Lilly und die Erbse

By Carolin Jelden, loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen
Ages 4 and up
Approx. 65 min.
No intermission
 

LILLY IS A PRINCESS—BUT QUITE DIFFERENT from what you’d expect. Instead of striding through ballrooms in silk and a crown, she secretly trains for a sword-fighting championship and roams the woods with her nanny, Albertine. When bandits ambush them, they lose their luggage and end up at a castle. There lives Prince Lucas, who’s had enough of yawning Sleeping Beauties and shoe-losing Cinderellas. He wants a princess who shares his passion for swordfighting—one like Lilly. But there are a few hurdles to overcome before the happy ending: a wizard must regain his powers, an enchanted servant must be freed, and both the king and his secretary must be convinced. And then there’s that pea that’s keeping Lilly from sleeping so well. “Lilly and the Pea” is a funny, high-energy reimagining of Andersen’s classic fairy tale and shows that there’s no such thing as a “typical princess.”