COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Queen Margrethe, who surprised her country by abdicating earlier this year, is back as a ballet costume designer for Denmark’s famed Tivoli amusement park, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, the gardens said Monday.
The 83-year-old-queen, who has designed costumes and stage sets more than a dozen of times at the Tivoli gardens’ Pantomine theater, is creating the costumes and set for a ballet based on a fairy tale by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, “Klods Hans,” or “Clumsy Hans.”
In a statement, issued by the Tivoli Gardens, the queen said “it should be a fun show, and I’m looking forward to seeing the adventure unfold on stage.” The show opens June 22.
The open-air Pantomime is one of the downtown amusement park’s landmarks.
Also translated as “Blockhead Hans,” “Silly Hans” or “Jack the Dullard,” the tale by Andersen was published in 1855 and is about snobbery and know-how versus sincerity and impulsive actions.
It tells the story of three brothers who hope to marry the king’s daughter. The two older, smart brothers fail, while the third one — who is known for not being too clever — goes on to marry the princess and later becomes king.
On New Year’s Eve, Margrethe announced she would be stepping down two weeks later, citing health issues. She stunned a nation that had expected her to live out her days on the throne, as is the tradition in the Danish monarchy.
Margrethe became the first Danish monarch to voluntarily relinquish the throne in nearly 900 years. Her son ascended the throne as King Frederik X after she formally signed her abdication.
Margarethe is a skilled artist. An abstract painting by her was sold at a Copenhagen auction for 160,000 kroner ($23,300) earlier this month,
Since 2001, Margrethe has created the costumes and the stage sets for several ballets, often based on works by Andersen. Last year, she created the dresses and the set for “The Snow Queen” at Tivoli.