The cast of The Little Mermaid (Ryan Bruce)
The Broadway musical adaptation of The Little Mermaid, currently onstage at the White Theatre at the J, is a familiar story. It follows the same basic plot as the Disney movie, itself inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s 19th-century fairy tale. The young mermaid princess Ariel, fascinated by humans, falls in love with a prince after saving him from drowning during a storm. She trades her voice to the sea witch Ursula in exchange for legs and has three days to get Prince Eric to fall in love with her (as demonstrated via a kiss) or she forfeits her soul to the witch forever.
The play contains all the songs from the 1989 Disney movie, with about a dozen new ones added to the mix. None are as memorable as those from the film—though “She’s in Love,” sung by Flounder and Ariel’s sisters comes close—but they’re enjoyable and flesh out a few areas of the story, especially around Ariel’s family.
In the animated film (and the fairy tale), Ariel (played here by Lacy Goettling) lives with her father, King Triton (Donald Davis), and her sisters. Her mother is presumably deceased but is never mentioned. Here, Ariel’s late mother is discussed openly, and with deep mourning. Her death is the source of Triton’s hatred of humans. Ariel’s beautiful singing voice was inherited from her mother, giving extra weight to her decision to trade it away. (Although the metaphor of a girl giving up her literal voice—her strongest tool for self-advocacy—is arguably strong enough on its own and not in need of any additional implications.)
The relationship between Triton and Ursula is also expanded upon. In this version, Ursula is the sea king’s sister. When she was younger, she killed her sisters in a brutal attempt to inherit her father’s kingdom, before ultimately being defeated and banished by Triton. Her driving motivation for sabotaging Ariel is still a malicious hunger for power, but now with longstanding resentment to give it a boost.
The White Theatre’s production of The Little Mermaid, directed by Guy Gardner (with orchestral direction by Blake Vignery and vocal direction by Lacey Connell), is visually impressive. Fran Kapono-Kuzila’s costumes are delightful, especially as they bring to life a throng of assorted colorful sea creatures in the large-scale showstopper “Under the Sea.” John Rohr’s grand sets and Justin Dudzik’s sumptuous jewel-toned lighting create an expansive underwater playing field. The show finds interesting ways of playing with space to convey the dynamics of that underwater setting. Fly rigs, character stand-ins, and video projections all add fascinating depth to the space.
As usual, the vocal talent onstage at the White Theatre is stellar. Goettling gives an excellent performance as Ariel, though it’s the side characters who really give this show its energy. Louisa Bartlett and Ellen Welander as Ariel’s sea creature friends Flounder and Scuttle, respectively, are fantastic, providing bursts of adorable, hilarious fun throughout. Austin Skibbie is phenomenal as Ursula (aided largely by Kapono-Kuzila’s costuming, hair, and makeup)—pure campy villainy.
Ultimately, the show did not have me itching to head home early and put on the Disney movie—the high bar all these adaptations based on beloved movie musicals have to clear—but I also knew I wasn’t the ultimate target audience. This play is designed specifically for young children to watch in wonderment, and the running commentary of sounds of awe coming from young audience members, many of them dressed in costumes themselves, indicates the White Theatre’s production was successful. (Older audience members cannot be irritated with talkative children here; this play belongs to them and their reactions are basically part of the show’s score.) If you have a Disney-loving child in your life (or a Disney adult), this musical is for them.
“The Little Mermaid” runs at The White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City (5801 W 115 Street, Overland Park, KS) through July 28. For more information, visit thewhitetheatre.org.
