[Music]
I am just like the mirror of silent
water everything reflects in me and
everything moves me I’m the masked land
that grew up and found mercy in the Sun
of poetry everybody has got a story and
this is my story
perhaps it’s a fairy tale and it begins
once upon the time thirty years ago
I was young I had been fascinated with
drama and performing for as long as I
could remember I had some successes too
appearing on television working my way
up and slowly but surely getting my name
known the life of a showman an actor is
never easy it’s filled with rejection
and disappointment and I I suddenly had
my share but one day my lucky star must
have been shining down on me because
something happened and a fairy tale
began the city of Williamson was
planning the Thousand Year celebrations
in 1988 there was a lot of excitement in
that planning the organisers had big big
ideas they said to me we need to have
some events involve lots of people
locally and I saw I could do some
theater as you know and as you heard of
course once also happens to be the
birthplace of the most famous Dame ever
the most and greatest fairy tale writer
in the world therefore I asked is
anybody doing anything at all with hams
Christian Andersen
and they said no and then I said I’ll
take Anderson and I did my lucky star
had given me a great idea I had 90
people boys girls grown-ups in this
arrangement and we did a small
performance in the narrow streets in the
old part of town around the house of
Hans Christian Anderson we did a total
theater show showing what happened on
the very day in 1819 when Anderson left
on his way to Copenhagen to forget about
his poor childhood and go to the very
top over there he headed to the Royal
Theater we had a horse-drawn carrots in
this historic play but then I sold why
don’t we show a bit of what it’s all
about
why don’t we have some fairy tale
characters here nobody did it before I
found a costume transformed a little
girl into a princess I gave her pillow
with one single pee upon it voila
The Princess and the pea simple yes
fascinating magical as this little girl
is walking in the streets the tourists
and the locals they all stop
they all look and they say wow this is
new this is interesting they do take a
lot of photos that will go around the
world they stop and they stare I had
brought the fairytale to life I wondered
isn’t this an interesting way to present
these wonderful fairy tales to the
public nobody ever did
Anderson had the magic to write these
brilliant fairy tales and perhaps I had
the magic to bring them to life and
pretty soon I had a whole cast of
characters an emperor with no clothes
shepherdess and a chimney sweep
steadfast tin soldier Thumbelina
Thumbelina tiny little thing lots of
them even an ugly duckling all walking
in the old streets bringing fairy tales
to life I found a young man to dress a
sense Kristin Anderson to present the
others and Shang’s to my lucky star lots
crowds started to gather everybody
wanted to see this there was a lot of
excitement everybody was there and then
one day the lucky star shined again I
was just about to be cast in a
television quiz show the Danish version
of wheel of fortune but my fortune is
that it never happened because one day I
remember it very clearly very clearly
the Anderson show was about to begin
but today was different the young man
who was supposed to be playing the
character of Hans Christian Anderson
didn’t turn up what could I do
I couldn’t stop the show it has to go on
you know I had to improvise and I did
and once again I said I’ll take Anderson
I found his costume and I managed to
squeeze into it
I was a bit bigger than he was and then
I took this famous hat for the very
first time and I placed it on my head
little did I know that this moment would
be the start of the fairy tale of my
life a magical double life that day I
didn’t just bring fairy tales to life
I changed the course of my own life in
that moment I became Andersen at the end
of the show my lucky star shined once
again a showbiz agent was in the crowd
watching and he came up to me and in the
shed I don’t know you but I know what
you are doing nobody ever did like this
before in the Kingdom of Denmark and I
believe if you continue doing this you
can make a living out of it and then I
said why not there’s a million people in
the television business how many in the
Andersen fairy tale business from the
beginning I didn’t know much about hands
Christian Andersen but I thought why not
take this chance why not go all in
why not spent my entire life to bring
fairy tales to life soon we had a whole
production with somes costumes even a
fairytale castle it became a mini play
and well quite a successful one at that
I’m so happy and I’m so honored to say
that audiences love
their fairy tales come to life and Here
I am 30 years later still in the costume
