Little Mermaid Papermill Playhouse

[Elphaba2019]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 1:10am

Does anyone know what to expect with the upcoming Little Mermaid production at Papermill? I was looking at the names of the creative team and it is a lot of the same people from the 2013 Production. I was hoping they would move to a different design. I didn't like the 2013 version. I thought it looked very cheap and not high quality. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I like the Broadway version much better, and in a perfect world, this production would be a replica of that, but with that's probably not the case. I would hope they would have a bigger ship in comparison to the 2013 ship, which looks awful. I love the Broadway one so much grander. 

On a brighter note Haven Burton is a great choice for Ursula! She looks like Sheri Renee Scott. 

 

https://papermill.org/disneys-the-little-mermaid/

Updated On: 5/3/25 at 01:10 AM

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 5:28am

Saw the show back at Papermill and it was very cheap and awful. Prob going to be the same set etc I mean everything at Papermill is awful

[quizking101]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 6:23am

WldKingdomHM said: "Saw the show back at Papermill and it was very cheap and awful. Prob going to be the same set etc I mean everything at Papermill is awful"

That is a very broad brush you are painting with.

It’s a regional theatre. Despite the proximity to NYC, it’s not going to have all the bells and whistles of a big Broadway production. As theatre goes, some things are better than others, but to say everything at Papermill is awful is really a ludicrous remark. 

[singer234]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 9:12am

WldKingdomHM said: "Saw the show back at Papermill and it was very cheap and awful. Prob going to be the same set etc I mean everything at Papermill is awful"

That's just not true-I swear people are getting nastier on this board and in life every day. You could have just answered the question, but had to add a nasty remark, I guess to give yourself a little jolt of adrenaline or something.

[musicthatmakesmedance]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 9:50am

It will be the same physical production as 2013.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 12:46pm

For context, here are highlights of Papermill’s 2013 production being referenced above. In what world is this a cheap looking production?!!!

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 12:49pm

If anything, y’all would be rioting at the 2017 production done at The Muny - with their walking Ariel:

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 12:56pm

This “production” actually originated from Pittsburgh CLO. The whole scenic and costume package is a rental from them. It’s surely not broadway caliber designs, but it’s totally fine for the summer slot at a regional theatre.

[theatrekid3302]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 5:30pm

WldKingdomHM said: "Saw the show back at Papermill and it was very cheap and awful. Prob going to be the same set etc I mean everything at Papermill is awful"

Disagree I’ve seen many great things at Papermill but would agree the 2013 Little Mermaid looks awful. I find it frustrating that all future productions of The Little Mermaid departed so drastically from the original design. Papermill did Sister Act in I think it was 2021 or 2022 and used the same costumes and set as the US Tour which was basically a replica of the Broadway set. Why can’t they do that with the Little Mermaid? I think the Original Broadway Production looks so much better than the 2013 Papermill version that almost every regional theater replicates.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 7:51pm

I think after its disastrous run on Broadway, Disney Theatrical destroyed everything from the Broadway production - from its sets to its costumes, which is why none of it has been refurbished and seen in other productions of the show. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 7:54pm

It's still utterly dumbfounding how badly Disney screwed up turning The Little Mermaid into a stage show.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 9:03am

Ashman’s contribution was adding a “broadway sensibility” to a cartoon. The Little Mermaid is just so written to stay a cartoon and have the imaginative freedom a cartoon has with water and cartoon sea life. (The live action remake struggled with this as well) I just think anyone would struggle adapting this.
 

The film of Beauty and the Beast was clearly written as a broadway show so it transferred so well to the stage cause every element of the story was thought about in the context of broadway. 
 

The Lion King works cause it was a visionary saying “let’s rethink all of this and keep the plot and the songs”

 

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 9:22am

The only recent Disney film that really makes sense for stage sensibilities in “Encanto” And even there it’s a pretty thin plot.

[darreyl102]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 10:40am

BrodyFosse123 said: "I think after its disastrous run on Broadway, Disney Theatrical destroyed everything from the Broadway production - from its sets to its costumes, which is why none of it has been refurbished and seen in other productions of the show."

It appears that Vicki Lewis wore the Broadway design when she played Ursula in the Music Circus production. If not, the costume is extremely similar. Dont know how to post photos here but they can be found doing a quick Google search. So maybe some of it survived 

Updated On: 5/5/25 at 10:40 AM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 2:37pm

Slight subtle differences but Vicki’s costume (above) is definitely based on the original Broadway design, excluding the wig, obviously. 

[cglaid]

Posted: 5/9/25 at 1:09pm

A cast list has been released on Papermill's website. Honestly, pretty compelling.

[Elphaba2019]

Posted: 5/10/25 at 2:14am

Haven Burton will make a great Ursula!