The Light Princess (musical)

The Light Princess
The National Theatre's poster for The Light Princess musical featuring Rosalie Craig as the weightless princess "Althea".
Music	Tori Amos
Lyrics	Tori Amos Samuel Adamson
Book	Samuel Adamson
Basis	"The Light Princess" fairy tale by George MacDonald
Productions	2013 West End

The Light Princess is a musical by Tori Amos and Samuel Adamson. Based on the Scottish fairy tale by George MacDonald, it tells the story of a princess afflicted by a constant weightlessness, unable to get her feet on the ground, both literally and metaphorically, until she finds a love that brings her down to earth. The musical was premiered for the Royal National Theatre in London in 2013. The stage production featured actress Rosalie Craig as the titular character. The musical was generally well-received, enjoyed an extended run in the theatre, and released its cast recording in 2015.

In 2013, the National Theatre produced a musical staging of the story. It is adapted by Samuel Adamson; directed by Marianne Elliott, winner of the Tony Award for Best Directing in 2011, and has music and lyrics by Tori Amos. It was expected to premiere in London in April 2012, but The National Theatre announced in October 2011 that the production would be delayed until later in the year.

The musical opened to positive reviews in September 2013, starring Rosalie Craig in the titular role, subsequently singled out as a stand-out performance. Craig was nominated for many awards, and ultimately won the Evening Standard's award for best actress in a musical. The choreography, lighting, set design, music (Amos) and other cast performances were also lauded and nominated for a range of awards. In 2014, Amos stated that the production team had ambitions of bringing The Light Princess to American Broadway, but expressed worry that the original National Theatre production might not be commercial enough for the American audience.

On creating the musical, Amos stated:

"It wasn’t commercial theater, so from the top down they (the National Theatre) said to us, do not dumb this down. You be brave, you be bold, you be confrontational. Sam and I said, well, this is a feminist fairy tale, and not everyone will be comfortable with it. It’s not always going to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy. It brings up confrontations between teenagers and their parents, that would resonate in the 21st century [...] The Light Princess has to be something that kids can come see, because it is a story of a teenage girl. It might be a little dark for some. But we found that there were kids that were completely entranced. And even though sometimes it got scary, they stayed with the story."