and it fits a little better these days
over the last 30 years we have become
the longest-running show in the city
with over 6500 performances the parade
has travelled the whole wide world from
China to America from Shanghai to slay
Elsa from Boston to bomb sir
over time 1,000 different boys and girls
have spin in the cast and I have made
hundreds of little mermaids princesses
witches shepherdesses chimney sweeps of
dozens of little mats girls
many of these talented boys and girls in
the hands Krishna’s parade have gone to
have tremendous success among them are
mo mu world
music artist and lesser spanning bear
the famous wedding dress designer the
suit of clothes oh we’re together is and
there have been opera singers actors
dancers and I always say to them – all
of them make your own life a fairy tale
it makes me so happy to know that one
small idea one little pea one spark of
imagination can activate young people to
perform and can entertain and captivate
the hearts of millions of people who
have seen our show you can start playing
a hero and maybe one day play the main
part in your own life that is indeed the
power of fairy tales isn’t it
but I have to tell you there is an other
side the darker side of my story this
has not been easy to me I tell you it
takes a lot of character to play a
character my entertainment is wonderful
unashamedly childlike it’s magical it’s
whimsical
it’s silly playful and it was indeed an
uphill struggle against the
intellectuals the educated some people
important people think that my fairy
tales are naive they didn’t appreciate
the magic that we created and what we
did for local tourism nope and I must
say that it has made it a very lonesome
profession
there ain’t no Union for anderson’s at
first I tried not really to care if the
intellectuals liked me or not what
mattered it to me if the public loved it
who cares about the intellectuals if the
show is so popular then Monday I was
reminded by a particularly hard critic
there are also many flies on a dog’s
yes believe me I have cried my
tears it was a battle because people say
that fairy tales are childlike and I
said yes they are that’s the whole point
isn’t it I was fighting the so-called
system I just wanted to be accepted
Anderson had the same problem history
repeats itself
as shishio became more and more popular
in the city something changed I stopped
being a showman and started to become a
public tradition the audience is
expected to see me and my fairytale
characters at public events in the city
but I was still fighting some some
couldn’t see that my way was just one
way to bring Anderson on to future
generations to make them open this book
why couldn’t we play together some of
high culture even once said if you
didn’t have that public tailwind you
have we would have kicked you out a long
time ago or what about this one why
don’t you go to Copenhagen it has been
my biggest struggle and perhaps biggest
regret that as some people grow older
they lose their childlike appreciation
for creativity imagination playfulness I
think it’s wonderful to open the doors
to a naive colorful magical world and
don’t close them I am the fighter I am
the child I would rather that they
laughed at me than did nothing
Anderson’s stories survived and so did I
the quote from the wine will always pop
up you can’t keep it down and that is
what I want to share with you today be
in contact with the child within you I
don’t think you can be too too childless
everybody has got a child inside of them
every single day has this fairytale like
story to it whether it’s bad or good I
don’t think you can be two childhoods
it’s
we could sing to be feel your roots be
restless use your restlessness and above
all never never accept a no for me
drama means never stop playing I don’t
look like Anderson I play Anderson to
play is to live and I have loved each
and every one of my 6500 shows the
greatest gift in the world is seeing the
audience the people because everyone has
got a child inside of them because you
can be educated academic and a child
with big eyes at the same time have the
courage to show that to the world
there’s been many times I’ve been
standing on estates as the character of
Hans Christian Andersen but today I
stand here not as a show man
but as myself for a very first time in
30 years and I never dreamt of this kind
of happiness when I was the ugly
duckling please all of you remember this
if you’ve got an idea give it a chance
my naive child is childlike little idea
has lost it even longer that I could
have ever imagined I have considered to
retire but it’s impossible every time I
do more people ask me to continue
perhaps I will be the ugly duckling for
the rest of my life why should I stop
who will fill my shoes who will take
this famous hat who among you will be
[Applause]
you [Music]
I am just like the mirror of silent
