EVENT PREVIEW
Houston's TUTS production of "Disney's The Little Mermaid." 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. $30-$127. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 1-855-285-8499, foxtheatre.org.
More than just a Disney classic, “The Little Mermaid” musical, based on the film and the Broadway show, has been revamped and reimagined with a message as deep as the sea. It debuts in Atlanta this week.
Director Glenn Casale had a vision to bring an authenticity to the well-known fairy tale originally written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen in 1837.
“For the modern time, I thought it would be better to deal with the real struggle that a girl goes through, or a young person goes through, as far as finding out who they are,” Casale said.
The national touring show of “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” which plays at the Fox Theatre Tuesday through Sunday, is based on a young mermaid, Ariel, who is raised by a single father. She feels she doesn’t fit in with her family under the sea, so she gives up her identity as a mermaid to gain human abilities and live on land. Casale, along with the musical’s script writers, have revamped the script to focus on the sensitive and ubiquitous topic: coming of age.
“It is more of a story about a girl and her father than a girl that just wants to have a prince,” Casale said.
Jessica Grové plays the role of Ariel, and she has a passion for the character’s struggle.
“I try to find the truth in everything she wants,” Grové said. “She is a young woman born in the wrong skin feeling out of place but she has a dream, and she goes for it with strong will and perseverance.”
Casale introduced a new concept to the musical, the addition of a harness to create the effect of swimming against the sealike background. Previous renditions of the Broadway musical have used skates or Heelys to portray same effect.
It took some getting used to, Grové said, having to sing and imitate swimming while hanging from a harness suspended in the air. This is her third summer playing Ariel, and she’s looking forward to delivering a solid performance. The show is part of Broadway in Atlanta’s 2014-15 season.
Three new songs also have been added to the musical, including a solo song from Ariel’s father, King Triton. Casale says the cast is committed to telling the story and finding the reality in it without being too “cartoony”; his goal is to engage the entire audience from children to adults.
“There are fathers that walk out with their little girls at the end in tears because it is about a father and his daughter now,” Casale said.
“It is still very magical and so many people can relate to the story,” Grové said.
About the Author
