THE LITTLE MERMAID Write-Up — Page 3

I have center orchestra seats for it here in Denver on the 21st of August. 2 days before its official opening night here. I could have gone earlier but decided to give it a few weeks into previews.

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Imagine if they could get THAT on a stage!

Please post a review here after you see it! Thanks

Yes, originally Little Mermaid was going to be a ballet; like they did with Edward Scissorhands, but they never did it and then Francesca Zambello decided to make it into a musical instead..

This is either going to be brilliant or an unmitigated disaster. Francesca Zambello has her moments of brilliance but equal moments of filth (her Lucia di Lammermoor at the MET was booed out of the house after one season and never seen again). She is no Julie Taymor, that is for sure. George Tsypin has done great work with Taymor but his vision can sometimes get out of hand (his Grendel set at LA Opera, while brilliant, caused the delay of the opera for 12 days due to a computer malfunction). Also his recent collaboration with Mermaid's costume designer is on view at the MET - the Kirov Ring Cycle. The NYTimes said:

"Too often the sets by George Tsypin and the costumes by Tatiana Noginova just looked, well, cheap and tacky. If only this staging, a joint concept of the conductor Valery Gergiev and Mr. Tsypin, had had a proper budget, I kept thinking.

Even some of the props looked like stuff from a high school theatrical. In “Das Rheingold” on Friday night the magic Tarnhelm that allows Alberich the Nibelung dwarf to change form or become invisible looked like a kitschy sorcerer’s apprentice hat covered with gold foil, a silly thing that crinkled and threatened to come apart every time Alberich put it on.

In “Die Walküre” on Saturday night Brünnhilde and her Valkyrie sisters were dressed a little like Morticia in “The Addams Family.” Their warrior helmets were glittering, feathered headdresses that would have looked right in a Las Vegas chorus girl revue. And did some prop person find their black, rubbery battle shields in the Halloween costume bin at Wal-Mart?"

Granted, they now have the Disney coffers backing them, but I for one remain skeptical. Heelys? Fish body hat mask combos? Art Nouveau waves? Full-sized swimming whales? Just because a creative team has operatic creds does not mean they're a sure thing with a Broadway musical.

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The song list, as per the demo recording, consisted of:

1. Daughters Of Triton
2. Human Stuff
3. Wasting Away
4. Part of Your World (reprise)
5. Under the Sea
6. That World Above
7. Sweet Child
8. Her Voice
9. Poor Unfortunate Souls
10. Posituvity
11. Beyond My Wildest Dreams
12. Les Poissons
13. If Only
14. If Only (reprise)
15. Poor Unfortunate Souls (reprise)
16. Kiss the Girl
17. All Good Things Must End
18. Finale

New songs have been added, totaling 28 or 29, if I'm not mistaken. Search the Message Board for the updated list.

The cast for the Denver AND Broadway runs will consist of:

Sierra Boggess as Ariel
Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula
Norm Lewis as King Triton
Sean Palmer as Prince Eric
Tituss Burgess as Sebastian
Eddie Korbich as Scuttle
Jonathan Freeman as Grimsby
Derrick Baskin as Jetsam
Tyler Maynard as Flotsam
Cody Hanford as Flounder (alternating)
J.J. Singleton as Flounder (alternatiing)
John Treacy Egan as Chef Louie

Updated On: 7/18/07 at 04:37 PM

Emily Skinner.

Does anyone know to what extent Ms. Marvelous Skinner's early departure from ON THE RECORD jeopardized her ability tobe cast in this one? I think she had been attached for some time, wasn't she?
Broadway Blog: “When you’re listening to this, try to ignore the lyrics. I know it’ll be difficult, but block them out. They’re not the best. But the tune is beautiful.”

BUMPIN' ain't EASY...

That's a good point albeit I think part of why WSS's design was so overpowering was due to the outdoor venue (I read one review that commented on how far some seats were and how he thought they made the set so massive for that benefit--which is probably oversimplifying it but...)

I don't know who said that "Little Mermaid" was originally going to be a ballet. As far as I know that is incorrect. I first saw it announced as a musical in 2002. David Ives ("Dance Of The Vampires") was supposed to write the book with Alan Menken and Glenn Slater creating the 10 new songs. I know this because Ives was on a high, also working on the "Batman" musical for Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures. "Batman" was canned, WB went ahead with "Lestat" (Curses!) and Ives was replaced by Doug Wright for some reason or other that's never been disclosed. And yes, Matthew Bourne was talked about as the director at one stage.

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Updated On: 7/20/07 at 06:06 AM

wow that was some George Tsypin bashing there! He's a GOD and I think his sets are all about emotion - translated to form and shape. Just because they are completely different than what you've seen before doesnt' make them wrong for the show. Keep an open mind.

there's going to be whales? woah...

chose not to try & replicate the look of Disney's 1989 animated version of "The Little Mermaid." But -- rather -- went back to the source material (I.E. Hans Christian Andersen's original story) to draw his inspiration. With the hope that George might then create something that looked both classic & romantic.

It's interesting that they chose to do this, seeing as how the advertisement for the musical looks like it's been lifted off the back of The Little Mermaid DVD.

Some of the new songs are really great - IMO "Beyond My Wildest Dreams" is one of the strongest, if not the best. Like Beauty and the Beast, I thought some of the other new songs were a little weak, but they could improve by the time the show opens.

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