‘A Magical new musical show for all the family’

It was such a delight to bring LITTLE FIR TREE to Kings Place, London in December 2018 as part of their Christmas Celebrations.

The show is a new vibrant family musical based around the Hans Christian Andersen story, re-imagined and composed by Megg Nicol and David Stoll.

Showcased in two concert performances at Kings Place, with Sylvester McCoy (The Hobbit Trilogy, Doctor Who), a full cast and orchestra, this production has been widely praised and acts as a perfect launchpad for our goal of staging a full-scale musical.

LITTLE FIR TREE - The Musical, provided the inspiration for LITTLE FIR TREE - The Project; uniquely linking the Arts and the Environment to highlight the importance of trees in our cities, and to complement the Woodland Trust’s inner-city tree planting strategy.

Initial comments on the show have been very positive including a delightful quote from Michael Simkins in The Times newspaper regarding shows he’d seen over Christmas, writing that he "was enchanted by a children's musical, Little Fir Tree, at Kings Place".

The Gala Premiere was directed by David Ian Neville, and the musical director was Stephen Clarke.

Claire Lyth's (Designer) imaginative visuals brought the stage to life and her beautifully crafted projections of a fairytale forest with all its subtle shades of colours created a strikingly atmospheric glow. It was not difficult for the audience to be naturally drawn into the world of the LITTLE FIR TREE. Staging and costumes were kept simple in line with a concert format.

The cast led by Sylvester McCoy included David Burt, Owen Oakeshott, Elena Breschi, Billie Hamer, Simon Anthony, Ryan Hunter and Nancy Hill.

The story revolves around Little Fir Tree as he struggles with the challenges and joys of growing up in the Great Forest, where animals live happily alongside talking trees. A little girl called Lara lives nearby and shares this dream. But unforeseen dangers threaten this idyllic place.

When Little Fir Tree’s best friend, Owl, goes missing, the future looks bleak as the two bully trees, Big and Bigger, take advantage of his absence to plot to destroy the Little Fir Tree’s dream of happiness and turn Lara’s world upside down.

There is a strong environmental message throughout the show that children can relate to. The Little Fir Tree for instance is not chopped down after the festivities but dug up and replanted.

Programme from the Little Fir Tree Concert at Kings Place with details of cast and everyone involved in the show. Clive Anderson (President of the Woodland Trust) very kindly said a few words introduction.

You could say that LITTLE FIR TREE is a tiny tree with big ideas. The aim is simple; we have successfully staged the concert showcase and now we would like to get on a full-scale production. We believe that once established the show could run every year as a Festive Evergreen.

Supporting us on this exciting adventure is the Woodland Trust who not only brightened up the Kings Place foyer with their Festive stall but they also gave away party bags that contained a sapling tree for each child as they left the venue.

It is our pleasure to be able work with the Woodland Trust and to contribute to their efforts in broadcasting the message, that trees are important and the more we plant, the healthier our planet!

During October 2018 a series of ten free ‘Tree Awareness’ workshops for local Primary Schools took place in Thornhill Square Park, Islington. Incorporated into the Workshop content were many of the themes from the show.

The next step for us is to share LITTLE FIR TREE - The Musical and LITTLE FIR TREE PROJECT with a wider audience.

As LITTLE FIR TREE himself says, ‘I am growing, watch me growing’!

Listen to this...

'FOREST OF DREAMS' sung by EMMA STEVENS and produced by PETE WOODROFFE.