Show guide
The Little Mermaid
Disney's The Little Mermaid brings Ariel's underwater kingdom to the stage with Alan Menken's beloved film score expanded for Broadway.
- Broadway premiere
- 2008
- Music by
- Alan Menken
- Genre
- Comedy
- Setting
- Timeless
The Little Mermaid: quick answers
What is The Little Mermaid about?
- Ariel, the youngest daughter of the sea king Triton, longs to live among humans and trades her voice to the sea witch Ursula for legs, gaining three days to win true love's kiss from Prince Eric.
When did The Little Mermaid open on Broadway?
- The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway on January 10, 2008, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and closed on August 30, 2009, after 685 performances.
What kind of musical is The Little Mermaid?
- It is a Disney book musical adapted from the 1989 animated film, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman (the film songs) and Glenn Slater (new songs), and a book by Doug Wright. New numbers include Her Voice and I Want the Good Times Back.
Where and when is The Little Mermaid set?
- The Little Mermaid is set in a timeless fairy-tale world, split between King Triton's undersea kingdom of Atlantica and Prince Eric's kingdom on land.
Is there a The Little Mermaid movie?
- The musical is adapted from Disney's 1989 animated film, with Jodi Benson voicing Ariel and Pat Carroll as Ursula. Rob Marshall directed a 2023 live-action remake starring Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, and Melissa McCarthy.
The story of The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid follows Ariel, a young mermaid princess who dreams of life above the sea and falls in love with a human prince named Eric after saving him from a shipwreck. Against the wishes of her father, King Triton, ruler of the underwater kingdom, Ariel strikes a dangerous bargain with the sea witch Ursula, trading her voice for a pair of human legs and a chance at the world she longs for.
As Ariel navigates life on land with the help of her friends Sebastian the crab and Flounder the fish, she must find a way to win Eric's love before Ursula's bargain runs out. The story centers on themes of longing, identity, and the tension between a child's dreams and a parent's protectiveness, all wrapped in a colorful undersea fantasy.
The music and the makers
The score combines songs from the original 1989 animated film, written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman, with new songs added for the stage by Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater, and a book by Doug Wright. The film songs bring a beloved, Disney animated warmth, while Slater's new material fills out characters and subplots that the movie's shorter runtime had no room for.
Signature numbers include Part of Your World, Under the Sea, Poor Unfortunate Souls, and Kiss the Girl, songs that had already become part of popular culture well before the stage version existed. That built in familiarity gave the musical an unusually broad, multigenerational audience from its first performances.
The Little Mermaid on Broadway
The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre in January 2008, starring Sierra Boggess as Ariel, Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula, and Norm Lewis as King Triton. The production leaned on elaborate costuming and rigging to suggest an underwater world, including wheeled shoes that let Ariel appear to glide as though swimming.
The show ran for about a year and a half before closing in 2009, a shorter run than some other Disney stage adaptations, though it later toured extensively and was substantially reworked for other productions around the world. It remains one of the most recognizable Disney to Broadway adaptations thanks to the enduring popularity of Menken and Ashman's original film songs.
The Little Mermaid: frequently asked questions
When did The Little Mermaid open on Broadway?
The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre in January 2008.
Who composed The Little Mermaid?
Alan Menken composed the music, with lyrics by Howard Ashman on the original film songs and Glenn Slater on new stage songs.
What is The Little Mermaid about?
It follows Ariel, a mermaid princess who trades her voice to the sea witch Ursula for legs and a chance at life on land with Prince Eric.
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