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On May 31, it was announced that Stage Entertainment's Joop van den Ende got permission from Disney to host a new production of the Little Mermaid musical. Stage Entertainment will design the show from scratch and the new version will be completely different from the Broadway version. One of the producers also confirmed they will probably lose the heelys.

Bob Crowley (Aida) will be designing the (completely new) costumes and Glenn Casal (Beauty and the Beast) is the new director. Songwriters Alan Menken and Glenn Slater will write some new music for the show, and two new songs will be added.

They will also rewrite the script. The new version will be aimed at a more mature audience and give more depth to the father/daughter relationship between Ariel and Triton and the mutual romantic feelings between Ariel and Eric. The new production will also include a more mature Ariel.

This new production will debut in 2012 in the Netherlands and will then tour across Europe.

http://www.stage-entertainment.com/

Sounds great! Everything the Broadway version should had been. I hope a new cast recording will be released.

I hope "All Good Things Must End" (maybe re-worked) is put back in there--since they're thankfully taking a more mature approach.

I hope this goes off much better than the B'way production.

Much as I love The Little Mermaid, this show has huge story problems. It needs to go back to the original plot of the film; get rid of the ridiculous contest, include Vanessa, etc.. I'm looking forward to hearing how this works itself out.

I agree that they should use "All Good Things Must End" (as well as "Wasting Away" and the original demo version of "Poor Unfortunate Souls Reprise"). Maybe if it works well enough, they can do a revival of sorts on Broadway.

This is great news.

Stage Entertainment slightly re-worked Tarzan for the Dutch version and it was a fantastic show. I could not find a flaw in it and almost enjoyed it as much as The Lion King.

Stage entertainment also did Sister Act and the creative relationship they have with Alan Menken is, at the moment, much healthier than with Disney Theatricals or Disney in general. They're allowing him much more freedom.

Very much looking forward to this.

PatrickvD wrote:Stage Entertainment slightly re-worked Tarzan for the Dutch version and it was a fantastic show. I could not find a flaw in it and almost enjoyed it as much as The Lion King.

So that's why you guys actually liked the show over there.... Hmm.

Yes, actually they later made all new Tarzan productions similair to the version that premiered in The Netherlands.

I loved the Broadway Musical, although, I did wish it was more true to the movie. I do hope, they add Vanessa.

I heared they wanted it to premiere in the summer. How beautiful it sounds, I'm actually quite nervous about the project. Stage will be premiering Wicked in the Netherlands in October, and soon after a big project like Little Mermaid.
Mary Poppins, which is running to an end, isn't the biggest succes here overseas (its running a year now and seems to have lots of empty chairs). So if Wicked won't run (which would be ridiculous for such an amazing show) and the Mermaid(which looks expensive) will be released soon after and will be again a Disney(after Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, Tarzan, Mary Poppins), there is a change people just had enough of all the fairytales and magic and wont visit it, therefore becoming a flop or just won't be produced due to the risk of becoming one.

Great News! I had such high hopes for the Broadway production but it just never seemed to really work.

Anyway, great to see a new production in development aimed at a more mature audience, and happy that it's getting a completely new design as well as a better story. I just hope that it's successful enough to come to London!

Toky wrote:I heared they wanted it to premiere in the summer. How beautiful it sounds, I'm actually quite nervous about the project. Stage will be premiering Wicked in the Netherlands in October, and soon after a big project like Little Mermaid.
Mary Poppins, which is running to an end, isn't the biggest succes here overseas (its running a year now and seems to have lots of empty chairs). So if Wicked won't run (which would be ridiculous for such an amazing show) and the Mermaid(which looks expensive) will be released soon after and will be again a Disney(after Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, Tarzan, Mary Poppins), there is a change people just had enough of all the fairytales and magic and wont visit it, therefore becoming a flop or just won't be produced due to the risk of becoming one.

I don't think people will have enough of all the fairytales because there are a lot more musicals playing with different themes and stories. Not just fairytales and 'Disney stories'. I think one of the reasons why Mary Poppins isn't a big succes here, is because the story isn't that well known. I saw the show and although it was a good show, I don't remember a lot of songs. I think a lot more people know the story and the songs of The Little Mermaid.
I do think shows like Tarzan and the Lion King are better for a bigger audience than TLM, because from what I saw of TLM it really looks like a girly show.

candydog wrote:Great News! I had such high hopes for the Broadway production but it just never seemed to really work.

Anyway, great to see a new production in development aimed at a more mature audience, and happy that it's getting a completely new design as well as a better story. I just hope that it's successful enough to come to London!

Yes, it would been great to have a London production and an English-language cast recording!

Mmmadelon wrote:I do think shows like Tarzan and the Lion King are better for a bigger audience than TLM, because from what I saw of TLM it really looks like a girly show.

I honestly think TLM has more of an appeal to both genders than Tarzan...

I don't think Mermaid the film is very girly, but all the merchandise they have for it leaves a bad impression.

Also, from what I saw/heard of the Broadway show--it was definitely girlified.

How was the Broadway show girlified? Is it because Ariel was the one who defeated Ursula? I don't get it...

tsom wrote:How was the Broadway show girlified? Is it because Ariel was the one who defeated Ursula? I don't get it...

Not storywise, more the costumes and the whole look of the musical.

I still don't understand. I mean how else are you supposed to show a magical, enchanted under sea world if not with colorful costumes?

I get why they use bright, colorful costumes, but there's a lot of pink and purple. Like this:
http://youtu.be/3RdrQy0j39E
and this (around 1:00):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DUXVAg7oWg
they also use a lot of glitter. It's just my opinion

well i believe a statement made in America was that the show looked to plastic(according to Stage), which would probably be referring to the purple/pink glittery stuff, so I'm sure, looking to Stage's and Joop van den Ende's past shows they will alter the decors in a positively way.