Brenda Bell, the author of the adaptation, and Debra Kaye, the composer, have created a fantasy-filled hour combining classical ballet with songs ranging from blues and gospel to show tunes.

Brenda Bell, who wrote the book and lyrics and plays the misfit duckling, has made Andersen himself (Todd Eric Hawkins) a character who reads from his work.

The music by Mark McGee, with lyrics by Brenda Bell, goes a long way toward making the story upbeat.

"THE UGLY DUCKLING," a musical version of the fairy tale by Debra Kaye, with lyrics by Brenda Bell.

The music by Mark McGee, with lyrics by Brenda Bell, features lively, 40's-style numbers.

Brenda Bell, who wrote the book and lyrics, has closely adhered to the story, except for making the child a girl (9-year-old Rachael Plutzik).

Brenda Bell, who wrote the book and lyrics and also stars as Beauty, has adhered more closely to the original tale, restoring the heroine's two selfish sisters, who are even threatened with the punishment the Grimm Brothers reserved for them: being changed into statues.

"We have estimated that only about 25 percent of the adult population is highly literate," said Brenda Bell, vice president of marketing for the National Alliance of Business, a group of 3,000 businesses engaged in training and education issues.

"It doesn't test for understanding," said Brenda Bell, an associate director of the Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee.