The Little Match Girl

Hans Christian Andersen's tale of the little match girl has become a story of an abused child whom everyone knows and loves. Andersen based his three-page tale on his own mother and grandmother, but he didn't give the little girl a name. In the hands of playwright Sidney L. Berger, the seriousness and the fragile tone of the original story are transferred to the stage. The little girl—named Liesl in this dramatization—is forced by her pitiless father to sell matches on icy, friendless city streets. She burns her matches to keep warm. The pitiful little flames don't warm her body but they illuminate her spirit. The things she has dreamed about but can't have come alive in her dreams as the icy winds claw at her inadequately clothed, frail little body. The audience sees her vision of a brightly decorated Christmas tree surrounded by beautiful toys—a stuffed panda bear or two, toy soldiers and dolls. As in Andersen's story, the little child dies at the end of the play. "But it's a positive ending," Berger said. "She joins her grandmother in a warm and happy place." The subtlety of Liesl's death and the joyful finale will please even the most sensitive and emotional audience members. It is a delightful Christmas present for your community but suitable during any time of year.The music for The Little Match Girl can be sung by children as well as adults. The upbeat, melodious music is a counterbalance to the serious story.