The Little Mermaid on Broadway

[Atlantica]

The 'swimming' looks beautiful, especially with the flowing material .... but I can't get over the wigs.

Just no.

And Sierra Boggess was so charming as Ariel, strange to see someone else playing her.

[supertalies]

Well, the Dutch Ariel, Tessa van Tol, is also pretty adorable. I thought she did a great job when I saw her.

Also, you get used pretty quickly to the wigs while watching the show. It just looks weirder when you see it out of context.

[Siren]

I like the use of rigging to make them swim through the air...SO much better than rollerskates!! But the wigs?? Ursula's they can get away with but Ariel's is hideous. I understand the desire to want to have her hair more like its underwater but it doesn't move AT ALL. When she swims forwards, she looks like a conehead or torpedo. Taking away the "natural" flow it should have.

Perhaps one reason for the wig like that is safety though. If her hair is very long it could get tied up in the flight rigging.

Still looks terrible though. Wish they'd come up with something better that is safe, effective and looks better

[supertalies]

I don't know if anyone found this already but I recently found an English version of the new song. Appearantly the original name is 'Daddy's little Angel'.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpgAzEk1iyE[/youtube]

[disneyprincess11]

Thank you supertalies. No doubt about it: "Daddy's little girl" in the song is defientely Ariel's mom. Really hope this come to US...if they changed the dreadful costumes and wigs.

Edit: Oops, just finished the ending withTrition being born, so the "little girl" couldn't be Ariel's mom. But, i'm still having that possibility open.

[WonderNeverOz]

I like the use of rigging to make them swim through the air...SO much better than rollerskates!! But the wigs?? Ursula's they can get away with but Ariel's is hideous. I understand the desire to want to have her hair more like its underwater but it doesn't move AT ALL. When she swims forwards, she looks like a conehead or torpedo. Taking away the "natural" flow it should have.

Perhaps one reason for the wig like that is safety though. If her hair is very long it could get tied up in the flight rigging.

Still looks terrible though. Wish they'd come up with something better that is safe, effective and looks better

I personally like the wigs. It looks really unique and different from the '89 movie, in a good way. kinda reminds me of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvyt2fdWJAQ

Btw, Alan Menken is visiting Japan on April 7th, for the opening of The Little Mermaid Musical

[Disney Duster]

The Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey in Amerca is going to have The Little Mermaid starting May 29th. It could be like the Broadway version or the Netherlands version or something totally different.

Here's a trailer for it:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow-nZ-iJusg[/youtube]

[DisneyJedi]

Awesome! I just hope the mermaids in the show look more like...

You know! Mermaids!

[Khonnor]

Thank you supertalies. No doubt about it: "Daddy's little girl" in the song is defientely Ariel's mom. Really hope this come to US...if they changed the dreadful costumes and wigs.

Edit: Oops, just finished the ending withTrition being born, so the "little girl" couldn't be Ariel's mom. But, i'm still having that possibility open.

Daddy's Little Girl is Ursula herself. The song is about how Triton was her brother and they had more brothers and sisters, who all got more attention from their father and Ursula was being ignored. She then killed all her brothers and sisters (except Triton) to get her father's attention, but it backfired and she was banned from the kingdom/throne. As revenge she killed Triton's wife/Ariel's mother. Or, something along those lines...

[Khonnor]

i just translated the Dutch lyrics to "Daddy's Little Girl"
it's a rough translation and not meant to rhyme or anything


I was a little uck
A octopussy-puck
Youngest of seven octopussy-sisters
All of them treasures
Ladies to be
Pearls of the sea
All of them, but me

Ugly, that was me
Warts and fat
Daddy got sick, just thinking of me
Just very cruel
And out of guilt
He gave me a powerful shell

"Look, Flotsam and Jetsam, I got this from daddy.
From Poseidon, full of spells en deadly enchantments.
A very fitting gift for a unbalanced reject of a child."

There was one of all my sisters
Daddy loved the most
Sweet words and a thousand kisses
And I hated that girl from the deepest of my soul

Daddy's little girl, daddy's little doll
Oh, such a cutey to see
And how he loved his lovely child
And I witnessed it and thought "How to break her?"

Daddy's angel went down from the sky
Ik said: "Help, sweet shell"
And she flew right back up

Did I have remorse?
Well, yeah
All of a sudden daughter number two was the champ
So what else could I do?
Like it was meant to be
She fell down a cliff
Ouch, that must have hurt

Daughter number three
Choked, c'est la vie
Someone poisoned her jellyfish juice
Number four and five
Also cold and stiff
And number six couldn't take it anymore
So sad

Daddy's little girls
Daddy his pride
All a terrible fate
And the how and why
Is hard to figure out

Lovely pair
You can say that for sure
But also pretty dumb

Daddy's little sweethearts
Angels on earth
For no reason fell out of the boat
I said: "Help, sweet shell"
Yes, absolutely dead

Six sweet darlin's
Very dead dolls

Daddy still wouldn't love me
But that didn't bother me at all
One night, suddenly
My sweet daddy's turn was up

No way
Really?
How cruel

And I inherited everything from my old man
And I became queen of the sea
I had my fun, it was a blast
It was just lovely

But I forgot, my daddy had
A very precious son
He was not even two, so who cared
No threat to claim the throne
But the little guy grew faster every year
After year, after year
And suddenly he was there!

"Triton! A male heir.
And he wasn't yet an adult or he took it all away from me:
Every ocean, every lake, every pond, every puddle.
And so, my dear Flotsam and Jetsam, it was time for revenge.
Revenge! On what he most holds dear.
Because, he also has a child"

That he loves very much

Yes, sometimes things can go my way
And that's because
She's our chance
Daddy's precious
That he loves so much
No, this can't go wrong

Daddy's little girl
Is worth his all

Daddy's little crownjewel

So bright, so smart
Daddy's heart

Trap her, tell him
Two birds with one stone.
Angel above
Grab her by the tail

Take it from a pro

So, bring me daddy's little girl
Go, get her, quick

Daddy's little girl
Didn't you hear me?

Daddy's little girl
Yes, it's time to go

[Disney's Divinity]

Interesting lyrics. But I don't get why every musical version so far has tried its hardest to give Ursula a backstory. Yes, she probably has one, but does it need to be told in this story? The film worked fine, maybe better, without one.

Did they do this to Scar, Frollo, or Gaston in those musicals? Let's hope nothing happens to Jafar.

[thelittleursula]

Let's hope nothing happens to Jafar.

It's sort of happened. They included the " Why Me " ? Song in the Aladdin New Stage Musical.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7cOOWr14s4[/youtube]

[WillytheDino]

The girl who played Ariel has been replaced (I'm not 100% sure, but there is an alternate actrice now and I think they take shifts) by Keet, a famous person (I think) because it has been heavily advertised on TLM facebook page.

These are some pics from her premiere.
pic 1
pic 2
pic 3
I think Tessa (the first Ariel) is a lot more like Ariel.

Anyway, other news: the show is closing on the 7th of July 2013. source

[supertalies]

The girl who played Ariel has been replaced (I'm not 100% sure, but there is an alternate actrice now and I think they take shifts) by Keet, a famous person (I think) because it has been heavily advertised on TLM facebook page.

These are some pics from her premiere.
pic 1
pic 2
pic 3
I think Tessa (the first Ariel) is a lot more like Ariel.

Anyway, other news: the show is closing on the 7th of July 2013. source

The original actress, Tessa van Tol, hasn't been completely replaced. Tessa and Keet (real name: Yvonne Coldewijer) will share the role for the remaining performances. However, this is mostly a stunt to get people to see the show, because a lot of children know Keet from television. She sings a lot of songs aimed at children.

I have have heard some songs performed by Keet on YouTube, and she's not as good as Tessa. To me, Tessa is the perfect Ariel. She looks like a Disney Princess, she can act and she has a great voice! Keet is not as great.

Also, there was really no reason to have Keet on the show, since they already had a understudies who was better than Keet (just not as well-known).

[Disney Duster]

I didn't want to make a whole new thread for this, but the Paper Mill Playhouse is doing the new style of The Little Mermaid that was done in the Netherlands, from May 29 – June 30.

Click for Broadway World's News about it.

Broadway World says, "Paper Mill Playhouse's The Little Mermaid, based on the classic animated film of the same title, will feature a revamped script, additional songs, a new physical production and an entirely fresh interpretation of the piece. Paper Mill Playhouse's reimagined production will play at partner theaters Kansas City Starlight and Pittsburgh CLO."

Here's a Youtube video of them swimming. Ariel's costume looks good in some shots and then she and Triton have awful ones in other shots, so, I'm slightly worried about that but the set and set pieces look like they will be awesome!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuHS86RDA7c[/youtube]

[DisneyJedi]

Oh, my God! I hate to say this., but the costume makes "Ariel" look even less like a mermaid!

[thelittleursula]

Oh, my God! I hate to say this., but the costume makes "Ariel" look even less like a mermaid!

I disagree. It looks like she's swimming through water, and it's much better than the rollerskates that they did before. Imo it looks beautiful.

[PatrickvD]

They just can't get this production right.

[UmbrellaFish]

I agree with PatrickvD. I think the simpler you go, the better the musical will turn out-- but nobody wants to do that; they want to create a spectacle.

[Atlantica]

Do you think it's likely to ever come to the uk?