Cabaret Scenes Theatre Review - The Little Mermaid

Remember the Beatles' tune, "Octopus's Garden"? For the over-12 crowd, the octopus' garden may be the high point in Broadway's The Little Mermaid. Ursula, the octopus, or squid, is a captivating sea-witch played by Sherie Rene Scott. Scott uses her ballsy belt, comic camp, and mermaid-esque sashay like an aqua world's Joan Collins. This aqueous "Alexis" is bitter and wants nothing more than causing trouble and grabbing power from her brother, Triton, King of the Sea. Her too few appearances are refreshing splashes in the tranquil plastic blue sea where mer-folk glide around for two and a half hours.

But that's if you're over 12. The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is really for the kids. Doug Wright's book bloats up the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, but director Francesca Zambello's spectacular fantasia of liquified setting, seashell costumes, and awe-inspiring effects works hard to scoot through the sluggish moments.

When Ariel, the sweet but spunky heroine, ignores her father's warnings to explore the unfriendly surface waters, she glimpses a prince and falls in love. She is determined to find him again and live a landlocked life, no matter what. "I wanna be where the people are," she yearns in "Part of Your World." Even with dark moments, however, fairy tales always have happy endings. Ariel turns to Aunt Ursula for help and agrees to give up everything, her underwater family, her fins, and her glorious voice. She then ascends spectacularly into the rafters, fins gone and brand new shapely legs. In short order, she finds the prince, kisses him, and true love conquers all.

Sierra Boggess portrays a delightful Ariel. She is a graceful dancer with a lovely voice and Sean Palmer as Prince Eric is handsome and decent. They make a winsome young couple.

Ariel's father, Triton, played by theatre veteran, Norm Lewis, is stiff-backed as the sea lord with a soft spot for his youngest daughter. Tituss Burgess is a crowd-pleaser as the Caribbean crustacean Sebastian. Eddie Korbich has upbeat, likeable moments in his role as Scuttle, the tap-dancing seagull who delivers a snappy "Positoovity." At the performance I attended, Brian D'Addario played the rotating role of Ariel's young pal, Flounder and is admirable singing a fetching, "She's in Love." Flotsam and Jetsam, two nasty eels, are Ursula's minions played by Derrick Baskin and Tyler Maynard.

Bringing sparkle to all these characters are some catchy tunes with clever lyrics written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman for the film, with additional lyrics by Glenn Slater. The water park calypso production, "Under the Sea," led by Sebastian -- "We got the spirit, you got to hear it" -- is an audience favorite, and Ursula's demand, "I Want the Good Times Back" is good belting fun. You have to chuckle when John Treacy Egan sings, "Les Poissons" – "I pull out what's inside/ And I serve it up fried/ God, I love little fishes, don't you?"

Director Francesca Zambello came to musical theatre from the opera world and she keeps a focused point of view on manipulating complicated sea and surf with the mer-people and landlubbers. George Tsypin designed a pearlized set using turquoise plastic waves. Plastic is everywhere, plastic water, plastic costumes, plastic decor. Tsypin also designed an sturdy sailing ship and two scenic towers that serve decoratively both under the sea and in the prince's palace. All this set design is further enhanced by Sven Ortel's aqueous rear projections and Natasha Katz's lighting. The sun, although it looks like a decoration used over a 1955 sofa, works to bolster lighting effects.

Costume designer Tatiana Noginova has the sea creatures glide around the stage on Heelys, sneakers with wheels on the heels, which allows them to move to Stephen Mear's choreography while wearing extravagant fins and tentacles. She also creates a Las Vegas Under the Sea look to production numbers with seashell bras and body netting.

