props, designed by Melanie McNeill.
The production’s multidisciplinary approach is one of its greatest strengths. It leverages puppetry, live video, clowning, slapstick, opera, and an original accordion score composed by Alexina Louie as integrated and ingenious storytelling tools. Each element contributes to the show’s rhythm and tone, and the visual surprises and inventive effects bring both surprise and joy.
While Andersen’s best-known tales—The Nightingale, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Match Girl, and The Little Mermaid — are featured, the show does more than simply retell them. Instead, it presents them as emotional echoes of Andersen’s life, drawing connections between his lived experiences and the enduring stories he created. The shifts between biography and story are rapid and regular – and the creators have well-warranted confidence in their audience’s ability to keep up, judging by the rapt attention paid by even the youngest audience members to the hour-long performance. It would have been interesting to hear their opinions and impressions on these re-told oral and pictorial tales, since many have likely encountered only Disney-fied versions previously.
HANS: My Life in Fairy Tales is a carefully crafted and visually inventive production recommended for ages four and up that honours both the storyteller and his stories. With strong, flexible performances and a cohesive artistic vision that surprises and delights, it offers children and adults alike a fresh way to view Hans Christian Andersen: not just as the author of fairy tales, but as someone whose own life was shaped by the challenges he experienced – and the themes he explored – which still resonate today.
Information, including performance dates, and supplementary educational materials are available on hanstheshow.com.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2025
