After seeing the show tonight, I have so many individual responses that I can't write coherent paragraphs, but here's a list:
-Elphie, brilliant letter, I couldn't agree more
-I sat in the orchestra, the stage still looked big and empty
-Could the doubling have been more obvious?
-I liked the gimmick of making Ursula's new songs, and Flotsam and Jetsam's, sound vaudeville-esque, but I don't get the purpose. Having that one style for them did nothing for the plot and it didn't work when juxtaposed with "Poor Unfortunate Souls"
-Ariel singing when she was supposed to be mute...bad choice Disney. It took away the power of how she managed to get everything done without speaking. If she could be mute for half of the movie, it would work for the show too.
-I felt that the second act was better than the first because everything was more connected and it flowed better.
-The idea of the scene where Eric and Ariel danced was good, but I feel like it could have been executed better and that the tie in at the end could have been stronger, not just 10 seconds of her dancing. I think that Eric should have responded with movement and then said his lines about hearing every note.
-Trailer Trash commented on how flat everything looked. I agree, if there was a show that would benefit from flying people around so that there were levels, this one is it. One of the most magical things about the ocean is how there are layers of life from the floor to the surface. If there weren't people flown to look like fish, then there should have been some sort of set that showed sea life at different heights and depths.
-T=As far as I remember, they didn't have the line about the fish hook and Ariel's mother today (and since they open tomorrow, I'm pretty sure its frozen).
-The heelies didn't do it for me. The gliding effect was cool, but I feel like it may have actually detracted from the dancing because they had to take into account any movement that could injure someone due to a misstep onto their wheels.
I'm exhausted, so sorry if I'm a bit incoherent, but I think that's it. Over all, I was very disappointed, not only because Mermaid is one of my favorite movies, but because it seems like it would work so well on a stage if it was put in the right hands, but it wasn't.
Whatever happened to class?
