Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID To Close On Broadway 8/30, National Tour Planned For 2010

Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID will play its final Broadway performance on Sunday, August 30th after 50 previews and 685 performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street). For tickets to the final 79 performances and information on the show visit disneyonbroadway.com or call (866) 870-2717.

Hailed by TIME magazine's Richard Zoglin as "one of the most ravishing shows I have ever seen on a Broadway stage," THE LITTLE MERMAID was the #1 selling new Broadway musical of 2008, amassing sales of over $78 million to date. The show, one of just two new musicals from the 2007-08 season still running, has been seen by over 921,000 people so far and will welcome its 1 millionth guest this summer.

The production team has begun work on a national tour, slated to launch in fall 2010.

THE LITTLE MERMAID's journey began with a pre-Broadway engagement at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Performing Arts Complex July 26 - September 9, 2007. Broadway performances began on Saturday, November 3, 2007 and the show officially opened on Thursday, January 10, 2008.

Thomas Schumacher, producer and president of Disney Theatrical Productions, said, "Director Francesca Zambello, our creators, designers and cast conjured a world unlike any Broadway has seen before, and audiences have been captivated by it at every explosive performance. We are tremendously proud of the show and are confident we'll have an excellent summer but it would be fiscally irresponsible to our shareholders to risk operating losses with such a big show in the historically challenging fall months. We are closing the Broadway production to concentrate on the long future life of this title - beginning with next year's national tour and upcoming international productions."

Among the many rave reviews that greeted the show on Broadway, The Chicago Tribune hailed THE LITTLE MERMAID as "a tidal wave of stellar performances," TIME magazine placed it among the "top 10 theater of 2008," The Philadelphia Inquirer declared the show "a triumph of stagecraft" and The Wall Street Journal called it, "visually ingenious, as sweet a theatrical fantasy as you could hope to see."

The cast of THE LITTLE MERMAID currently features Chelsea Morgan Stock (‘Ariel'), Faith Prince (‘Ursula'), Drew Seeley (‘Prince Eric'), Norm Lewis (‘King Triton'), Rogelio Douglas Jr. (‘Sebastian'), Eddie Korbich (‘Scuttle'), Jonathan Freeman (‘Grimsby'), Tyler Maynard (‘Flotsam'), Eric LaJuan Summers (‘Jetsam'), Robert Creighton (‘Chef Louis') and Trevor Braun, Major Curda and Brian D'Addario (alternating as ‘Flounder').

Led by the award-winning director, Francesca Zambello, some of the theatre's most innovative artists have collaborated to create THE LITTLE MERMAID. The score features the classic songs: "Part of Your World," "Kiss the Girl" and the Academy Award®-winning Best Original Song, "Under the Sea," composed by eight-time Academy Award® winner Alan Menken and his longtime collaborator, the late Howard Ashman, as well as 10 new songs by Mr. Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater. The book for the new musical is by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning playwright Doug Wright.

THE LITTLE MERMAID's visionary team also includes: Olivier Award winner Stephen Mear (choreography), George Tsypin (scenic design), Tatiana Noginova (costume design), Tony Award® winner Natasha Katz (lighting design), John Shivers (sound design), David Br Ian Brown (hair design), Angelina Avallone (make-up design), Sven Ortel (projection & video designer), Danny Troob (orchestrations) and Michael Kosarin (musical direction).