Cliff Richard got the Christmas number one single in 1988 with Mistletoe and Wine, but did you know that the song actually came from a musical? Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic short story, THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL is revived at the Tabard Theatre this Christmas to spread its festive cheer once again, with a whole new set of #StageFaves in the cast.
With book and lyrics by Jeremy Paul and Leslie Stewart and music by Keith Strachan, this musical version was first seen at London’s Orange Tree Theatre forty years ago and was subsequently adapted for television by HTV in 1986, starring Roger Daltrey and Twiggy. The musical includes the songs Are you An Angel, Queen of the Street and, most famously, Mistletoe and Wine which won the musical an Ivor Novello Award.
This new production is directed by Strachan and stars Emily Cochrane, recently graduated from Glasgow’s GAMTA, who leads the cast as the Little Match Girl. She’s joined by joined by Jack Ayres, Aimee Barrett, Charlotte Christensen, Julia Faulkner, Rob Hadden, Kathryn Hamilton-Hall, Matt Philip Harris, Ian McCurrach, Emily Whiting and Anthony Williamson.
Cold Victorian London and our Little Match Girl is out on the streets selling matches. She is not allowed home with her father until she has sold them. She meets Arthur, a cocky friendly lad who helps her sell her matches and who she begins to rely on as her friend. Through him, she dreams of a better life. Will he prove to be her saviour? As she strikes matches to keep warm, she is magically transported to a make-believe world where her wishes come to life. Could this lead to a future with Arthur that our heroine dreams of?
THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL runs at London’s Tabard Theatre from 7 to 31 December 2017.
