Description

You’ll love following the Little Mermaid, who in this brand-new version is a strong-willed but endearing innocent, on her first journey to the Top of the Sea. There she meets the painfully shy but quietly funny Ollie, reluctantly in training to be king and not exactly her idea of a storybook prince. Their ensuing friendship is the special and perceptive core of the play. Also on hand are her proud father, King Neptune; the Sea Urchin, his major-domo and the real power behind the throne; and her outspoken Granny. We mustn’t overlook the marvelous Sea Witch, who is desperate to get her hands on the mermaid’s most precious possession and has enlisted the help of a pair of turtles as henchmen, two wonderfully comic inventions. Visually the play offers unlimited possibilities for imaginative staging. Most importantly, Mr. Glennon, with his unique gift for wit, has put a contemporary spin on the Andersen original, removing the Victorian heaviness without reducing the story’s charm. Both wise and funny in equal proportions, this new telling of The Little Mermaid will, indeed, appeal to all audiences. Area staging. Approximate running time: 80 minutes.