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SUCCINCTLY: "Hans Christian Andersen" is one grim fairy tale.
To be fair, there is plenty to like about this visually stunning and lavishly staged musical that had its world premiere Wednesday at ACT's Geary Theater. But, like your mom used to tell you, beauty is only skin deep.
And, keeping with this mom thing a while longer, it really seemed like what the show needed before it opened was a firm, but kind, mom to show up, cross her arms, tap her foot and say, "OK, kids, stop playing with your mind and money, and figure out what it is you really want to do."
It is a case of unbridled genius finger-painting with unbounded excess -- to the point where as soon as you get down to looking at what's really happening on stage, the piece quickly takes on the feel of a toy-box explosion.
All right, it's not too hard to figure out that Andersen's evocative fairy tales are the product of his own physical shortcomings, the ill treatment he received as a youth and the horrible poverty in which he grew up. The stories, which resonate with as much living wisdom for adults as they do for children, are a personal sort of exorcism for the author.
Had he been born a century and a quarter later, Andersen would have probably evolved into one of those motivational gurus who always seem to pop up during PBS pledge months. But that really isn't the point - a psychodrama about the motives and motivations of Andersen would have made a wonderful play, and, indeed, there are scenes in this one that magically illuminate his dark side.
And there are happy, cheery, giggling-joyously scenes that re-create the fairy tales, turning the show into something for the entire family on a sunny Sunday afternoon. That's good, too.
But then the Little Match Girl freezes to death after she runs out of matches, and the kiddies are no longer so excited about being in the theater.
You could simply smile and say, "well, life's like that," which it may well be. And, while that may make an interesting real life, it tends to make theater confusing and a little bit pointless.
Which, in the case of "Hans Christian Andersen," is truly a shame, because beneath all the confusion there is something really wonderful going on. Ragged as this garden grows, there are many things here worth cultivating.
And, beyond that, there is enormous talent present in all aspects of the production -- in terms of raw creativity, this is one of the most exciting shows to come along all year.
John Glover, in the title role, is enchanting as he drifts through, and sometimes participates in, a surreal sort of biography that moves from the author's unsuccessful relationship with singer Jenny Lind to "The Emperor's New Clothes."
Director/choreographer Martha Clarke has created a stunningly beautiful staging for the musical, with flying scenes of underwater ballet to skimming the rooftops of Andersen's home town.
The fanciful sets by Robert Israel create a delightful mood for the piece.
And the tunes of Frank Loesser, originally created for the 1952 Danny Kaye movie, "Hans Christian Andersen," are wonderful to hear again, even if their conventional structure plays a jarring counterpoint to this unconventional presentation.
Now, if it would just all somehow come together ...
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