The Little Mermaid (musical) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search 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 Playbill cover for The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. 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 upon the animated 1989 Disney film of the same name, which was based on 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. Contents [hide] 1 Production history 2 Plot 2.1 Act One 2.2 Act Two 3 Differences from the 1989 film 4 Musical numbers 5 Broadway Cast 6 Response 7 References 8 External links [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, Titus 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 One 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. ("Fathoms Below") Deep on the ocean floor in the merfolk's kingdom, a concert 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 sitting on a rock on the surface, admiring human items she has been collecting. She reveals that she is fascinated with the human world, and wants to know more about it. ("The World Above"). Ariel then visits her friend 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, plus all the delicious foods she had in the past. ("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, because contact between merfolk and the human world is forbidden. Ariel rushes off, upset, and King Triton assigns Sebastian the crab 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 as her father believes. ("Part of Your World") Ariel visits the surface again 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, Ursala has seen everything and she now plans to use Ariel's love for Eric as an advantage to get her brother's trident. Ariel returns to her underwater home, and her changed behavior makes her sisters and her best friend 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 then come up with an idea of having a singing contest with all sorts of foreign princesses to prove that they are the one who saved Eric. King Triton learns what Ariel has done, and confronts her. In an argument, Triton angrily destroys her grotto, breaking her heart. ("The World Above" - Reprise) Sebastian tries to cheer Ariel up by pointing out the wonders of the undersea world. ("Under the Sea") But Ariel cannot be consoled. As she 'runs away' 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 she's "doomed to spend eternity in watery house oat lair." As payment for the deal, Ariel will have to give up her voice. ("Poor Unfortunate Souls") Ariel at last signs the agreement, and she swims up to the surface, during which her tail falls away to reveal legs. [edit] Act Two Ariel, newly human and mute, attempts to take her first steps on land. 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's now in. ("Beyond My Wildest Dreams") That night Chef Louis cooks dinner for Ariel, Grimsby, and Eric. He tries to cook Sebastian, but he escapes. ("Les Poissons") After dinner Eric tells Ariel that though she cannot speak that 'dancing is a language' and teaches her to dance. ("One Step Closer"). Meanwhile Ursula is anxiously waiting for the three days to end and explains what she'll do once she has Ariel and Triton in her clutches. ("I Want The Good Times Back" - Reprise) The next day Eric takes Ariel around his kingdom and that night he takes her on an enchanting boat ride. Sebastian and some animals try to get Eric to kiss Ariel. ("Kiss The Girl") When Ariel and Eric are just about to touch the lips Flotsam and Jetsam give the boat an 'electric shock' and celebrate what they've done. ("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 any of the voices. ("The Contest") All of them have failed to do so. Ariel then comes and tries to win Eric's heart despite not being able to speak. She dances for him and Eric choses her. As they are about to kiss they hear Ariel's singing voice from somewhere, but it turns out to be Ursula. Ursula floods the ballroom and tells Ariel that her time is up. She also tells her that their voices are now merged together in Ursala's own body. Flotsam and Jetsam grab Ariel and take her back to the sea. Eric then races to his ship to save her. King Triton arrives at his sister's lair to rescue Ariel, who is still in human form underwater. He agrees to take her place and has suddenly become weak without his power. Ursula celebrates herself being the Queen of the Sea and that now the oceans belong to her. ("Poor Unfortunate Souls" - Reprise) Eric's ship arrives and crashes into Ursula's lair. While Eric distracts her, Ariel takes Ursula's magic shell which holds all her power. Ursula attempts to convince Ariel to hand it over because "Auntie loved her," but at the last moment Ariel hurls it at the ground destroying it. An explosion erupts killing Ursula, giving Ariel her voice back, and restoring Triton to power. Triton then realizes that Ariel really does love Eric and lets her remain a human. ("If Only" - Reprise) Eric and Ariel are then married and Triton declares peace between the humans and merpeople. Ariel and Eric share a kiss and their ship sails away. ("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 be...
EnglishTwat