The Little Mermaid on Broadway

[The Little Merboy]

I actually met Chelsea Morgan Stock in Denver, the day of the very 1st preview. I got her pic and everything, she always looked more like Ariel to me than Sierra. She was super sweet, and I got to meet her again and get her autograph in NY. Happy for her.

[The Little Merboy]

tsom, i cannot reply to PMs for some reason?

anywoo, the book is great, FULL of wonderful information on The Little Mermaid film and broadway musical. It is full of gorgeous colorful shots, and does indeed mention Wasting Away and Vanessa, and why they were excluded.

even if you don't get it anytime soon, see if your local Barnes and Noble has it, and check it out there.

[tsom]

Okay, thank you so much!

If you don't mind, can you please tell why they ended up cutting Vanessa and the whole love triangle?

[xxhplinkxx]

I loved Wasting Away, I was bummed that they cut it.

[supertalies]

If you don't mind, can you please tell why they ended up cutting Vanessa and the whole love triangle?

Yes please, I kinda like Vanessa, so I didn't like it when she was cut from the show!
Was it because they couldn't make the actress playing Ursula look and sound like Ariel, or something like that?

[The Little Merboy]

Wasting Away was cut, along with numerous other new songs written for the show, one including a new Sebastian song, "That Oughta Show Her." In which would have taken place when Sebastian told King Triton what Ariel needs, which we know the scene as when Triton appoints Sebastian to be her guardian. Anywoo, those number of songs were written, when they had a different director at the time, and the show was going in a different direction. In which they described, that director was going in a darker direction, more along the lines of the actual fairy tale.

As for Vanessa, I will have to find where it mentions her again. And post that later

[Chernabog_Rocks]

How do they deal with Ursula in this version? I've always wondered that because I can't see them ramming her with a ship....

Also, I've seen a youtube video of "She's In Love" and was....not overly impressed with the choreography, I mean it is hard to make mermaids dance since it's mostly limited to the upper body (what with the lack of legs) but...I dunno, it just looked like it could have been better but I suppose it could have been worse as well

[supertalies]

How do they deal with Ursula in this version? I've always wondered that because I can't see them ramming her with a ship....

Well, Ariel breaks her ''magic shell''.
The shell is different from the one in the movie, as it has all of Ursula's powers in it. So when it breaks, Ursula dies (I guess because her life- energie was in it, or something like that..). I believe she gets blown off stage, or something like that.
It's kinda dumb.

[tsom]

Thanks for that! The old director was Matthew Bourne and they also had a different creative team. I just can't help but wonder how the show would have been if the other creative team was still on board. I mean "Beyond My Wildest Dreams" was a solo, "If Only" was a duet, "All Good Things Must End" was the eleven o'clock number, and "Poor Unfortunate Souls" had a reprise with an all new incantation.

I've heard "That Oughta Show Her" and it's reprise. It has a calypso beat, and I guess it gives Triton an extra song to sing.

I wonder what darker elements they were going to add. Maybe it would have been darker, but still had the happy ending?

All in all, I think the version we have now is good. I just wish they hadn't cut out "All Good Things Must End". I don't mind The Contest storyline at all.

[Disney's Divinity]

All in all, I think the version we have now is good. I just wish they hadn't cut out "All Good Things Must End".

I agree. "All Good Things Must End" is the best song to come from the making of this musical--it captures Ursula's character better than anything that actually got into the finished show (even "Poor Unfortunate Souls" was mutilated in the process). "Wasting Away" was pretty good, too. But it gets a little too comical near the middle, and it's easily replaced by "I Want The Good Times Back."

Anyway, I ordered the book, just because I like to read about all things TLM (regardless of their quality). I wonder how different it would've been if the first director had stayed on. To be true, it wasn't that bad, but a lot of good was left out (an ending duet seen in some pre-shows in Denver) and a lot of bad put in (Ursula's humor being stupid). I just think it's funny that the Vanessa storyline didn't make it into the show, but Chef Louie and Scuttle both got two songs each.

[The Little Merboy]

an ending duet seen in some pre-shows in Denver

I was lucky enough to attend, the first preview in Denver. It must be said, I MUCH MUCH MUCH prefer that duet, it was more sincere and heartfelt. Like Eric and Ariel, finally got to put their love into a song, basically, it was super pretty.

