The Little Mermaid (musical)
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- This is the article about the stage musical. For the 1989 film, see The Little Mermaid (1989 film). For other meanings, see The Little Mermaid (disambiguation).
| The Little Mermaid | |
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| Playbill cover for The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. | |
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| Music | Alan Menken |
| Lyrics | Glenn Slater Howard Ashman |
| Book | Doug Wright |
| Based upon | Disney's animated film The Little Mermaid |
| Productions | 2007 Denver (Preview) 2008 Broadway |
The Little Mermaid is a stage musical produced by Disney Theatrical, based on the animated 1989 Disney film of the same name and the classic story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. The musical's book is by Doug Wright, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman (written for the film) and new lyrics by Glenn Slater.
The musical had a pre-Broadway tryout in Denver, Colorado in September 2007, with Broadway previews beginning in November 2007 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, previously the home of Disney Theatrical's Beauty and the Beast, which closed in July 2007 to make way for the new production. The Little Mermaid opened on January 10, 2008.
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[edit] Production history
The Little Mermaid had a pre-Broadway tryout at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Ellie Caulkins Opera House July 26, 2007 through September 9, 2007. Every seat available (approximately 95,000 seats) for the 6-week run was sold out.[1]
The musical began previews on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 3, 2007, but on November 10 it was temporarily shut down due to the 2007 Broadway stagehand strike.[2] The strike ended on November 28 and the show resumed previews on November 29,[3] and the official opening date was postponed from the previously planned December 6 to January 10, 2008.[4]
The Broadway production is directed by Francesca Zambello, who makes her Broadway debut with the production, and is choreographed by Stephen Mear. Scenic design is by George Tsypin, costume design by Tatiana Noginova and lighting design by Natasha Katz. The cast features Sierra Boggess in the title role of Ariel, Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, Cody Hanford and J.J. Singleton alternate as Flounder, Norm Lewis as King Triton, Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula, Tituss Burgess as Sebastian, Tyler Maynard as Flotsam, Derrick Baskin as Jetsam, Jonathan Freeman as Grimsby, and John Treacy Egan as Chef Louis.
To assist the performers in achieving the effect of underwater movement on stage, they wear wheel-heeled footwear.[5] To depict the fantasy underwater kingdom, according to the director, the set is "very translucent, takes light beautifully and [is] architectural and sculptural to suggest an underwater world without actually being in real water."[6]
[edit] Plot
[edit] Act I
The story opens with Prince Eric, his adviser Grimsby and sailors aboard a ship at sea, discussing the "mythical" merfolk that supposedly live under the sea. During which Eric hears a voice and commands it to be followed. ("Fathoms Below")
Deep on the ocean floor in the merfolk's kingdom, a concert in honor of a defeated coup d'etat by Ursula is underway, being performed by the daughters of Triton the sea king. ("Daughters of Triton") However the youngest daughter, Ariel, is not there, bringing the concert to a grinding halt. Ariel has forgotten about the concert entirely, and is swimming around the surface, admiring her new found item, a fork. She reveals that she is fascinated with the human world. ("The World Above"). Together with her best friend Flounder, Ariel visits Scuttle the seagull to ask about the human things she's collected, and he explains them somewhat erroneously. ("Human Stuff")
Elsewhere, the sea witch Ursula is planning revenge against her brother, King Triton. She explains that she was banished from the palace because she used black magic, and tells her minions Flotsam and Jetsam to keep an eye on Ariel, whom she thinks will be the key to getting the crown and trident. ("I Want the Good Times Back")
When Ariel returns to the underwater kingdom, she is berated by King Triton, who is angered to learn that she has been on the surface as contact between merfolk and the human world is forbidden. Ariel rushes off, upset, and King Triton assigns Sebastian the crab, whom Ariel made a laughing stock because of her absence at the concert, to watch over Ariel and make sure she doesn't get into any trouble. Ariel sits alone in her grotto, which contains her collection of human things, and sings about how she doesn't believe humans are so bad. ("Part of Your World")
Ariel visits the surface with Flounder and Scuttle to see Prince Eric's ship and the people in it up close. A storm suddenly hits, and Eric is thrown overboard. He almost drowns, but Ariel saves him and drags him to shore. Ariel realizes that she is falling in love with him, and vows to somehow find a way to be with him. ("Part of Your World" -(Reprise) Unknown to her, Ursula has seen everything and she now plans to take advantage of Ariel's love for Eric.
Ariel returns to her underwater home, and her changed behavior makes her sisters and Flounder suspect that she's fallen in love. ("She's in Love") On land, Eric is determined to the find the woman who saved his life, but the only clue he has is her voice. ("Her Voice") He and Grimsby come up with the idea of holding a singing contest among the foreign princesses in the hopes that one will be the girl he's looking for.
