The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE — On Sunday, March 3, at 3 p.m., the Barter Theatre Players will perform an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s childhood classic “The Princess and the Pea” on the stage of the Historic Masonic Theatre.
The play has been adapted by Catherine Bush from the story and is especially suited for school-aged children.
The story involves bandits that have come to rob the kingdom. The only hope lies with Prince Harold, who must wed before he can be crowned king.
But Harold is more interested in wrestling than girls — even when a beautiful maiden claiming to be Princess Marigold appears at the castle.
Determined to stay single, Harold devises a way to test Marigold’s qualifications using a garden pea and a stack of mattresses. Can Marigold pass the test? Will the kingdom be saved? A fun twist on a classic fairy tale.
Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark on April 2, 1805. His mother was a washerwoman and his father was a shoemaker. The family was very poor but Andersen’s father took him often to the local playhouse and nurtured his creative side by making him his own toys.
After the death of his father in 1816, Andersen moved to Copenhagen where he pursued an acting career at the Royal Theatre. He soon abandoned acting and turned to writing instead, churning out poems, plays and stories.
Catherine Bush has been Barter Theatre’s playwright-in-residence since 2007 and has produced a variety of plays for the theatre and the tour group, the Barter Players.
The Barter Players is a talented ensemble of actors, producing plays for young audiences throughout the year. “The Princess and the Pea” will feature the Barter Players playing a variety of characters in different roles and costumes.
Tickets are $15 for main orchestra, $12 for rear orchestra and front balcony: and $10 for rear balcony. Box seats are $30.
The Princess and the Pea is sponsored, in part, by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on the events at the Historic Masonic Theatre and to purchase tickets, please visit www.historicmasonictheatre.com or call the theatre box office at 862-5655.
