Review: THE LITTLE MERMAID at TUTS

TUTS is a smart theatre company that knows its audience pretty darn well. They often bring to Houston family friendly fare that will appeal to all ages, and their latest limited run engagement of THE LITTLE MERMAID fits the bill nicely to wrap up the Summer. It's great to see the Hobby Center filled to the brim with little girls in mermaid outfits dragging their poor little brothers behind them to check out Ariel and Flounder on the big stage. The sophisticated parents seem just as excited to see a show they know from their younger days too. It's the simple story of a mermaid willing to give up her voice to get legs to be with the man she loves.

Back in 1989 Disney debuted their animated feature version of Hans Christian Andersen's THE LITTLE MERMAID. It was a huge box office hit, and marked a resurrection for the movie length cartoon for the studio. It introduced audiences to a new type of Disney Princess with the spunky Ariel who didn't necessarily need Prince Charming to save her in the film's climax battling evil sea witch Ursula. THE LITTLE MERMAID contained elaborate musical numbers written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman that garnered the film Oscar nominations, and had critics proclaiming they were "Broadway Worthy!". This is the one that restarted it all for Disney, and it remains a cherished favorite of their Princess line.

It made a lot of sense to turn THE LITTLE MERMAID into an NYC stage production in 2007, especially after Disney had huge box office success with their live theatrical adaptations of THE LION KING and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. It would seem the underwater fantasy of Princess Ariel longing to become part of the human world was tailor made for Broadway, and offered plenty of chance for spectacle and belting out tunes. Unfortunately though, the original production wasn't technically executed all that well. Actors did underwater scenes on roller skates, and they glided through day glow plastic seascapes that looked plastic and clunky. Ariel's tail tacked on a skirt looked awkward and made no sense. Additional songs for the play written with new lyricist Glenn Staler seemed like afterthoughts, and the costumes didn't work well either. It wasn't all that charming, and it closed after about a year and a half of running.

Director Glenn Casale decided to revamp the show in 2012, and he redesigned much of it while taking out the clunky numbers. Actors began to use harnesses to simulate swimming, and the roller skates were kept down to a minimum. He debuted the new vision of THE LITTLE MERMAID for a Dutch production and then later in a regional California run. It is this revamped version of the show that TUTS has brought in to Houston for the short five show run this weekend.

THE LITTLE MERMAID is still at heart a child's tale, and the stage production is executed to emphasize this. All elements of the show are brightly colored, and often resemble the look of a pop-up picture book with the actors running around the pages. The harness swimming scenes are very cool, often done behind a screen that provides bubbles and swirls to complete the effect. It's simple, bright, and done in the style of a cartoon. The story is stripped down from the movie, and this benefits Ariel's arc while really cutting short the villainous Ursula.

Alison Woods does a wonderful job as the lead in the show, and her singing and acting are up to par with memories of the original cartoon Ariel Jodi Benson. She is matched in tone by Prince Eric played by Eric Kunze who has a fine voice and sense of comedy that serves him well. Melvin Abston as the Caribbean crab Sebastian steals any scene he is in, as does Adam Garst playing Flounder and Jamie Torcellini as a tap dancing Scuttle. The animal sidekicks are a hoot, and get all the best numbers. All of the actors swim through the mix of campy fairy tale ably, and they all sing and act well throughout the production. Jennifer Allen seems weighted down by Ursula's non-moving costume, but she brings the right mix of menace and mirth to "Poor Unfortunate Souls" to redeem the play's shortcomings with her character.

Overall this is a colorful eye pleasing production with a talented cast who perform the heck out of it. The only bad element is the script still seems two dimensional, and you have to be familiar with the cartoon to make sense of the narrative. THE LITTLE MERMAID as a theatrical experience assumes you know these characters already, and you are willing to sing along with "Under the Sea" and "Part of Your World" to make up for the mindless parade they are presented in. It lacks any depth to lure in a more adult audience, but families with kids in tow should eat this one up. The little girls in mermaid dresses clapped ecstatically at the end, and ultimately they are the consumers who matter to Ariel and her crew. It's part of their world and dreams she longs to swim in, and she does that well enough. TUTS families should be pleased, and this one is a spectacle for the young girls.

THE LITTLE MERMAID is a short run show for TUTS wrapping up on September 13th. Tickets can be found through their website at www.tuts.com

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