Little Mermaid Denver - report from opening night of previews

[jeffrey orl fla]

Hello Disney Broadway fans. You'll be happy to know that my opinion of The Little Mermaid is much higher than my review of Tarzan. And it was also fun to see it on the opening night of previews - the very first public performance ever - and Tom Schumacher from Disney Theatrical was there to introduce the show.

All the new songs were good, and fit in well with the show. I was also happy to see Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula - she was in the Aida production a few years back and I loved her in that.

The show will need some tinkering with, as Tom said in his intro. Oddly enough, the number my friends and I all agreed that needed the most work was the Under the Sea number - it was much too weak - it needs to be pumped up. There were some set pieces in that number that were cumbersome and slow, and that is a song that really needs to move fast - maybe they can add some flashing lights or more graphics from the giant video projectors that were making bubbles on the scenery throughout the show. I liked Scuttle a lot - his character was developed much more - and his costume was kind of like a clown - with big red shoes. Sebastian was also cute, and I liked his performance.

I think my favorite new song was She's in Love, which Arial's sisters sing. Ursula also gets a new song called I Want the Good Times Back which I liked. I was surprized that they kept Les Poissons, because its a song that doesn't advance the plot - but its still there - and with several dancing entrees and so forth feeling a bit like Be Our Guest. The other new song I liked was called If Only, which has Eric, Arial, Sebastian and Triton all singing together.

Overall, I think it will do really well with a little work - the songs are already so good, and the cast is really strong. The cast album won't be released until it open in New York in the fall, they said, and there was only a small selection of merchandise - but I had to buy a pin and a polo shirt.

Here's a few pictures.
If anyone else saw it , I'd love to hear what you thought.

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b7...t=IMG_2913.jpg

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b7...t=IMG_2922.jpg

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b7...t=IMG_2861.jpg

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b7...t=IMG_2862.jpg

[crisinti]

Hi,
Thanks so much for letting us know what you thought!
I've been sooo excited about this show - I'm not seeing it until January in NYC, I've literally been on the edge of my seat waiting for opening night preview reports to come in!

I actually saw Tarzan last summer, and quite enjoyed it despite all the negative reviews... Critics were way too harsh I think, the cast were amazing despite the tiny stage.
Anywayz, I'm glad that TLM has appeared to have made a strong start.

Thanks for the pictures!

[Nancywitt]

Thanks for the review Jeffrey. I am so jealous you saw the show. But it's good to hear that the show is worth seeing.

[gaston lives]

I was there with the fam last night as well.

It is awesome! I agree that Under The Sea needs to be amped up, but other than that the show was amazing!

There was one new song taht was set to Be Our Guest, which is why it sounded like the B&B musical...it was nice homage.

The best new song was definitely the one with all four main characters singing...it was just amazing...and the effects were better than I thought imaginable!

[SorcererMickey]

I am so glad that with some tweaking it's going to be a great show! I love the last picture with the banner and the quote, it's beautiful.

[PleaseRemainSeated]

Awesome! I can't wait to hear the cast album, yay! I'm glad the show "works". I never got the chance to see Beauty and the Beast in all this time, so now I really want to see TLM.

[DineyGuru]

I was there and I think my mom and I were sitting right in front of your group. Over all a great show. The music was great. I was glad to see them use the original Demo version of Fathoms Below and She's in love was fantastic but J.J. Singleton made that number shine. One Step Closer was also a new favorite.

The costuming was inventive and the choreography and sets worked well to give the illusion of gliding through the water. It will be interesting to see if they get a Tony nod for being innovative.

I agree with the tweaking suggestions for Under the Sea (what was with those "corkscrews") plus the combo of Sabastian having mike issues and being winded (that boy has gotta get to gym to build up that endurance) didn't help. I would add the climax with Ursula could use a little work, just didn't have the same drama for me.

It will be interesting to see if TLM III due out on DVD fixes the consistancy issue the play introduces. Only time will tell.

We'll see what they change. I have opening night ticket for the NYC pre-show in Novemeber. Can't wait to see it again!

[aimster]

It will be interesting to see if TLM III due out on DVD fixes the consistancy issue the play introduces. Only time will tell.

I thought all the direct to DVD sequels have been canned?

[PleaseRemainSeated]

Originally Posted by aimster

I thought all the direct to DVD sequels have been canned?

I seem to recall reading that the DTD sequels had been stopped, except for ones that were tied to a merch franchise. So, the Tinkerbell movie went through because it was tied to the Disney Fairies line, and TLM III because it's tied to the Disney Princess line.

[SorcererMickey]

TLM III?? If Ariel is a grandmother I am going to have a heart attack. Now to find someone to go see TLM on Broadway with me.

[PleaseRemainSeated]

There's a teaser/preview for TLM III on the 2-disc dvd set of The Little Mermaid released last year. It seems to be a prequel, not set after TLM II. So, I'm guessing, more the tone/time frame of the tv series? Either way, it's not really necessary, but ... whatever.

I'd MUCH rather see the broadway show than more sequels/prequels/midquels.

[aimster]

Originally Posted by PleaseRemainSeated

I seem to recall reading that the DTD sequels had been stopped, except for ones that were tied to a merch franchise. So, the Tinkerbell movie went through because it was tied to the Disney Fairies line, and TLM III because it's tied to the Disney Princess line.

The Tinkerbell movie got canned.

[sailerm]

I'll have to take a drive up to Denver to see if I can see this before it works it's way to the Great White Way.

[serenityandroses]

Yes you will, it was so good. DQ has my review that she is going to post.

[NeverNeverland]

Originally Posted by serenityandroses

Yes you will, it was so good. DQ has my review that she is going to post.

Yay can't wait