Dench and Pike provide voices for `Little Mermaid` productions

Dame Judi Dench and Sir Michael Gambon are providing the voices for The Little Mermaid at the Little Angel, the Islington theatre which presents puppet shows for a family audience - reports London Theatre.

The two actors have recorded the soundtrack of The Little Mermaid, along with ex-Bond girl Rosamund Pike, Claudie Blakely, Michelle Duncan, Rory Kinnear, Claire Rushbrook and Peter Wight. The production is choreographed to a dramatic score edited from Sinfonietta by Leos Janacek.

The Little Mermaid is based on Hans Andersen’s fairy tale about a mermaid who falls in love with a prince and sells her voice to the Sea Witch in return for legs. It does not follow the ‘happy ever after’ version of the story, but is true to Andersen’s ending: as the prince marries another woman, the mermaid is turned into a wave.

The show uses traditional long-string marionettes, each with 20 carved wooden parts connected by leather joints. The puppets were designed and carved by John Wright, the founder of the Little Angel. His favourite production was The Little Mermaid and this revival marks the centenary of his birth. Wright, along with a troupe of puppeteers, found a derelict hall in Islington in 1961 which they transformed into a theatre designed for children and marionette shows.

Members of his family are still involved with the theatre. Lyndie and Sarah Wright, John’s widow and daughter, are two of the puppeteers for the production and Joe Wright, his son, arranged the re-recording of the soundtrack. Christopher Leith, Artistic Director of the company throughout the 1990s, returns to direct.

The show is suitable for children aged 5 and over and runs until 11 November. There is a special adaptation designed for children aged 2–5: Splish Splash runs from 7 October–12 November.

Discuss this news here...