[xxhplinkxx]

I don't really care for Scuttle's songs. Or Flotsam and Jetsam's for that matter.

I really did like All Good Things Must End and Wasting Away.

There were also a few lyric changes to the Ariel and Eric part of If Only that I don't understand why they changed them/took them out.

Does anyone have the songs from the workshop that they could email to me? I used to have them on my iPod but I had to re-format it and lost them.

[SpringHeelJack]

Personally, I think pretty much every new song in the show is fairly lousy... "Positoovity" is one of the most offensive things I've ever heard. And "That World Above" serves no purpose at all ever. It's an "I want" sing totally inferior to the second "I want" song ("Part of Your World") that follows it. I don't know what Alan Menken was thinking there. "She's In Love" is okay, but everything after that just lacks any sort of wit and energy that Howard Ashman injected into the film's songs.

[Disney Duster]

I apologize in my review for saying Ariel didn't save herself but Cinderella did since that is not clear and depends on how you look at things. Possibly neither one of them did. I re-edited it to try and explain why Cinderella kind of saved herself and why Ariel kind of saved herself. But now at least they did both defeat the villain.

HeelJack, Alan Menken said Eric and Ariel were supposed to sing, in the beginning, how the love the sea/love the land, and they feel like they belong there, and that's why they're meant for each other. Or something like that.

Coulda been done better, of course.

I am one who also wishes this play kept some of the old songs and that duet at the end, and do wonder if it would've been better with the old director.

I like some of the ideas behind the show, but not how they are executed. Some ideas that don't seem to have been good at all and I hate were the corkscrews, and the gawdy neon las vegas look, and a lot of the all-animal character costumes.

And the shell-breaking plot instead of the awesome destructo goddess Ursula needing more to defeat her. And the contest instead of Vanessa.

Why?

'Cause it eliminated some of the drama. You know, what's good in theater.

[PrincePhillipFan]

Wasting Away was cut, along with numerous other new songs written for the show, one including a new Sebastian song, "That Oughta Show Her."

Totally random, but just hearing the song title made me think of Philia's song "That'll Show Him" from A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. Although the implications of Sebastian singing that are...weird to say the least.

[Chernabog_Rocks]

They should have stuck with ramming Ursula with a ship

I kind of enjoy She's In Love, the If Only Quartet and I Want the Good Times Back.

Poor Unfortunate Souls is......not as good as the original, I find Ursula to be far too....screechy in some parts of her songs, and just the way she sings the songs in general can be a tad irking. The same goes for Under the Sea with Sebastien where he does some odd yells? Or maybe he's just saying Yeah, but it sounds like he's just got multiple hits to the family jewels.

I don't mind Flotsam and Jetsams songs, I rather dislike Scuttle's.

There seems to be a trend in a number of songs to have the characters be screechy, yelling etc. Poor Unfortunate Souls, Under the Sea and Somewhere Beyond My Wildest Dreams come to mind. Also, Chef Louie rather scares me, at least the picture of him in the lyrics booklet does....I don't understand why he has Ronald McDonald lips.

[ChrisLyne]

an ending duet seen in some pre-shows in Denver

I was lucky enough to attend, the first preview in Denver. It must be said, I MUCH MUCH MUCH prefer that duet, it was more sincere and heartfelt. Like Eric and Ariel, finally got to put their love into a song, basically, it was super pretty.

I saw the same preview and to this day I still prefer that ending. I saw the third preview as well and they'd already changed it.

I can see why as it allows them to start on stage for the rings and move onto the ship whilst the rest of the cast is singing (at least that's what it looks like on youtube, still not seen the show on Broadway), but they lyrics were just so beautiful. Plus the Fathom's Below reprise was fantastic as well and all they've replaced that with is instrumental!

I think it's still on youtube, but I've not checked as I ripped it to mp3 a long time ago. Same for Denver's opening Fathom's Below with the extra verses.

HellJack, Alan Menken said Eric and Ariel were supposed to sing, in the beginning, how the love the sea/love the land, and they feel like they belong there, and that's why they're meant for each other. Or something like that.

ARIEL
Just like the land,
You’ll help me stand,
Fearless and steady!

