The Light Princess

The Light Princess is a Scottish fairy tale by George MacDonald. It was published in 1864. Drawing on inspiration from Sleeping Beauty, it tells the story of a princess afflicted by a constant weightlessness, unable to get her feet on the ground, both literally and metaphorically, until she finds a love that brings her down to earth. An animated version was released in 1978. In 2013, a musical version by Tori Amos and Samuel Adamson inspired by the original story was premiered for the Royal National Theatre in London. The stage production featured actress Rosalie Craig as the titular character. The musical was generally well-received, enjoyed an extended run in the theatre, and had its cast recording released in 2015.

Original plot summary

A king and queen, after some time, have a daughter. The king invites everyone to the christening, except his sister Princess Makemnoit, a spiteful and sour woman. She arrives without an invitation and curses the princess to have no gravity. Whenever the princess accidentally moves up in the air, she has to be brought down, and the wind is capable of carrying her off. As she grows, she never cries, and never can be brought to see the serious side of anything. The court philosophers, when consulted, are unable to propose any cure that the king and queen will suffer to be used.

The Light Princess (Original Cast Recording)

The Light Princess (Original Cast Recording) is the commercial music release from the stage adaptation of the Scottish fairy tale by George MacDonald.

The Light Princess was the first stage musical to feature original compositions by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. The play debuted at London's Royal National Theatre on 9th October 2013 with music and lyrics by Amos and book and lyrics by Australian playwright and screenwriter Samuel Adamson.

The story centres around teenage princess Althea of Lagobel who lost gravity when refusing to mourn over her mother’s death and is therefore bound to float above ground. When war breaks out Althea, pushed by her father to come to ground and take responsibility, flees only to fall in love with the rivalling kingdoms prince.

The musical opened to positive reviews in September 2013, starring Rosalie Craig in the titular role, subsequently singled out as a stand-out performance. Craig was nominated for many awards, and ultimately won the Evening Standard's award for best actress in a musical. The choreography, lighting, set design, music (Amos) and other cast performances were also lauded and nominated for a range of awards. In 2014, Amos stated that the production team had ambitions of bringing The Light Princess to American Broadway, but expressed worry that the original National Theatre production might not be commercial enough for the American audience.

The Light Princess (musical)

The Light Princess is a musical by Tori Amos and Samuel Adamson. Based on the Scottish fairy tale by George MacDonald, it tells the story of a princess afflicted by a constant weightlessness, unable to get her feet on the ground, both literally and metaphorically, until she finds a love that brings her down to earth. The musical was premiered for the Royal National Theatre in London in 2013. The stage production featured actress Rosalie Craig as the titular character. The musical was generally well-received, enjoyed an extended run in the theatre and will see its cast recording released in 2015.

Background and Creation

In 2013, the National Theatre produced a musical staging of the story. It is adapted by Samuel Adamson; directed by Marianne Elliott, winner of the Tony Award for Best Directing in 2011, and has music and lyrics by Tori Amos. It was expected to premiere in London in April 2012, but The National Theatre announced in October 2011 that the production would be delayed until later in the year.

Do You See the Light (Looking For)

"Do You See the Light (Looking For)" is a song recorded by the German band Snap!.

History

The original version of the song "See the Light" features vocals by Thea Austin, a rap by Turbo B, and can be found on the 1992 Snap! album The Madman's Return. Female vocals of this version of the song are often mistakenly reported to be by Penny Ford, a previous vocalist for Snap! Remixes of "See the Light" were included on Snap!'s 1992 release "Rhythm Is a Dancer", which also feature vocals by Thea Austin.

"Do You See the Light (Looking For)" is essentially a remix of "See the Light" with new lyrics written for the new front-woman Niki Haris, released in June 1993.

"Do You See the Light (Snap! vs Plaything)", another remix, was released in August 2002.

Track listings

1993 version