Bottom line -- for many, The Little Mermaid is cruise ship quality. Nevertheless, for the entranced little girls clutching souvenir plastic key chains and clamshell handbags, The Little Mermaid is better than a day at the beach.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
January 16, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org



	The Little Mermaid Lunt-Fontaine Theatre New York, NY
Remember the Beatles' tune, "Octopus's Garden"? For the over-12 crowd, the octopus' garden may be the high point in Broadway's The Little Mermaid. Ursula, the octopus, or squid, is a captivating sea-witch played by Sherie Rene Scott. Scott uses her ballsy belt, comic camp, and mermaid-esque sashay like an aqua world's Joan Collins. This aqueous "Alexis" is bitter and wants nothing more than causing trouble and grabbing power from her brother, Triton, King of the Sea. Her too few appearances are refreshing splashes in the tranquil plastic blue sea where mer-folk glide around for two and a half hours. But that's if you're over 12. The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is really for the kids. Doug Wright's book bloats up the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, but director Francesca Zambello's spectacular fantasia of liquified setting, seashell costumes, and awe-inspiring effects works hard to scoot through the sluggish moments. When Ariel, the sweet but spunky heroine, ignores her father's warnings to explore the unfriendly surface waters, she glimpses a prince and falls in love. She is determined to find him again and live a landlocked life, no matter what. "I wanna be where the people are," she yearns in "Part of Your World." Even with dark moments, however, fairy tales always have happy endings. Ariel turns to Aunt Ursula for help and agrees to give up everything, her underwater family, her fins, and her glorious voice. She then ascends spectacularly into the rafters, fins gone and brand new shapely legs. In short order, she finds the prince, kisses him, and true love conquers all. Sierra Boggess portrays a delightful Ariel. She is a graceful dancer with a lovely voice and Sean Palmer as Prince Eric is handsome and decent. They make a winsome young couple. Ariel's father, Triton, played by theatre veteran, Norm Lewis, is stiff-backed as the sea lord with a soft spot for his youngest daughter. Tituss Burgess is a crowd-pleaser as the Caribbean crustacean Sebastian. Eddie Korbich has upbeat, likeable moments in his role as Scuttle, the tap-dancing seagull who delivers a snappy "Positoovity." At the performance I attended, Brian D'Addario played the rotating role of Ariel's young pal, Flounder and is admirable singing a fetching, "She's in Love." Flotsam and Jetsam, two nasty eels, are Ursula's minions played by Derrick Baskin and Tyler Maynard. Bringing sparkle to all these characters are some catchy tunes with clever lyrics written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman for the film, with additional lyrics by Glenn Slater. The water park calypso production, "Under the Sea," led by Sebastian -- "We got the spirit, you got to hear it" -- is an audience favorite, and Ursula's demand, "I Want the Good Times Back" is good belting fun. You have to chuckle when John Treacy Egan sings, "Les Poissons" – "I pull out what's inside/ And I serve it up fried/ God, I love little fishes, don't you?" Director Francesca Zambello came to musical theatre from the opera world and she keeps a focused point of view on manipulating complicated sea and surf with the mer-people and landlubbers. George Tsypin designed a pearlized set using turquoise plastic waves. Plastic is everywhere, plastic water, plastic costumes, plastic decor. Tsypin also designed an sturdy sailing ship and two scenic towers that serve decoratively both under the sea and in the prince's palace. All this set design is further enhanced by Sven Ortel's aqueous rear projections and Natasha Katz's lighting. The sun, although it looks like a decoration used over a 1955 sofa, works to bolster lighting effects. Costume designer Tatiana Noginova has the sea creatures glide around the stage on Heelys, sneakers with wheels on the heels, which allows them to move to Stephen Mear's choreography while wearing extravagant fins and tentacles. She also creates a Las Vegas Under the Sea look to production numbers with seashell bras and body netting. Bottom line -- for many, The Little Mermaid is cruise ship quality. Nevertheless, for the entranced little girls clutching souvenir plastic key chains and clamshell handbags, The Little Mermaid is better than a day at the beach. Elizabeth Ahlfors Cabaret Scenes January 16, 2008 www.cabaretscenes.org

The Little Mermaid

Lunt-Fontaine Theatre New York, NY

Lunt-Fontaine Theatre
New York, NY