King Triton learns that Ariel has saved a human, and confronts her. ("The World Above" -(Reprise) Sebastian tries to cheer Ariel up by pointing out the wonders of the undersea world. ("Under the Sea") Ariel cannot be consoled and "runs away", during which she is confronted by Flotsam and Jetsam, who claim that her aunt Ursula can help her. ("Sweet Child")
Ariel goes to Ursula, who presents a deal: Ariel will be turned into a human for three days, during which she has to get the kiss of true love from Eric. If she does, she'll be human permanently; if not, her soul will belong to Ursula and spend eternity in her "watery hell soaked lair." As payment for the deal, Ariel will have to give up her voice. ("Poor Unfortunate Souls") Ariel signs the agreement with the ink from her aunt's tentacles, and she swims up to the surface, during which her tail falls away to reveal legs.
[edit] Act II
Ariel, newly human and mute, is with her friends on the shore. Scuttle and the seagulls give her a pep talk to bring her spirits up. ("Positoovity") Eric soon finds Ariel on the beach, though because she cannot speak, he doesn't know that she was the one who saved his life. He brings Ariel back to his palace, and there she is fascinated by the human world she finds herself in. ("Beyond My Wildest Dreams") That night Chef Louis cooks dinner for Ariel, Grimsby, and Eric. He almost cooks Sebastian for the grand finale, but he manages to escape as Louis, the other chefs, and the maids start chasing after him. ("Les Poissons" / "Les Poissons" -(Reprise) Later, Eric and Ariel bond when he teaches her to dance. ("One Step Closer"). Meanwhile, Ursula is anxiously waiting for the three days to end and sends Flotsam and Jetsam to hurry things along. ("I Want The Good Times Back" -(Reprise)
The next day Eric takes Ariel around his kingdom. Sebastian and some animals try to get Eric to kiss Ariel. ("Kiss The Girl") Just before they kiss, Flotsam and Jetsam give the boat an 'electric shock'. ("Sweet Child" -(Reprise) As the second day ends Ariel wishes she could tell Eric everything; Triton worries about where his daughter has gone; Sebastian is concerned for Ariel since her time as a human is almost up, and Eric still dreams of finding the girl who saved him. ("If Only" - quartet)
On Ariel's last day as a human the contest takes place. All the foreign princesses sing to Eric to the tune of "Part of Your World" to see if he can recognize the girl he's looking for. ("The Contest") All of them fail to do so. Ariel chooses at that moment to dance for him, and Eric picks her. Ursula appears, floods the ballroom and tells Ariel that the sun has set and she has lost. Flotsam and Jetsam grab Ariel and take her back to the sea, while Eric races to his ship to save her.
King Triton arrives to confront his sister and rescue Ariel, who has returned to being a mermaid. He agrees to take Ariel's place, and Ursula celebrates her victory as she claims the trident and declares herself queen. ("Poor Unfortunate Souls" -(Reprise) She banishes Triton with a wave of the trident. Eric's ship arrives and Ursula uses the trident to raise the sea level higher, having Eric's interference out of the way. But while she's distracted, Ariel then grabs the magic shell, gains her voice back, and threatens to smash the shell. Terrified, Flotsam and Jetsam swim away. Ursula begins to sweet talk her niece, saying she can turn her human again and reunite her with her prince. Ariel starts to believe her and begins to hand the shell over. Ursula believes the shell is within her grasp and tells Ariel that her father will rot on the ocean floor forever, but before it is in Ursula's grasp, Ariel yanks it away and smashes it, which destroys Ursula. Triton reappears and is reunited with his daughter.
Triton soon realizes that Ariel really does love Eric and transforms her back into a human. ("If Only" -(Reprise) Ariel and Eric are married and Triton declares peace between the humans and merpeople. ("Finale")
[edit] Differences from the 1989 film
- The shark chase sequence that introduces Ariel and Flounder has been removed.
- Ursula is King Triton's sister. Although this had been planned for the movie, it was left out eventually.
- Ursula and Triton are equal, and upon the death of their father, Poseidon, Ursula received the magic shell while her brother received the trident. Each ruled half the oceans, until Ursula's cruelty and use of black magic led to Triton deposing her and assuming full reign over the entire ocean world.
- Sebastian is not present when Ariel saves Eric and later sings to him on the shore.
- The "Under the Sea" sequence has been moved to after King Triton destroys Ariel's collection of human things.
- The magic shell allows Ursula to spy on people, so she does not "use" Flotsam and Jetsam's eyes as in the film.
- The "Daughters of Triton" and "Fathoms Below" songs have additional and new lyrics, and many new songs were added, as noted below.
- Ursula's alter ego Vanessa and Eric's sheepdog Max are not included.
- In place of the Vanessa subplot, there is a contest with foreign princesses singing songs to see if Eric can recognize any of them to have Ariel's voice.
- Ariel gets her voice back by pouring it into her mouth from the magic shell after being turning back into a mermaid, while in the film Scuttle pulls the shell that contains the voice off of Vanessa's neck before the sun sets.
- It is Ariel, not Eric who destroys Ursula by breaking the magic shell.
- The keys of Sebastian's songs were raised because Tituss Burgess is a tenor unlike Samuel E. Wright, the original voice of Sebastian, who is a baritone.
[edit] Musical numbers
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Music by Alan Menken
* Lyrics by Howard Ashman
† Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
All Other Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Note 1: The songs "Where I Belong" and Ursula's reprise of "Her Voice" were cut from the musical after the out-of-town tryout in Denver.
