Now Part of Your World

With Beauty and the Beast now behind them, Disney Theatricals turns it attentions to the next fairy tale to make the leap from screen to stage, The Little Mermaid. The tuner, based on the 1989 animated classic that revitalized an interest in the medium that continues to this day, recently opened in Denver in preparation for its November bow on Broadway.

With its Oscar-winning score and songs, music was very integral to the success of the movie. The show will include all seven of the original Howard Ashman and Alan Menken songs, with twelve new songs penned by Menken and his new lyricist Glenn Slater. Slater proved himself a perfect successor to the late great Ashman with his songs for the Disney toon Home on the Range. In addition to that movie, Slater also collaborated with Menken on the stage musical versions of two other movies, Sister Act and Leap of Faith. Needless to say, I am anxious to hear the new stuff to see how it sits with the originals, but with Menken onboard with Slater, I am extremely optimistic.

In addition to the new music, the whole look of the show has left many curious, particularly in regards to how the undersea sequences will be handled. Moreover, with the failure of Tarzan and the closing of Beast, all of Broadway is scrutinizing this, Disney's next move on the Great White Way.

However, if the positive reactions in Denver so far is any indication, it appears this Mermaid will indeed have legs when it opens in New York this Fall.

Click here to purchase The Little Mermaidon DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Disney.go.com, Playbill.com, OrlandoSentinel.com, SisterActTheMusical.com, Broadway.com, Variety.com and DenverPost.com.