The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Transformation ... & Stage Door

[dshnookie]

Posted: 12/7/07 at 5:22pm

I was wondering how Ariel's transformation into a human is coming along at the end of Act I. I remember hearing it wasnt quite there yet in Denver, and perhaps even at the beginning of its preview run on Broadway. Just curious. I'll finally be seeing it on 12/29.

By the way, about stage dooring. I'm coming down from Boston and wanted to know roughly how soon after a show ends do the actors come out, 30mins? 1hr? etc, and do they all come out around the same time?

[Tchi4Lif188]

Posted: 12/7/07 at 10:54pm

They have fake Ariel "swimming" up as if she's going to the shore and on the way up, she kicks off her fin, then you see Sierra pop up on "land" and stand up as the curtain falls. I'm not sure if that makes sense or not, but I did my best, haha.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 12:35am

Every single cast member came out when I saw the show last week. The first actor probably came out about ten to fifteen minutes after the show ended and the last person (Sierra) came out probably around thirty minutes after the show ended.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 12:53am

The 'transformation' is as poorly handled and unmagical as everything else in this show. And it's literally a 'stand-in' for Sienna who 'pops up on land.'





Chicken Of The Sea
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Updated On: 4/29/08 at 12:53 AM

[PotO2]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 1:37am

Wow, you're not bitter. :P

[Kaybee]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 1:51am

I'm pretty sure you mean Sierra--just puttin' it out there.

[it'sjustshowbiz]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 2:21am

The transformation scene was very effective and the audience loved it.

[dshnookie]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 2:19pm

silly follow up question, but does Ariel emerge fully clothed? or is she wearing something flesh-colored on her bottom half?

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 2:52pm

"Wow, you're not bitter."

Oh, I'm PLENTY bitter. Bitter at watching Broadway theater turn into a theme park sandbox for an emotionally-arrested, dumbed-down society, bitter at watching corporations suck the life blood out of any personal vision or voice in the industry, bitter at ridiculous tariffs for soulless shows devoid of content that are merely an excuse for merchandising the latest junk. We've already entered a cultural Dark Ages and it will only get worse. Anyone with a smidgen of brain, heart or soul should be bitter, too.


Cassandra
Troy

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 3:00pm

If I remember correctly...and someone please correct me if I'm wrong...when Ariel emerges she is wearing a green fringed skirt.

And TheEnchantedHunter...I somewhat agree with you on that Broadway shows are becoming more and more of a spectacle. Off-Broadway is where you can sometimes find most of the art.

[PotO2]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 3:03pm

@TheEnchantedHunter

Sorry, I was mistaken.

[BrianS]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 3:23pm

Enchanted, maybe there is room for both sophisticated, experimental shows and for pretty solid, simpler fare that is very accessible to the hundreds of thousands of little kids who fall in love with Broadway each year by seeing them. At 9, these kids may not be able to appreciate "Light in the Piazza," but someday they may because shows like "The Little Mermaid" got them in the theater in the first place.

And I know that it is easy to think that there was a "Golden Age" on Broadway where everything was at the level of the very best R&H, but in reality, there have always been great shows and not so great shows on the boards so it hasn't really changed.

On the plus side, it's still not too late to smile today.

Updated On: 12/8/07 at 03:23 PM

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 3:38pm

BrianS, nicely put.

[StageGuy99]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 5:23pm

Well put BrianS

If you don't like a show, dont go see it, if you don't like Disney on Broadway or the Wickeds or Legally Blondes, don't go see them. But don't go getting holier than thou on them, as they are perfectly fine shows that are employing a hell of a lot of people for doing their craft. There are plenty of other places to get the more artistic side of theatre! Go there and support them too and be nice to the people that don't know about it and enjoy the "theme park broadway" and maybe you can teach them about it, and help them grow in their appreciate too!

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 6:08pm

hahaha are u kidding

Broadway has been all about making money and commercial success since it began

Its a business

[Act4ever]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 6:29pm

"There's no business like show business"

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 8:56pm

When my generation was 9, BrianS, we had our pick of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and THE KING AND I and MAN OF LA MANCHA and OLIVER and 1776 and THE MUSIC MAN and...the list goes on and on. Every one of these shows were entertainments with an IDEA in its head, suitable for all demographics and educational as well and....THEY ALL MADE MONEY and continue to do so. Now Broadway is synonymous ONLY with schlocky theme park shows like THE LITTLE MERMAID and HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL (a matter of time) and the only thing they teach you is to open up your wallet and check your brain at the door. I truly pity the contemporary young generation of theatregoers and what has been forever lost to them.

About your absurd and cynical statements, stageguy and songanddanceman, the less said, the better.


Cassandra
Troy

[StageGuy99]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 9:03pm

I dont really think I'm the cynical one here... but ok...

[lancerpanz]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 12:49am

I hate to budge into this uneducated argument, but I think Enchanted just named 6 of the worst shows ever.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 12:56am

I actually think Fiddler On The Roof is a great show...with some genius original choreography by Jerome Robins.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 1:30am

EnchantedHunter,
There are plenty of "entertainments with IDEAS in their heads" on Broadway today and recently. Musical theatre pieces such as Rent, Spring Awakening, Grey Gardens, Caroline or Change, Light in the Piazza, and Parade all fit into this category of serious musical plays that you seem to think exist only in the past. Looking back with rose- colored glasses, much? And back when your generation was 9, as you say, weren't there also witty and vibrant musical comedies? Shows such as Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Little Me, Sweet Charity, Mame, Promises Promises... they have evolved into our modern- day musical comedy: shows like Spelling Bee, Legally Blonde, Curtains, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels... One may prefer a different decade of musical theatre, but it's absurd to declare that ALL of Broadway is "theme park schlock". Your generation had its condescended- toward tourist attractions (Oh Calcutta) just as this generation has theirs (Mamma Mia). Your generation had absurd flops (Kelly, Breakfast at Tiffany's), just as this generation has theirs (In My Life, Lestat). There are plenty of musicals on Broadway that don't ask you to leave your brain at the door... both musical plays and musical comedies. Drowsy Chaperone is smart and funny with a truthful emotional core, and no name recognition, and it has had a very successful theatrical life. Broadway is not synonymous only with theme park shows. It takes all types of theatre to make up a season, and the commercial nature of Broadway has always been there. Hello- wasn't David Merrick playing on name recognition for the movie- to- musical adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's? And The Music Man, a fine American musical, may have put ideas in your head, but it did so through musical comedy tradition, a tradition continued by worthy recent shows like The Full Monty, Urinetown, Hairspray, Avenue Q...
Weak argument. Weak. Contemporary theatre is alive and well.

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 1:50am

EnchantedHunter, did you actually call someone cynical? Pot calling the kettle black much?

[pandajen14]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 1:56am

::gives both InfiniteTheaterFrenzy and BrianS a prolonged standing ovation::

I think any true Broadway fan will just be happy that people are coming to see live theater at all. If "Fiddler on the Roof" is what gets someone to fall in love with musicals, great. If it's "The Little Mermaid" that does it, that's great, too. Let's not discourage the next generation of theatergoers by telling them what does and doesn't have value as entertainment. That's up to the individual to decide.

Peace,
J

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 2:32am

I give up. You win.



Allison MacKenzie
Peyton Place, New Hampshire
Updated On: 12/9/07 at 02:32 AM

[Izzie2]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 2:33am

I agree with you that we should support the theatre-goer whatever show they are going to go see. But I also feel that it's perfectly fine to express any opinions that you may or may not have.

While I support the next generation of theatre goers, I also feel that The little mermaid s less than broadway caliber. (Flounder's in a T-Shirt!)