REVIEW: The Little Mermaid [Theatre Buff]

Theatre Buff

Behind the scenes after the final curtain call...

REVIEW: The Little Mermaid

Posted on April 17, 2008 11:28 AM
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THE LITTLE MERMAID
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Broadway at 46th Street

Review by Katie Spain

“How do mermaids pee?”

It was a question that plagued my childhood years and one that Disney’s animated film didn’t answer. After all, Disney doesn’t ‘do’ bodily functions. What he does do however, is a cracking storyline and enchanting characters. I’m old enough now to realise that mermaids don’t lower themselves to toilet matters, so the latest questions to burn my brain ran along the lines of “Will the stage adaptation of The Little Mermaid live up to the film?” and “Will the tails look tacky?”. A recent trip to The Big Apple provided the perfect excuse to find out.

There’s something about Broadway; even when your inbound flight is late and you have to make a mad dash to the theatre. Yes, even when your only salvation is a packet of wet wipes in the back of a yellow cab, you feel a rush when the lights of New York’s theatreland hit your face. After years pounding London’s West End, my first brush with Broadway was all the more exciting. I regressed from my mid-twenties straight back to childhood. I know all the words to The Little Mermaid, I’ve watched the Disney film more times than I’d like to admit and I still think Prince Eric has the most gorgeous eyes in cartoon world. When I was twelve I wanted to be Ariel, I cowered when I heard King Triton’s booming voice and Ursula’s tentacles gave me the chills. So, it was with a skip in my step that I joined the kiddies running towards their seats.

I must admit, I had my doubts; high expectations and over-familiarity can end in disappointment. We were however, in safe hands with Ariel; Sierra Boggess mastered the mermaid’s mannerisms and vocals fiery charm. Unique twists like a Negro King Triton, shapely mermaids and sexy sea snails added a fresh twist. Unfortunately, the adult in me yearned for more creative ingenuity. The sea is one of the most visually explosive places on earth; boundaries could have been pushed further with puppets, shadow and sound. But, this was never meant to expand imaginations across generations; and as a commercial, colourful spectacle, it hit the spot.

Mermaids ‘swam’ with the aid of the glider shoes so many kids wear these days. An accident waiting to happen on the street, a tad more graceful on stage. A pint-sized Flounder won over hearts young and old with his little yellow-scaled antics. Cody Hanford (and Jarrell J. Singleton) had more admirers than your average D-list Pop star. Sherie René Scott shone as the eight legged evil Ursula in what was the performance of the night. Tituss Burgess (Sebastian) and Eddie Korbich (Scuttle) delighted the audience with their comic relief whilst Derrick Baskin (Jetsam) and Tyler Maynard (Flotsam) quite literally lit up the stage.

The costumes shone with sequins, ruffles and fins galore, the tails designed by award-winning designer, Tatiana Noginova, convinced the children and wowed us with their sparkles and ‘suspension’. I waited for one to dislodge, alas… despite travelling between the worlds of man and mermaid in search of love with Prince Eric, her fins stayed put.

The set flipped between the spinning visual underwater spectacle seen during ‘Under The Sea’ and a vast, empty space that dwarfed the actors. The sea is a constantly moving, breathing, living thing; at times, the heartbeat was a little hard to find. But, when they got it right, they grazed perfection and the delighted squeels from the audience and standing ovation said it all. The music was faultless, the rest just a bonus.

Most importantly, the kids loved every second. For the rest of us wrinkle farmers, the reminder of a time when make-believe and reality merged, was a rare and welcome tonic.

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