From the Mermaid Blog:
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~Latest News on the anticipated Debut of the Broadway Musical 'The Little Mermaid'~
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Q&A #1 - The Phantom D.I Strikes Back!
Ok, the D.I (Disney Insider) has sent me yet another fun-filled email, clearing up the rumors and truths behind the production. I asked the tough questions and luckily he/she was all to happy to oblige. No extortion here folks!
Just wondering how they are going about combining this 'classical' fairy tale style with the Caribbean style of music - ie. will they be changing the sets during the songs 'under the sea' and 'kiss the girl'? This seems logical.
"These parts are stylized but not much differently than the rest of the show. It is just old-fashioned Zeifield Follies/Fanny Brice stuff. There are more fishes and more action, but not like a special curtain (ie Can't Wait to be King or Be Our Guest). There are some color shifts that are supposed to occur and sfx, but nothing like what was done in beauty. We haven’t seen any of this outside of models. Ursula also has some big numbers, but they are all in the same Follies kinda way. It's old-fashioned. "
I had an inkling that the little mermaid may be similar to Wagners Ring Cycle after reading that Francesca would be directing both on her website last year. I don't know how or why I came to this conclusion, as I have never seen the Ring before.
" I think it would be cool if you linked her site to her name and all the rest. I know she and her designers were picked because of their Opera work and direction of Aladdin in CA. "
Do you have any news on the whole 'swimming' effect for the mermaids - you stated in your email that the shoes are 'custom' made and expensive. Is this an acknowledgment of the whole 'wheelie' shoe rumor that has been circulating the Internet for months - or am i reading too much into this comment?
" I will say this much. The show was originally conceived as mostly a dance/ballet show. The mermaids were going to dancing with camouflage legs. Matthew Bourne (Swan Lake, Edward Scissorhands) was originally tapped to direct this show. Disney was looking for something beautiful NOT spectacular. Bourne works in scale and elegance.
The sets for Mermaid are huge and dancing is key. Obviously with Tarzan Disney tried very hard to push flying and it is just laughable. It is also not practical to have seven flying mermaids on stage at the same time. Stephen Mear was brought on in part because of his work with Bourne. The mermaids, Ursula and some of the sea creatures have different types of movement. The mermaids will not all move the same and the tails are not the same. There have been movement tests, but they are waiting to do the tryout. In the end the most of the mermaids will not be on skates and this “swimming” effect is going to come from elegant movements and the illusion that a tail is attached. It is not spectacle though; don’t expect to see Cirque du Soleil style stuff being done. The dancing is sufficient and when combined with the varying stage levels it will be convincing enough. There are however different parts of the show and different areas of staging that will require special effects or mechanical devices. In some of these parts skates will be used, I’m not sure who leaked the heelie rumor, but it is not the only mode of swimming. Also like I said there is some “flying” but it is limited to just a simple but safe lift. "
I am also really wanting to find out whether this design (
http://littlemermaidbroadway.blogspot.com/2007/01/costumes.html) is close in theory (obviously not colour, ect.) to the designs for the mermaids or is this way off the mark?
" This design is similar to what will be used. These vary on the mermaid and scene. "
* edited for spacing.
Source
Updated On: 3/27/07 at 09:48 AM
