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A CurtainUp Review
The Little Mermaid
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Ariel, listen to me. The human world, it's a mess.
Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there ..—- from
the song "Under the Sea," as sung by Sebastian, the crab
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Sierra Boggess as The Little Mermaid
(Photo by Joan Marcus)
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Little girls with parents generous and rich enough to lay out $121.50 for a good seat will undoubtedly take delight in this new stage version of the 1989 cartoon feature. Others may have to be merely tolerant of the silly and facetious goings-on and the deliriously surreal extravagance with which it is being presented.
I had to laugh to myself at the sight of mermaids with legs and a fishtail gliding about in Heelys (shoes with rollers on the heels). The glittery two-piece costumes with seashell bras are something to behold. Costume designer Tatiana Noginova must have had a field day designing haute couture fish-wear (But where were the fishnet stockings?). Did she not think that perhaps one piece costumes with gossamer tops would have been more attractive, or at least less evocative of a Las Vegas girlie show? But then mermaids in Las Vegas would be even more realistically seen topless.
The show has been directed by Francesca Zambello who has an eye for spectacle. But she appears to be an artist out of her depth trying to devise a cohesive and coherent plan to compliment the basic story that the Disney collaborators based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The musical is awash in eye-catching distractions that compete with the players for our attention. George Tsypin's settings are an ingenious array of Plexiglass waves and huge mobile corkscrew like sculptures that glide, move and define by their looming presence both the iridescent undersea kingdom (gorgeous lighting by Natasha Katz) and the world above.
.The musical's bouncy and charming original score by Alan Menken (music) and the late Howard Ashman (lyrics) has been keenly augmented with more songs by Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater. These nicely support the bubbly romantic pursuit of Ariel (Sierra Boggess), a rebellious mermaid in her quest to marry a prince and discover the world beyond the watery one governed by her autocratic father King Triton (played with abs to envy by Norm Lewis). The lovely Boggess has a clear silvery soprano and performs with a beguilingly bright and spunky energy. Sean Palmer's voice complements his dashing figure as Prince Eric who immediately falls in love upon hearing Ariel's voice while at sea.
There is no question that the fantastical design of the show takes precedence over the merely serviceable book by Doug Wright. It was definitely an adventurous move to assign the task of fleshing out the characters and fielding the plot to Wright— the same Wright who wrote the sophisticated book for Grey Gardens and for the stunning I Am My Own Wife. While some wisps of wit and honest feelings seep into the libretto from time to time, the dialogue and the relationships rely heavily on the mix of corny kitsch mock sincerity that these days is the essence of too many entertainments geared for children. This concession to modern sensibilities works to the advantage of Eddie Korbich, who plays a giddy seagull (wearing the show's funniest costume) and Tituss Burgess, who plays a Caribbean Crab. Korbich, who has a jubilant time tapping away to "Positoovity," with a chorus line of tapping gulls, and Burgess, who disarms us with his Jamaican jabbering generate plenty of laughs and easily win audience approval.
Another audience favorite was Trevor Braun (one of four boys who alternate in the role) as Flounder. He makes a notable splash, along with a bevy of "Mersisters" who emulate a pop girl group, singing "She's in Love, " Sherie Rene Scott is a hoot as Ursula the villainous and vindictive sea witch cum femme fatale octopus who cons her niece Ariel into sacrificing her voice for a mortal body. Encased in a hilariously restrictive costume with eight twitching tentacles and a headdress of medusa curls, she wiggles and waddles through the vaudevillian homage "I Want the Good Times Back" and "Poor Unfortunate Souls." More villainy comes with Ursala's flunkies, Flotsam and Jetsam, a pair of electrified eels. They are played with unctuous panache by Tyler Maynard and Derrick Baskin.
Other captivating songs from the original score, including the calypso frolic "Under the Sea," and the dreamy "Kiss the Girl," are embellished by Stephen Mear's okay but limited choreographic vocabulary. Seafood is unfortunately the dish du jour in the palace, courtesy of Chef Louis, as comically played by John Treacy Egan.
The theme of how a young woman learns to trust herself and follow her instincts in the shadow of an over-protective single parent will not go unnoticed by the many children who will undoubtedly visit this show. Hopefully, they will take away with them more than the image of sea creatures rolling around in a plexiglass world and the sight of all the t-shirts, CDs and tchotch-kes being sold in the lobby.
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The Little Mermaid Score by Alan Menken (music) and Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater (lyrics) Book by Doug Wright Directed by Francesca Zambello Cast: Sierra Boggess, Sherie Rene Scott, Sean Palmer, Norm Lewis, Tituss Burgess, Eddie Korbich, Jonathan Freeman, Derrick Baskin, Tyler Maynard, Trevor Braun, Brian D'Addario, Cody Hanford, J.J. Singleton, Adrian Bailey, Cathryn Basile, Heidi Blickenstaff, James Brown III, Robert Creighton, Cicily Daniels, John Treacy Egan, Tim Federle, Merwin Foard, Ben Hartley, Meredith Inglesby, Michelle Lookadoo, Joanne Manning, Alan Mingo, Jr., Zakiya Young MIzen, Betsy Morgan, Arbender J. Robinson, Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines, Bret Shuford, Jason Snow, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Kay Trinidad, Price Waldman, Daniel J. Watts Scenic Design: George Tsypin Costume Design: Tatiana Noginova Lighting Design: Natasha Katz Sound Design: John Shivers Orchestrations by Danny Troop Music Director, Incidental music & vocals arrangements: Michael Kosarin Choreography: Stephen Mear Running Time: 2 hours 20 minutes including intermission Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 West 46th Street TicketMaster: (212) 307 – 4747 or online at www.DisneyOnBroadway.com Tickets ($51.50 - $121.50) Performances: Tuesday – Saturday evening at 8 PM, Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2 PM, and Sunday matinees at 3 PM. Previews began 11/03/07; Opened Thursday 01/10/08 Closing 8/30/09 Review by Simon Saltzman based on performance January 3, 2008 |
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Musical Numbers
Music by Alan Menken; * Lyrics by Howard Ashman; Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater; All other lyrics by Glenn Slater | |
Act One
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Act Two
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Try onlineseats.com for great seats to
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Wicked
Jersey Boys
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The Playbill Broadway YearBook
Leonard Maltin's 2007 Movie Guide