The Little Mermaid Has Problems

OK, this is not good. The early review of the Little Mermaid stage musical, on preview in Denver, doesn't sound good. What should have been a slam-dunk may now appears to need major retooling before it opens on Broadway.

Then there are Tsypin's bizarrely alienating Plexiglass stage-scapes, overhung by giant disks that look like Christmas decorations but serve as the sun, the moon, a chandelier that could be an alien spacecraft and some unidentifiable marine orb. All this visual incoherence, plus some not always useful elaboration of a simple, disarming storyline, make what should have been a slam-dunk for stage presentation a waterlogged misstep.

It seems that they may have tried to make the musical to be too sophisticated visually and choreographically, to appeal to the adults while forgetting about the kids.

I definitely hope that they can make the significant changes required, or it might have the same lukewarm reception as Tarzan. But then again, Tarzan didn't have as memorable of a music as Mermaid, so that might be its saving grace.

Zz.