Little Mermaid: Musical- Broadway Show Review
Concert Review of "The Little Mermaid"The story and much of the music of "The Little Mermaid" is familiar to anyone who was once a little girl-or who knows a little girl. The performance on October 12, 2008 I saw of the Broadway musical is a retelling of the Disney cartoon that has been played and replayed on many DVDs in many homes across America before the watchful eyes of young children. Disney's animated feature film is, of course, itself based upon the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale of the same name, and contains such classic songs as "Part of Your World" and "Under the Sea." To prepare for the show, I watched the DVD again, and I also read over Anderson's tale, to re-familiarize myself with the songs. I also wanted to be aware of what the creators of the musical had decided to keep from the Disney animated film, perhaps added back from Anderson that Disney had rejected, and what they had introduced that was entirely new to realize a different creative vision.The musical was splashy (no pun intended) fun with bright colors, dazzling special effects and glittery costumes (particularly in terms of how the underwater world was created). The many show-stopping tunes were clearly designed to 'wow' the audience. The show ha
s a strong narrative, but the sea-witch Ursula, Ariel's transition from mermaid to 'real' girl, and other aspects of the work obviously used special effects in a way that was designed to draw attention to the effects, rather than the plot. People know that they liked the film, so they rationalize that they will enjoy the musical as well. Also, in terms of staging, "The Little Mermaid" is not like "The Lion King," a completely new theatrical approach to the Disney story. Instead "The Little Mermaid" tries to keep fairly close to the spirit and appearance of the original film. Also, people feel comfortable buying what may be extremely expensive tickets for a tested musical product. Sierra Boggess adds far more human feeling and characterization to the songs like "Part of Your World" than her cartoon counterpart and has a wonderfully expressive face and demeanor. One interesting choice regarding the musical construction was the fact that the musical was directed by Francesca Zambello, who normally directs operas. But because the original animated product was not bad, viewing "The Little Mermaid" onstage is not an unpleasant experience. " In short, "The Little Mermaid" on stage is simply an extension of the Disney brand. New songs were added, but the storyline remained the same so this did not seem to add very much to the production in terms of plot or characterization. The star singer, Sierra Boggess, has a strong voice and an appealing stage presence. To some extent, this is disappointing, given the talent that is clearly on display in the production. However, the older members of the audience, from parents to people like myself, enjoyed the lead actress' strong voice, the comic performance of the Ariel's marine friends and seawitch, and the calypso rhythms which took up the overall quality of the performance a clear 'notch' from what might be expected from a children's musical.
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Acceptance Essays
