Summary of "Little Mermaid" Reviews

[carolina_yankee]

Not so good . .

From http://www.reuters.com/article/stageNews/idUSN1129518820080111.

The lead paragraphs. Click link above for rest.


"Little Mermaid" flounders on Broadway
Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:28pm EST

By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK (Reuters) - "The Little Mermaid" could struggle to find legs in the transition from screen to stage after critics on Friday panned the latest musical offering from the Walt Disney Co. a day after its debut on Broadway.

Based on the animated 1989 film and the 1836 Hans Christian Andersen tale, "The Little Mermaid" replaces Disney's successful "Beauty and the Beast" -- which closed in July after 13 years -- and is competing with two other Disney hits, "The Lion King" and "Mary Poppins."

According to critics, the reported $15 million Broadway tale of a mermaid who wants to live among humans could go the way of Disney's "Tarzan," which closed in July after just 14 months due to poor reviews and ticket sales.

"Sadly, following the demise of the joyless green blob that was 'Tarzan,' 'The Little Mermaid' suggests that on Broadway, the Disney magic touch has gone numb," wrote New York Times critic Ben Brantley, calling the show a "musical blunderbuss."
. . .
© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.

[newjerseynick]

Great! We have tickets to see it in April.:rolleyes:

Nick

[carolina_yankee]

I look at it this way, even if the critics didn't like it -you know and like the music, and the staging will probably be pretty good, too. Tarzan didn't appeal to me at all, but I would give this a shot. Mary Poppins is first on my list, though.

Dirk

[lenshanem]

That is a shame. I was even imagining a trip to NYC to take the girls to some shows for a change in a vacation.

[newjerseynick]

Originally posted by carolina_yankee:
I look at it this way, even if the critics didn't like it -you know and like the music, and the staging will probably be pretty good, too. Tarzan didn't appeal to me at all, but I would give this a shot. Mary Poppins is first on my list, though.

I'm sure we'll enjoy Mermaid, and we are really looking forward to it.

Mary Poppins was very good. The 1st 1/2 felt a bit slow, but it made up for it in the 2nd 1/2. There were some effects that were amazing.

Nick

[kdzgon]

I look at it this way, even if the critics didn't like it -you know and like the music, and the staging will probably be pretty good, too. Tarzan didn't appeal to me at all, but I would give this a shot. Mary Poppins is first on my list, though.

Dirk

Do you have tix/plans yet? There is a special running for up to $35 off per ticket for certain nights, Jan 13 to Mar 16. Visit www.broadwaybox.com for info (don't know if the offer is available anywhere else).

[carolina_yankee]

Do you have tix/plans yet? There is a special running for up to $35 off per ticket for certain nights, Jan 13 to Mar 16. Visit www.broadwaybox.com for info (don't know if the offer is available anywhere else).

Not yet - but that's highly affordable. Thanks!

Dirk

[Craig Snyder]

I saw it on Jan. 18th with wife and kids. I thought it was very well done, costumes and music were great. My wife was not very fond of Ursula she felt it should have been the woman who was the armoire in Beauty and the Beast. I see her point but I felt the woman put a different spin on Ursula so if you are hardcore and want the Ursula from the movie you may be a little disappointed. Sebastian was phenomenal and so was Aerial. I would give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5. If you compare it to the movie you may give it a little less, but if you go there with an open mind you will like it.

[newjerseynick]

Originally posted by Craig Snyder:

I saw it on Jan. 18th with wife and kids. I thought it was very well done, costumes and music were great. My wife was not very fond of Ursula she felt it should have been the woman who was the armoire in Beauty and the Beast. I see her point but I felt the woman put a different spin on Ursula so if you are hardcore and want the Ursula from the movie you may be a little disappointed. Sebastian was phenomenal and so was Aerial. I would give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5. If you compare it to the movie you may give it a little less, but if you go there with an open mind you will like it.

Thanks for the review!

Nick

[PolyColleen]

My Disney-loving pal Lisa goes to all the Disney shows, and she and her hubby LOVED this one. She said for pure entertainment value, this one was a real winner. She thought the new songs were catchy and blended in well with the classics, and she said the performances were wonderful. Also the stage was beautiful. She thought the "heely swimming" by the characters was cool.

Let's all remember the difference between what CRITICS think and what real audiences think. I would LOVE to see Mermaid!