water everything reflects in me and
everything moves me I’m the masked land
that grew up and found mercy in the Sun
of poetry everybody has got a story and
this is my story
perhaps it’s a fairy tale and it begins
once upon the time thirty years ago
I was young I had been fascinated with
drama and performing for as long as I
could remember I had some successes too
appearing on television working my way
up and slowly but surely getting my name
known the life of a showman an actor is
never easy it’s filled with rejection
and disappointment and I I suddenly had
my share but one day my lucky star must
have been shining down on me because
something happened and a fairy tale
began the city of Williamson was
planning the Thousand Year celebrations
in 1988 there was a lot of excitement in
that planning the organisers had big big
ideas they said to me we need to have
some events involve lots of people
locally and I saw I could do some
theater as you know and as you heard of
course once also happens to be the
birthplace of the most famous Dame ever
the most and greatest fairy tale writer
in the world therefore I asked is
anybody doing anything at all with hams
Christian Andersen
and they said no and then I said I’ll
take Anderson and I did my lucky star
had given me a great idea I had 90
people boys girls grown-ups in this
arrangement and we did a small
performance in the narrow streets in the
old part of town around the house of
Hans Christian Anderson we did a total
theater show showing what happened on
the very day in 1819 when Anderson left
on his way to Copenhagen to forget about
his poor childhood and go to the very
top over there he headed to the Royal
Theater we had a horse-drawn carrots in
this historic play but then I sold why
don’t we show a bit of what it’s all
about
why don’t we have some fairy tale
characters here nobody did it before I
found a costume transformed a little
girl into a princess I gave her pillow
with one single pee upon it voila
The Princess and the pea simple yes
fascinating magical as this little girl
is walking in the streets the tourists
and the locals they all stop
they all look and they say wow this is
new this is interesting they do take a
lot of photos that will go around the
world they stop and they stare I had
brought the fairytale to life I wondered
isn’t this an interesting way to present
these wonderful fairy tales to the
public nobody ever did
Anderson had the magic to write these
brilliant fairy tales and perhaps I had
the magic to bring them to life and
pretty soon I had a whole cast of
characters an emperor with no clothes
shepherdess and a chimney sweep
steadfast tin soldier Thumbelina
Thumbelina tiny little thing lots of
them even an ugly duckling all walking
in the old streets bringing fairy tales
to life I found a young man to dress a
sense Kristin Anderson to present the
others and Shang’s to my lucky star lots
crowds started to gather everybody
wanted to see this there was a lot of
excitement everybody was there and then
one day the lucky star shined again I
was just about to be cast in a
television quiz show the Danish version
of wheel of fortune but my fortune is
that it never happened because one day I
remember it very clearly very clearly
the Anderson show was about to begin
but today was different the young man
who was supposed to be playing the
character of Hans Christian Anderson
didn’t turn up what could I do
I couldn’t stop the show it has to go on
you know I had to improvise and I did
and once again I said I’ll take Anderson
I found his costume and I managed to
squeeze into it
I was a bit bigger than he was and then
I took this famous hat for the very
first time and I placed it on my head
little did I know that this moment would
be the start of the fairy tale of my
life a magical double life that day I
didn’t just bring fairy tales to life
I changed the course of my own life in
that moment I became Andersen at the end
of the show my lucky star shined once
again a showbiz agent was in the crowd
watching and he came up to me and in the
shed I don’t know you but I know what
you are doing nobody ever did like this
before in the Kingdom of Denmark and I
believe if you continue doing this you
can make a living out of it and then I
said why not there’s a million people in
the television business how many in the
Andersen fairy tale business from the
beginning I didn’t know much about hands
Christian Andersen but I thought why not
take this chance why not go all in
why not spent my entire life to bring
fairy tales to life soon we had a whole
production with somes costumes even a
fairytale castle it became a mini play
and well quite a successful one at that
I’m so happy and I’m so honored to say
that audiences love
their fairy tales come to life and Here
I am 30 years later still in the costume
and it fits a little better these days
