"'Hans Christian Andersen' sidesteps and streamlines a lot of what makes Andersen’s life and work so discomforting, while also insisting, inflexibly, gawkily, that the life and the work are inextricable...Excerpts with a lot of the awful parts ignored or referred to only elliptically, which may be confusing if you don’t know the stories or a relief if you do...Often the action stops while the musicians play, however feelingly, which gives the show a stuttering rhythm, a mismatched shape."
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"If you are hankering for drama, keep moving because there's nothing to see here...The main problem is inertia. The central situation is both mawkish and dragged down by repetition. One can only endure the title character's yearning and bitterness for so long...The director allows the pace to dawdle, further sapping the enterprise of needed energy...To my mind, this is such a stolid entertainment that, in comparison, it makes a wax museum seem like a clinic for the hyperactive."
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"Probably not for everyone. One might wonder whether the few children in the audience at the performance under review were bored or enthralled. Maybe a little of both...You may not be able to describe the significance of everything you're shown here...Many of the moments that the playmakers present will leave a strong impression. Because of the production's dreamlike quality, you may do just fine by witnessing what unfolds and letting the music and imagery wash over you."
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“Overall the story line is hard to follow...The choice of accompanying music by 20th century composer Britten held minimal if any correlation to Andersen...The high note of the performance is countertenor Daniel Moody...While is overall musical presence was commanding, his interpretations of Henry Purcell’s works were particularly impressive. Powerful diction, pathos, artistry, and beauty were presented....'Hans Christian Andersen' needs to be revisited another time when more developed.”
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"Those without an ear for these complex, difficult, melodically unfamiliar pieces may be less than satisfied, especially as the dramatic sections they accompany are so seriously lacking in anything comparable…The frequent appearance of puppets…offers no surcease to the boring biography or its plodding presentation…What they do is usually too imprecise to appreciate…There's little to commend in this misguided production, which has not the slightest iota of dramatic interest or conflict."
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"The Ensemble for the Romantic Century offers an impressionistic rendering of the recollected life and feelings of the popular writer in 'Hans Christian Andersen: Tales Real & Imagined,' with skilled performances, but in a mash-up of disparate styles and disjointed elements that lacks fluidity and looks more like a patchwork quilt than a finely woven tapestry."
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