ERIC
Just like the sea,
Reckless and free,
You’ll stir my soul!

BOTH
Somehow in you,
I feel brand new,
And I know,
Now at last I’m ready

Still the best version of the ending in my opinion, though I'm probably biased as this was what I saw opening night and the atmosphere and the passion of the cast really added to the entire show that night.

[Disney's Divinity]

I think it's still on youtube, but I've not checked as I ripped it to mp3 a long time ago. Same for Denver's opening Fathom's Below with the extra verses.

I hate to ask, but do you still have that mp3?

I kind of enjoy She's In Love, the If Only Quartet and I Want the Good Times Back.

Those are the ones I most enjoy as well. Although I liked the other kid's version of "She's In Love" a little better than the one who ended up on the CD. And "One Step Closer" is beautiful, too--I've always loved how this and "BMWD" borrows some of the score from the film.

Over time, my negativity around this musical has kind of settled, and I actually accepted it somewhat once I realized that this would never be as good as the film. "The World Above" does have weak lyrics, but I do like the melody. The reprise definitely has good ideas ("I'm still the King here!"--I can imagine Triton spitting that out and Ariel cowering behind Eric's statue), but I still see Norm Lewis as a strange choice for that part because he can't quite pull off Triton's menacing character--neither does Sherie Scott with Ursula, but I don't blame them for that. Just to save myself from a really long rant, I won't go into Ursula since that's where the resentment really lies.

Scuttle's songs I like in the sense that I take them completely out of reference of the musical and listen to them that way. That's the only way to enjoy those two. I also think "Les Poissons" has to be listened to in a similar way, though I really hate the reprise. And "Her Voice" is one of those songs you have to be in the mood for, but it sounds great on the piano.

Also, I'm one of the few who actually likes Tituss Burgess as good as, if not almost better than, Samuel Wright--when he's singing, at least. In my personal opinion, "Under the Sea" became more of a show-stopper and "Kiss the Girl" a little more likable. Too bad the same can't be said for all the other, best songs in the film--I really do like Sierra Boggess and she's not the one who made the decision to do it this way, but "Part of That World" is sung way too loud and nearly over-the-top. And the reprise has none of the impact that made it a classic moment in the film.

Overall, I like a lot of what the cast brings. Sherie Scott really shows her talents in the ending of "IWTGTB (reprise)" and Sierra Boggess has a beautiful voice. It's just that a lot of the changes in the music and characters don't entirely satisfy me. But I think the only Disney musicals I've liked have been The Lion King and Mary Poppins, to be honest. (note, I haven't heard Aida or the German Hunchback).

[tsom]

"The World Above" can be seen as Ariel's introduction song, while "Part of That World" is her "I want" song. That's how I look at it. The reprise of "The World Above" is really weak in my opinion.

Some say Les Poisson is unnecessary, but I think it proves Sebastian's point about the treatment of sea creatures in the human world.

I don't get why Scuttle has two songs, and they honestly halt the story. Both of Scuttle's songs can be done using dialogue instead. I guess the same could be said for "Sweet Child," but I really like it and it's a nice lead in to "Ursula's Incantation."

I love how they expanded "Daughters of Triton" and "Fathoms Below," but if they were going for the Triton/Ursula sibling relationship, then they should have added the lyrics about Ursula and her motives to "Fathoms Below" (Fathoms below in the ocean lives Ursula, witch of the sea! She plots, and she schemes, and she wickedly dreams...).

I also like "Beyond My Wildest Dreams," but the solo version was a little bit better. It's supposed to be going on in Ariel's head and it's her own fantasy, so why are the maids singing along?

As for "Her Voice," you really have to be in the mood to listen to that one. I mean it's a pretty song, and I guess it's Eric's version of "POTW," but I like "One Step Closer" better.

I haven't seen the show live, but I've watched it online, and I think it's an uplifting musical that kept me smiling till the very end, and I suppose that's all that really matters. The only thing I don't agree with this whole production is having "Under the Sea" come after the destruction of the grotto. I mean, why? It's sort of like how the stage version of "West Side Story" has the comedic "Gee, Officer Krupke" sung after the tragedy of "The Rumble".

[ChrisLyne]

Disney's Divinity - check you PMs