Charlotte Church to star in The Little Mermaid musical
'The Last Mermaid' will reset Han Christian Andersen's classic tale in the modern world
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Say goodbye to your musical crabs and thingamabobs. Charlotte Church is set to star in a whole new, entirely different take on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid.
The Last Mermaid has been commissioned by Festival of Voice, a new international arts festival in Cardiff; set to throw aside any associations with the Disney 1989 animated version with a thoroughly modern take, addressing environmental threats to the oceans and the vital need for connection even as society loses the last grip on its sense of community.
"There is so much noise, there is so much information," Church told the Guardian. "With the internet and the way our modern world is now… does that give us more of a voice? With this production, we wanted to tackle challenging issues affecting our world in a way that is optimistic and hopeful."
"It is not musical theatre, it’s not really an opera, it has lots of contemporary classical elements and electronica," she said of the production, co-created alongside Jonathan Powell and Siôn Trefor. "I have never seen anything like we’re trying to do, so if we achieve it, it will be great."
That said, Church admitted the story formed a major part of her life thanks to Disney, with the first song she ever performed in public being 'Part of Your World'.
The festival programme will also see Bryn Terfel collaborate with Van Morrison, French star Juliette Gréco in a rare UK appearance; as well as appearances by John Cale, Laura Mvula, and Anna Calvi.
Festival of Voice runs from 3-12 June, with the backing of the Arts Council Wales and the Colwinston Charitable Trust.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments