"The Little Mermaid"- 3/12/08 review
"The Little Mermaid"- 3/12/08 review
Harpz2006
Broadway Star Joined: 1/3/08
#1"The Little Mermaid"- 3/12/08 review
Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:17am
I just saw the matinee show yesterday (3/12/0
, and I found it to be beautiful in some aspects, and to have room for improvement in others. The overture was delightful; I teared up during the dramatic playing of "Part of Your World." (My less gushy high school sister cited the overture as the best part of the show.)
Ariel's entrance received substantial applause, and her presence lit up the stage. Sierra Boggess' voice is silvery and enthralling, and she delivered in all of her songs. Her acting and inflections were just like the animated Ariel, with her delicate, girlish speaking voice and graceful nature. Sherie Rene Scott was entertaining, and her accent-switching seemed to be clearly a character choice. She got a lot of laughs, and her costume was fantastic. Eddie Korbich was amusing as Scuttle, but I wasn't loving either of his two numbers. I think it depends on if you like that sort of humor. My sassy sister remarkd Scuttle is "annoying in the movie, annoying onstage." I still see him as a crucial character and a necessary liason between the sea and land worlds, but I see her point.The eels did a nice job with the ominous luring ballad "Sweet Child", and Tituss Burgess was full of energy and sounded excellent on "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl." Sean Palmer, as Prince Eric, is handsome and charming- some of his lines are a bit cheesy, but Ariel's infatuation him is easy to understand, and he comes across as a genuinely great guy.
My main complaint would have to be the choreography- almost every number ended with a high school-ish "group pose", often involving lifting one cast member in the air. It seemed rather contrived when they would all run into "ending position". I also felt that even during the exuberant, bouncy number "She's in Love", the cast didn't seem to be having a lot of fun- many seemed distracted and on auto-pilot rather than spontaneous and light. The young boy who played Flounder (not sure which it was today) was adorable and did a great job with his solo in aforementioned song. Norm Lewis, whom I loved as Javert in "Les Miserables", was in fine form, and sounded wonderful on his solos- I feel like the writers could have given him more to do, though.
The ending of "The Little Mermaid", though I've always loved the movie, is never completely satisfying to me. I mean, she gets her way, but isn't it a bit sexist? After all, Ariel does change her species to get the guy. I always am a little sad that she did give up her life in the sea and her dedication to her family to fulfill to become "part of that world". She barely know Eric, and isn't he the first/only human she's ever seen when she declares her passionate love for him? Triton sounded insincere when he said, "I've never been prouder" at the end, and my sister and I both felt Ariel was being a bit too indulged. I also wasn't completely convinced by the girl-power, shell-breaking ending, but I found the fish/human extravaganza finale oddly touching.
Overall, I'd call the show uneven, but certainly not terrible by any means. It touched my heart quite a few times (I loved the addition of "One Step Closer" and the way it added some depth to Ariel and Eric's relationship. The transformation is quite visually stunning, and the audience seemed to celebrate such special effects- Eric's drowning was met with thundrous applause (due to the "floating" illusion), which I found rather morbid. I wish the show had been more about the simple story than about trying to blow the audience away with spectacle. However, it features a talented cast, beautiful songs, and a classic story that is thrilling to see come to life.
Updated On: 3/13/08 at 12:17 AM
LittlexFallxOfxRain
Featured Actor Joined: 2/25/08
#2re: 'The Little Mermaid'- 3/12/08 review
Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:18amThank you for your review! I had similar problems with the show, but overall it wasn't aweful.
#2re: 'The Little Mermaid'- 3/12/08 review
Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:20amThanks! I enjoyed your review...
Genius lasts longer than beauty.
#3re: 'The Little Mermaid'- 3/12/08 review
Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:21amThanks for sharing! Glad you had fun!
"Everytime you step on that stage it is somebody's first Broadway show and somebody's last Broadway show. Make it count."
dave1606
Broadway Star Joined: 12/8/07
#4re: 'The Little Mermaid'- 3/12/08 review
Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:29amGreat review! I feel pretty much the same about the show! Its definitely not perfect, but its not piece of crap that the reviews want you to believe. I love Sierra Boggess and Sherie Rene Scott!
blaxx
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/05
#5re: 'The Little Mermaid'- 3/12/08 review
Posted: 3/13/08 at 2:53amYour sister should post here too...she had hilarious comments.
Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE
bwayguy22089
Broadway Star Joined: 12/16/06
#7re: 'The Little Mermaid'- 3/12/08 review
Posted: 3/13/08 at 8:47am
That was a great review. Glad you had fun! 
#8re: 'The Little Mermaid'- 3/12/08 review
Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:25pm
WOW!
Congrats and Thanks to HARPZ!
You did a fantastic job on your review! People need to back up their feelings about a show with reason and thought more often like you did here! It helps the reader get so much more out of it.
Generally these reviews are pure emotion and exaggeration, but yours was an exception! Nice job!
"To love another person is to see the face of God!"
#9re: 'The Little Mermaid'- 3/12/08 review
Posted: 3/13/08 at 2:00pm
She barely knows Eric, and isn't he the first/only human she's ever seen when she declares her passionate love for him?
Very good point. I've though that many times.
