Charlotte Church to star in The Little Mermaid musical

'The Last Mermaid' will reset Han Christian Andersen's classic tale in the modern world

Say goodbye to your musical crabs and thingamabobs. Charlotte Church is set to star in a whole new, entirely different take on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid.

The Last Mermaid has been commissioned by Festival of Voice, a new international arts festival in Cardiff; set to throw aside any associations with the Disney 1989 animated version with a thoroughly modern take, addressing environmental threats to the oceans and the vital need for connection even as society loses the last grip on its sense of community.

"There is so much noise, there is so much information," Church told the Guardian. "With the internet and the way our modern world is now… does that give us more of a voice? With this production, we wanted to tackle challenging issues affecting our world in a way that is optimistic and hopeful."

"It is not musical theatre, it’s not really an opera, it has lots of contemporary classical elements and electronica," she said of the production, co-created alongside Jonathan Powell and Siôn Trefor. "I have never seen anything like we’re trying to do, so if we achieve it, it will be great."

That said, Church admitted the story formed a major part of her life thanks to Disney, with the first song she ever performed in public being 'Part of Your World'.

The festival programme will also see Bryn Terfel collaborate with Van Morrison, French star Juliette Gréco in a rare UK appearance; as well as appearances by John Cale, Laura Mvula, and Anna Calvi.

Festival of Voice runs from 3-12 June, with the backing of the Arts Council Wales and the Colwinston Charitable Trust.