over the last 30 years we have become
the longest-running show in the city
with over 6500 performances the parade
has travelled the whole wide world from
China to America from Shanghai to slay
Elsa from Boston to bomb sir
over time 1,000 different boys and girls
have spin in the cast and I have made
hundreds of little mermaids princesses
witches shepherdesses chimney sweeps of
dozens of little mats girls
many of these talented boys and girls in
the hands Krishna’s parade have gone to
have tremendous success among them are
mo mu world
music artist and lesser spanning bear
the famous wedding dress designer the
suit of clothes oh we’re together is and
there have been opera singers actors
dancers and I always say to them – all
of them make your own life a fairy tale
it makes me so happy to know that one
small idea one little pea one spark of
imagination can activate young people to
perform and can entertain and captivate
the hearts of millions of people who
have seen our show you can start playing
a hero and maybe one day play the main
part in your own life that is indeed the
power of fairy tales isn’t it
but I have to tell you there is an other
side the darker side of my story this
has not been easy to me I tell you it
takes a lot of character to play a
character my entertainment is wonderful
unashamedly childlike it’s magical it’s
whimsical
it’s silly playful and it was indeed an
uphill struggle against the
intellectuals the educated some people
important people think that my fairy
tales are naive they didn’t appreciate
the magic that we created and what we
did for local tourism nope and I must
say that it has made it a very lonesome
profession
there ain’t no Union for anderson’s at
first I tried not really to care if the
intellectuals liked me or not what
mattered it to me if the public loved it
who cares about the intellectuals if the
show is so popular then Monday I was
reminded by a particularly hard critic
there are also many flies on a dog’s
yes believe me I have cried my
tears it was a battle because people say
that fairy tales are childlike and I
said yes they are that’s the whole point
isn’t it I was fighting the so-called
system I just wanted to be accepted
Anderson had the same problem history
repeats itself
as shishio became more and more popular
in the city something changed I stopped
being a showman and started to become a
public tradition the audience is
expected to see me and my fairytale
characters at public events in the city
but I was still fighting some some
couldn’t see that my way was just one
way to bring Anderson on to future
generations to make them open this book
why couldn’t we play together some of
high culture even once said if you
didn’t have that public tailwind you
have we would have kicked you out a long
time ago or what about this one why
don’t you go to Copenhagen it has been
my biggest struggle and perhaps biggest
regret that as some people grow older
they lose their childlike appreciation
for creativity imagination playfulness I
think it’s wonderful to open the doors
to a naive colorful magical world and
don’t close them I am the fighter I am
the child I would rather that they
laughed at me than did nothing
Anderson’s stories survived and so did I
the quote from the wine will always pop
up you can’t keep it down and that is
what I want to share with you today be
in contact with the child within you I
don’t think you can be too too childless
everybody has got a child inside of them
every single day has this fairytale like
story to it whether it’s bad or good I
don’t think you can be two childhoods
it’s
we could sing to be feel your roots be
restless use your restlessness and above
all never never accept a no for me
drama means never stop playing I don’t
look like Anderson I play Anderson to
play is to live and I have loved each
and every one of my 6500 shows the
greatest gift in the world is seeing the
audience the people because everyone has
got a child inside of them because you
can be educated academic and a child
with big eyes at the same time have the
courage to show that to the world
there’s been many times I’ve been
standing on estates as the character of
Hans Christian Andersen but today I
stand here not as a show man
but as myself for a very first time in
30 years and I never dreamt of this kind
of happiness when I was the ugly
duckling please all of you remember this
if you’ve got an idea give it a chance
my naive child is childlike little idea
has lost it even longer that I could
have ever imagined I have considered to
retire but it’s impossible every time I
do more people ask me to continue
perhaps I will be the ugly duckling for
the rest of my life why should I stop
who will fill my shoes who will take
this famous hat who among you will be
[Applause]
you [Music]
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