Note 2: The songs "Under the Sea (Reprise)" and "Les Poissons (Reprise)" are included on the original Broadway cast recording as separate tracks, though on the show's Playbill they are not mentioned as reprises.
[edit] Broadway Cast
- Original Broadway Cast
- Ariel — Sierra Boggess
- Ursula — Sherie Rene Scott
- King Triton — Norm Lewis
- Prince Eric — Sean Palmer
- Sebastian — Tituss Burgess
- Flounder* — Cody Hanford/J.J. Singleton/Trevor Braun/Brian D'Addario
- Scuttle — Eddie Korbich
- Flotsam — Tyler Maynard
- Jetsam — Derrick Baskin
- Grimsby — Jonathan Freeman
- Chef Louis — John Treacy Egan
* Indicates alternated role. Cody Hanford and J.J. Singleton were originally cast as Flounder, but had to leave the show a few days after opening because of their height since it exceeded Sierra Boggess's. Trevor Braun and Brian D'Addario now share the role. Brian D'Addario was the vocalist on the original cast recording and performed on the show's opening night.
[edit] Response
Audience response of the targeted family demographic to the musical has been generally positive.[7] Critics have given the production a mixed response, with some praising the show,[8] and some calling it "less than witty."[9] and "bloated"[10] The New York Times was especially critical, saying that the "charm-free" musical is "stripped of the movie’s generation-crossing appeal. Coherence of plot, endearing quirks of character, even the melodious wit of the original score (supplemented by new, substandard songs...) have been swallowed by an unfocused spectacle...."[11] Time Magazine, however, commented, "It was one of the most ravishing things I have ever seen on a Broadway stage."[12]
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Best Original Score: Alan Menken (music); Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater (lyrics) Nominated
- Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Natasha Katz Nominated
- Outstanding Actress in a Musical: Sierra Boggess Nominated
- Outstanding Set Design of a Musical: George Tsypin Nominated
- Outstanding Lighting Design: Natasha Katz Nominated
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Sherie Rene Scott Nominated
- Distinguished Performance Award: Sierra Boggess Nominated
- 9th Annual Broadway.com Audience Awards[17]
- Favorite New Broadway Musical Nominated
- Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Musical: Sierra Boggess Nominated
- Favorite Featured Actor in a Broadway Musical: Tituss Burgess Nominated
- Favorite Featured Actress in a Broadway Musical: Sherie Rene Scott Nominated
- Favorite Diva Performance: Sherie Rene Scott Nominated
- Favorite Breakthough Performance (Female): Sierra Boggess WINNER
- Favorite New Broadway Song: "If Only" Nominated
- Favorite New Broadway Song: "She's In Love" Nominated
[edit] References
- ^ Moore, John. "On point: Fans more "in the swim" than critics.", DenverPost.com, 2007-09-01. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Day Two: The Strike, But Not The Shows, Go On.", Playbill.com, 2007-11-11. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "It's Over!: Labor Dispute Resolved as Stagehands Strike Ends Nov. 28.", Playbill.com, 2007-11-28. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Mermaid Will Resume Nov. 29 and Will Officially Flip Her Fins Jan. 10", Playbill.com, 2007-11-29. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- ^ Gardner, Elisa. "'Mermaid' composer Alan Menken gets his sea legs on Broadway", USAToday.com, 2008-01-09. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Fresh Water: After Denver The Little Mermaid Gets Ready to Make a Splash on Broadway", Playbill.com, 2007-10-17. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
- ^ "The Little Mermaid reviews at BroadwayBox", BroadwayBox.com, 2000-01-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
- ^ Shapiro, Howard. "Theater review: The Little Mermaid, in a Broadway splash", Philly dot com, 2000-01-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
- ^ Finkle, David. "The Little Mermaid", TheaterMania.com, 2000-01-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
- ^ Marks, Peter. "'Little Mermaid': On Broadway, Just A Fish Out of Water", Washington Post, 2008-01-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
- ^ Brantley, Ben. "Fish Out of Water in the Deep Blue Sea", New York Times, 2008-01-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
- ^ Zoglin, Richard. "The Little Mermaid: In Defense of Disney", Time Magazine, 2008-01-16. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "2007-2008 Tony Nominations Announced; In the Heights Earns 13 Noms.", Playbill.com, 2008-05-13. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Drama Desk Nominees Announced; Catered Affair Garners 12 Noms", Playbill.com, 2008-04-21. Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Young Frankenstein Tops Outer Critics Circle Awards Nominations", Playbill.com, 2008-04-21. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "74th Annual Drama League Award Nominees Announced", Playbill.com, 2008-04-22. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
- ^ broadway.com Staff. "9th Annual Broadway.com Audience Award Nominations Announced", broadway.com, 2008-05-16. Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
[edit] External links
- The Little Mermaid at the Internet Broadway Database
- Official Website
- Song list at DenverPost.com, dated August 17, 2007
- Article about a preview of the show at Yahoo Broadway, dated October 11, 2007
- BroadwayWorld TV: Making of Disney's The Little Mermaid CD
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