Hans the Obscure @ Brave New Workshop Student Union

by Mindless Mirth productions

http://www.fringefestival.org/2012/show/?id=2313

I’ve been fascinated by the subversive elements of Hans Christian Andersen ever since assertions of his bisexuality, latent or otherwise, began to emerge in biographies; there are whole different aspects of The Little Mermaid that emerge when you consider it as a parable of “the love that dare not speak its name.” You do not need to know that he was born in extreme poverty and essentially re-invented himself to appeal to his patrons, or about his highly ambivalent relationship to those patrons, and to the media – even then, the great maker and breaker of celebrities – to enjoy these stories, but it helps.  Good work all around, with especially able performances by Mahmoud Hakima, Vickijoan Keck, and Larry Ripp.