The Little Mermaid Moves From The Silver Screen To Broadway
Loosely based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson, the 1989 Disney animated film “The Little Mermaid,” struck a chord with millions from around the world.
The film is about Ariel, a little mermaid who dreams of one day walking on land and participating in the events that only those with legs can enjoy. When Ariel looks for help from the sea witch, Ursula, she gets the legs she’s always dreamt up, but loses her voice – and thus, any way of communicating with the world she is now a part of.
As part of her agreement with the sea witch, Ariel has only three days to get the Prince of a nearby land to fall in love with and kiss her. But without a voice, Ariel doesn’t seem to stand a chance. Or does she?
It’s a classic film that we’ve all likely seen at one point or another. Filled with loveable characters and classic Disney songs, the film is praised and endured by millions of people from around the world – no matter what their age or background.
But now, after nearly 20 years since the release of the film, The Little Mermaid has been adapted for the stage and is striking it rich on Broadway.
But you may be thinking… The Little Mermaid is the story of mythical creatures, crabs, fish, sea stars and flying birds. “How in the world do they make all these things happen on a Broadway stage?”
Well, to get the answer, you might just have to travel to Broadway… or at least watch the
video clip above.
What’s important to note about the transition of this classic tale to the Broadway stage is the recent insurgence of the best Broadway performances being moved to the two dimensional world of film and video. However, many of these recent films (Hairspray, Mama-Mia, etc) are not nearly as good on screen as they originally were on the stages of Broadway.
But now, here comes a story that was originally on film and has been adapted for the stage. And as it appears, the story is meeting with more applaud than ever before.
So what’s the lesson here?
I don’t think it’s safe to say that Broadways films should not be adapted for film and video, because there have been some major successes in that arena (i.e. Grease, Chicago). However, I think it is safe to say that there are more films out there (besides The Little Mermaid) that might make for outstanding Broadway performances (i.e. Newsies perhaps?)
What do you think? Can you think of any films that might be perfectly suited for the stages of Broadway? And how could you start working now to get those classic film performances to come alive on the streets of New York?
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