Musical Mondays: The Little Mermaid

Hello wonderful people of JetPunk! I have decided that I will be doing Disney Broadway Musicals for all of the Musical Mondays in February, and maybe March, mainly because I am busy. I know most of these shows pretty well, so it will not take as much time as a typical Musical Monday to write. I have written down any suggestions that you have given me, and feel free to keep them coming. I may just take me a while to get to some of the musicals that I am not familiar with. Now, onto The Little Mermaid!

This was one of my favorite movies when I was little, so naturally, I love the Broadway version as well. I was in a production of The Little Mermaid Jr. over the summer, and I played Allana and a Princess. This was only for a week long summer camp, so I did not have a lot of time in this show, it will always be special to me because it was the first time I ever got to sing my own part on stage. Even if it was just a few lines, it was still great.

The Little Mermaid was originally released as an animated movie by Walt Disney Animation Studios on November 17, 1989. It was loosely based on the Danish fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson. The music for this film was written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, and much of the music later became apart of the Broadway adaptation.

The Little Mermaid had a fairly short run on Broadway, from January 10, 2008 to August 30, 2009. Since then, there have been many regional productions around the United States, Canada, and in many other countries world wide.

Main Characters In Order of Appearance:

Prince Eric: The adventurous prince who captures Ariel's heart.

Original Broadway: Sean Palmer

Grimsby: Prince Eric's valet. Rigid, prim, and proper.

Original Broadway: Jonathan Freeman

Ariel: The Little Mermaid who longs to be human.

Original Broadway: Sierra Boggess

King Triton: Ariel's father, ruler of the sea.

Original Broadway: Norm Lewis

Sebastian: Servant of King Triton. Meticulous and anxious crab who tries to keep Ariel safe.

Original Broadway: Tituss Burgess

Flounder: Ariel's sincere and sensitive best friend. Loyal to the end.

Original Broadway: Cody Hanford/J.J. Singleton

Scuttle: The curious seagull who knows all about the human stuff found around the beach and ocean.

Original Broadway: Eddie Korbich

Ursula: The manipulative sea witch trying to take over the sea. The antagonist of the show.

Original Broadway: Sherie Rene Scott

Carlotta: Headmistress in the palace and Ariel's greatest human ally.

Original Broadway: Heidi Blickenstaff

Chef Louis: The over-the-top head chef in the palace.

Original Broadway: John Treacy Egan

Others:

Pilot: Head Sailor on Prince Eric's ship.

Flotsam/Jetsam: Ursula's spies and minions, sinister and sneaky.

Mersisters: Ariel's 6 sisters. Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, and Allana

Princesses: The 6 princesses trying to win Prince Eric's heart. Can double as the 6 Mersisters.

Sea Chorus, Sea Creatures, Tentacles, Sailors, Merfolk, Lagoon Animals: Other inhabitants of the land and sea.

This is the synopsis of The Little Mermaid according to stageagent.com.

"Beautiful mermaid Ariel should be a happy girl -- she lives in an enchanted undersea country, her father is a King, and she has the most beautiful singing voice. But she is a passionate, headstrong teenager, and wants what she cannot have -- to live on land. When she falls in love with a handsome human prince, Ariel is more determined than ever to gain a pair of legs. But her only option is to defy her furious father, and bargain with Ursula the Sea Witch, giving her voice as the price of entry onto dry land. With the help of Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull, and officious court composer Sebastian the crab, Ariel must wordlessly gain Prince Eric's love within three days -- or lose her soul to the ambitious witch! Based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, and the wildly popular Disney film, this musical staging of The Little Mermaid features a funny and fanciful book by Doug Wright, with the beloved score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Glenn Slater in an expanded but completely faithful form, featuring the rambunctious and persuasive “Under the Sea,” the romantic expectation of “Kiss the Girl,” and that anthem to longing and belonging, “Part of Your World.”"

Different songs had different writers, with the work divided between Alan Menken, Glenn Slater, and Howard Ashman. Here is a list of all of the songs (excluding overtures, playoffs, and music only played by the orchestra)  and which characters sing them.

Act I

"Fathoms Below" - Pilot, Prince Eric, Grimsby, Ensemble

"Daughters of Triton" - Mersisters

"The World Above" - Ariel

"Human Stuff" - Scuttle, Ensemble

"I Want the Good Times Back" - Ursula, Flotsam, Jetsam, Ensemble

"Part of Your World" - Ariel

"Part of Your World (Reprise)" - Ariel

"She's in Love" - Mersisters, Flounder

"Her Voice" - Prince Eric

"The World Above (Reprise)" - King Triton

"Under the Sea" Sebastian, Ensemble

"Under the Sea (Reprise)" - Sebastian, Ensemble

"Sweet Child" - Flotsam, Jetsam

"Poor Unfortunate Souls" - Ursula, Ariel

Act II

"Positoovity" - Scuttle, Ensemble

"Beyond My Wildest Dreams" - Ariel, Carlotta, Ensemble

"Les Poissions" - Chef Louis

"Les Poissions (Reprise)" - Chef Louis, Ensemble

"One Step Closer" - Prince Eric

"I Want the Good Times Back (Reprise)" - Ursula, Flotsam, Jetsam

"Kiss the Girl" - Sebastian, Ensemble

"Sweet Child (Reprise)" - Flotsam, Jetsam

"If Only (Quartet)" - Ariel, Prince Eric, Sebastian, King Triton

"The Contest" - Grimsby, Princesses, Ensemble

"Poor Unfortunate Souls (Reprise)" - Ursula

"If Only (Reprise)" - King Triton, Ariel

"Finale" - Ariel, Prince Eric, Ensemble

Obviously, the original animated movie was released in 1989, but it did have 2 direct to DVD sequels, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000), and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008).

There is also a live-action version of the original movie that just finished production and will release in 2023.

Overall, I would probably rank The Little Mermaid at 6.8/10. It is not the most original story in the world, but that is probably because Disney has turned it into a classic. The story is recognizable to anyone who has seen the movie, yet has some new music to keep you on your toes. I know that my cousin is currently in a production of this musical, and I cannot wait to see what her school music department puts together.

Put and suggestions for shows to do in the future, I promise I do keep track of them all. If there are specific Disney Musicals y'all want to see in the next month or two, just let me know.

Let me know what you think of these blogs, I love to read your feedback even if I don't have time to respond much. Sorry I have been MIA for the last couple weeks, I am hoping to be more consistent, but I can't make any promises. I hope you enjoyed by overview of The Little Mermaid!

Have a Very Musical Monday,

Rosie.