In 1989 Disney Films released an underwater adventure that captured the hearts of millions of Americans. The film was called, The Little Mermaid. This 80 minute feature, focused on a teenage mermaid named Ariel and her adolescent struggles. Ariel is destined to be a part of the world above, but this is all to much for her father to deal with. Her father is King Triton, the king of the sea, and he just wants his youngest daughter to be replicas of his other six daughters, Ariel’s sisters. Ariel soon finds her way above the sea, falls in love with Prince Eric and becomes torn between living as a human forever and defying her fathers rules, or living the rest of her life wondering what life above would be like. On top of all of this, Ariel is pestered and warned by King Triton’s evil sister, Ursula that she will steal her soul if she doesn’t kiss Prince Eric.

Many people recognize The Little Mermaid from its quick one year stint on Broadway from 2008-2009. This version of the mermaid tale starred Sierra Bogess and ran for 685 performances before closing. A little less than four years later, New Jersey’s premiere theatre Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn opened its version of The Little Mermaid after over a year of development. This new version was rehearsing at Broadway’s Miskoff Theatre due to the scale of the production. One producer of The Little Mermaid stated in an interview that the new show would include new special effects, flying sequences and a budget that top $1 million!

I was ecstatic to see The Little Mermaid at Paper Mill because Mermaid was always on my Broadway bucket list, and I was disappointed that I never got the opportunity to witness the magic 4 years ago. The reimagined stage production stars Broadway pro, Jessica Grove (Ariel) and Nick Adams (Prince Eric). Grove’s credits include Throughly Modern Millie, A Little Night Music and Les Miserables. Mr. Adams’ credits include Priscilla Queen of the Desert and La Cage. They both had phenomenal voices.  Nick Adams had a vibrato that was so refreshing in such a light show. Jessica Grove was a petite powerhouse, her demeanor youthful and honest with vocals that were beautiful and strong as metal.

Other standouts include everybody’s favorite crustacean Sebastian, the quick witted crab. Alan Mingo Jr. (Lion King, Shrek, Hairspray) delivered his one liners with poise and perfection. He was the comic relief of the production and the perfect narrator for this cautionary tale. Ariel’s best friend and flat companion, Flounder, was portrayed by Christian Probst in this production. The Broadway version was known for having young boys playing the friend, but in this version, for contract and equity reasons, Flounder is portrayed by a young adult. Mr. Probst will be a sophomore at Yale in the fall and was a clear fresh face. He had the most adorable costume that perfectly complimented his smooth acting choices and spot on tenor vocal powers.

The final principle role duo of King Triton and Ursula were played by Edward Watts (Finians Rainbow) and Liz McCartney (Wicked, Annie, Les Miserables), respectively. The contrast of their roles fit like a puzzle piece in the storyline: Edward had the baritone voice of a strong father and Liz played the awfully brutal antagonist. The interesting thing I noted was that although they were polar opposites, they both similarly stood in Ariel’s way at some point in the story. They both possessed a sense of confidence that seemed to make them the parents of the cast. The entire cast was a perfect puzzle put together by casting director Bernie Telsey.

Not only was the cast spectacular, but the new scenery and special effects were absolutely dazzling. The scenery was created by Kenneth Foy and the special flying effects were provided by Flying by Foy. The flying perfectly fit into the story and was sprinkled in exquisitely throughout the show. The flying ranged from a simple flyby to represent Ariel’s swimming to the complicated sequences completed by The Little Mermaid’s resident bird, Scuttle (portrayed by Matt Allen). Not only did Ariel and Scuttle fly, but King Triton, Prince Eric and many ensemble members made their way to defy gravity.

The new special effects were paired with new scenery. Even the curtain was newly invented with a bubble effect flare included. The scenery ranged from Ariel’s bed to a pirate ship to a kitchen and banquet hall all the way to a lair specially created for Ursula and decorated with evil assets. Even the costumes were something to talk about,  from Ariel’s magical tale to Ursula’s electric eel minions that would shoot out electric sparks from their hands. The new costumes, scenery, flying and special effects all add a glorious sparkle to The Little Mermaid stage adaption!

This new production will be going to Kansas City (July 2013) to bring the underwater world to the midwest. Their run in NJ will conclude June 30th 2013.