“The Little Mermaid Live” program didn’t go as swimmingly as expected. The ABC special aired on Nov. 5 and took many by surprise.
The only thing live about this production were the songs. “The Little Mermaid Live” weaved together scenes from the original 1989 animated film and live performances of the musical numbers. Actors performed in front of a live audience on the Disney lot as the movie played on a projected backdrop.
The concept was to bring the original movie to life, but it’s important to note the “live” event served as a promotion for Disney+, the company’s new streaming service that was made available yesterday. Almost every commercial during the broadcast was for the highly anticipated streaming platform. Fans will finally have access not only to all Disney shows and movies, but also those of Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic all in one place!
Personally, I didn’t love the transitioning between the two mediums, and I think it created a few awkward moments. One example was in “Daughters of Triton” where Ariel’s sisters grandly introduce her and she isn’t there. The actresses made it work and finished the song until the animated Ariel took the reins.
While some of the transitions could have been smoother, others were clever and executed really well. My favorite transition was when the animated Ursula looked into a mirror and found Queen Latifah staring back at her.
The set design was very creative and really utilized the entire venue. I have never seen so many people on a fly system before (or should I say, a swim-system?) Almost every song involved graceful aerial work that really made the stage look like a thriving, aquatic ecosystem.
In fact, Auli’I Cravalho, who played the title character, did some aerial work herself, as she sang “Part of Your World” while swimming out of the proscenium and over the audience.
Since the production was filmed, they had performers hanging and dancing all over the venue. I particularly enjoyed the shot of the boat during “Kiss the Girl.” “Ariel” and “Prince Eric” sat in a boat being pushed by other cast members, but the camera was positioned low to create a shot looking up at them. It really looked like the boat was in the water!
The costumes were interesting to say the least. Queen Latifah gave a great performance, but she was physically limited by her costume with massive tentacles. Shaggy, who played “Sebastian,” had no costume-related excuse for his limited movement, or whatever you call that awkward gait of his. His “crab” costume looked like a Disney-bound Sebastian cosplay, consisting of just normal red garments. The fact that some of the ensemble members were wearing real crab costumes just made him look even worse. John Stamos and his costume were fine, though I could have gone without watching him break character to joke he should have been Prince Eric after a particularly heinous falsetto note.
That’s what you get when you cast live musicals with big celebrity names instead of hiring predominantly stage-actors. Generally though, I enjoyed most of the lead’s performances, especially Auli’I Cravalho, Graham Philips as Prince Eric and whoever it was holding that sorry excuse of a “Flounder” puppet. The lively ensemble brought great energy to the performance and were definitely one of my favorite parts.
Overall, the production was charming, and the actors gave great performances for the most part. I don’t think we’ll be seeing any more mashups between animation and live actors anytime soon. There’s a certain magic in watching live theater, and transitioning back and forth between the film, as cute as it was at times, diminished the live performance’s momentum and excitement.
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