Having the disability that I do is a pain if you want to be spontaneous. I’m constantly needing to be mindful of my PA’s shift times or if my parents are available with their commitments if they are needed: for transport and purely who will be putting me to bed at night. Trips are planned to the nth degree, and always well in advance.

What this often means is that the old chestnut “so much to do, so little time” rears its annoying head time and again for my theatregoing habits, and after I factor in travel costs from home, it’s just incredibly difficult to see everything I want to, however eager and well intentioned I am, and shows, especially musicals, inevitably pass me by. Though, sometimes if I’m very very lucky, those I miss find their way into my life by other means….

Such was the case this past Sunday, where a concert version of Tori Amos and Samuel Adamson’s musical The Light Princess was held at Cadogan Hall, having originally run at The National Theatre in 2013.

After her mother dies, Princess Althea of Lagobel loses her gravity and cannot cry. Her father, King Darius, cold towards his daughter and hardened by grief seeks to bring Althea down and face her responsibility as the new queen. Lagobel (rich in gold but having no water) is at war with another Kingdom, Sealand, whose tyrannical ruler King Ignacio has his eyes set on Lagobel’s gold. Althea, in defiance of her father, flees to the wilderness that separates the two kingdoms, and discovers a hidden lake. There, she meets the “solemn Prince of Sealand” Digby, who hasn’t smiled since his own mother died mysteriously and the two fall in love.

I confess I came to this show as a complete newcomer to Tori Amos’s music, and what struck me most deeply is that The Light Princess is so unlike the traditional musical theatre style I’m so familiar with, in the best and most refreshing sense of the word. It felt to me like a combination of classical music with a contemporary twist, and is so rich and beautifully nuanced in terms of melody and level of detail in the lyrics, and often the harmonies made my spine tingle! It felt so apt that a story about women having power on her own terms and relationships parents have with their children that can and does resonate today have a score that is bold and challenged me to let go of my preconceptions about what I like my musical theatre to sound like, and I loved every note.

Staging a concert version of a musical must present its own unique challenges. I understand from friends who had seen the original production that certain numbers were cut, the dialogue tweaked slightly and so on. Paul Foster’s direction was wonderfully well judged, it flowed smoothly which was helpful to me as someone new to the show, and he has a real gift for allowing his cast to act through the songs in such a way that you immediately forget they have microphones and music stands in front of them! A special mention must go too, to Alex Parker, who radiated sheer joy from start to finish as he conducted, and the band allowed this glorious score to fill the space, Cadogan Hall has wonderful acoustics which suit a score like this to a tee, it felt wonderfully rich and atmospheric, aided also by a terrific ensemble.

The moments where Althea was floating compared to on land were signified by subtle and clever changes in the lighting, and I thought were nifty knowing how it had originally been done, and allowed me to use my imagination to fill in the world the creative team here had stripped back so beautifully: without sets, choreography and costumes the storytelling and the music comes to the fore, and it falls to your cast to rise to the challenges, which they did, note for note and moment to moment completely and utterly brilliantly.

I have a tremendous amount of guilt when it comes to Rosalie Craig. I discovered her thanks to my being a fan of her husband and her singing at his concerts and thus far have only managed to see her in two musicals and a Shakespeare play. This fills me with guilt because I think she is immensely talented and definitely one of my favourite performers.

The sassiness she brought to the character, particularly in Queen Material was so endearing and likeable and I adored how expressive and animated she was. Couple that with her more vulnerable, tender moments, such as No H2O and My Fairy Story and the whole performance was an utter joy and my privilege to see, even moreso having not done so the first time around; the affinity and understanding she has of her character and the music was so powerful and moving.

Speaking of Rosalie’s husband, it was wonderful to see she and Hadley Fraser work together again having last seen them do so in City of Angels, their chemistry is always palpable and so enjoyable to watch! Prince Digby is a lovely mix of sweetness and swagger, and Hadley brought out both of these with the aplomb and ease I have come to know his performances for and I will forever get deep joy out of hearing a voice I love so much introduce me to new music.

Their duets, Althea and Amphibiava were absolute favourites, for how well their voices blended and the dynamic they shared, they brought so much depth to their relationship and performances just by their body language and a simple look at one another.

I was overjoyed when Louis Maskell announced he would also be in the cast having seen his phenomenal performance in The Grinning Man four times, three of those from front row when the show transferred to London. Playing Prince Llewellyn of Sealand, Louis showed again what I love so much about his voice, it has such a warmth and intensity to it that always makes my spine tingle and he has a wonderful knack for harmonies- being a fan of he and Hadley and hearing them harmonise was everything I didn’t know I needed in my life until I heard them together! I hope it won’t be too long before I get to see him again, because I know he’s destined to be wonderful in everything he does.

A new face for me was Gabrielle Brooks, who brought tenacity and spirit to the role of Piper that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I hope to see more of her in future. David Langham, one of my standout Thenardier’s reminded me again of his knack for comedy in a scene stealing “Suitors” sequence, and I loved seeing Anna Jane Casey, my Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot forever ago onstage again! Like David, she tackled all her appearances, especially that of Scandal with an infectious energy that was so fun to watch!

Strong support too, came from Norman Bowman as the tyrannical Ignacio, ruler of Sealand, and for me having only met him once at a concert he also attended, it was lovely to finally see him perform. Laura Pitt -Pulford reprised her role as the Falconer, reminding me what a wonderful voice she has; she was another performer I hadn’t seen in too long…

The biggest treat for me was finally seeing Trevor Dion Nicholas in action, playing King Darius. From the minute he opened his mouth I was bowled over by the rich, smooth quality and sheer power of his voice, and I wondered why in the hell it had taken me so long to hear it! My friend Alison was also there, and it was fab to finally meet her in person having been confined to Twitter friendship for four years, but also having her there as someone who is a fan of Trevor who completely got my fangirling was great fun; we spent some time in the interval dreaming up the roles we want to see him do, and plotting a long overdue (on my part anyway!) trip to Aladdin, which after seeing him here I can’t wait for!

The entire evening was a delight from start to end, and I can see why the show has come to mean so much to people. It meant a lot to me seeing a cast with some familiar favourites and some new ones bring it into my life, and is definitely a case of better late than never!

There are some stunning images of the concert available at https://www.club11.london/light-princess-photos/