The Little Mermaid Live! (2019)
I’ve seen quite a few live tv musical performances, and The Little Mermaid was extremely well executed. The set-up sounds odd, but it’s actually very clever. A screen is set up in the back of the “dinner theatre” auditorium, and snippets of the original cartoon are shown to set up the story and provide dialogue. When it’s time for a song, there’s a seamless cut back to the stage and the actors (in full costume with great set pieces and backdrops) sing the musical numbers. After the applause, the camera cuts back to the screen and we watch more of the cartoon. It’s hard to believe ABC fit in all the songs (plus two numbers from the Broadway production) and snippets from the cartoon in just an hour, but it did!
It’s understandable that everyone’s really nervous during the live musicals. After all, Graham Phillips has to open the show with “Fathoms Below,” Auli’i Cravalho has to belt out “Part of Your World” while hooked up to a flying holster and pretending to swim in mid-air, Shaggy has to worry whether anyone remembers him from the 1990s, John Stamos has to humiliate himself with a ridiculous mustache, and Queen Latifah has the pressure of the showstopping song. That’s a lot to be nervous about!
Hopefully, after the show, everyone was able to relax and enjoy watching the tape. They were great! The production was fantastic, with flawless transitions, well-timed audience participation, and immersive sets and backgrounds. Jodi Benson (the original voice of Ariel) treated the audience with an introduction to the show, and the voice of Disney’s Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) got to enjoy another aquatic lead. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” really was the showstopper. You’d think no one would be able to follow Pat Carroll’s incredible rendition from the cartoon, but Queen Latifah was just fantastic. These Thanksgiving live shows are a great tradition, and this year when the tradition was paused, it was nice to go back and watch last year’s performance.
More Queen Latifah movies here!
It’s understandable that everyone’s really nervous during the live musicals. After all, Graham Phillips has to open the show with “Fathoms Below,” Auli’i Cravalho has to belt out “Part of Your World” while hooked up to a flying holster and pretending to swim in mid-air, Shaggy has to worry whether anyone remembers him from the 1990s, John Stamos has to humiliate himself with a ridiculous mustache, and Queen Latifah has the pressure of the showstopping song. That’s a lot to be nervous about!
Hopefully, after the show, everyone was able to relax and enjoy watching the tape. They were great! The production was fantastic, with flawless transitions, well-timed audience participation, and immersive sets and backgrounds. Jodi Benson (the original voice of Ariel) treated the audience with an introduction to the show, and the voice of Disney’s Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) got to enjoy another aquatic lead. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” really was the showstopper. You’d think no one would be able to follow Pat Carroll’s incredible rendition from the cartoon, but Queen Latifah was just fantastic. These Thanksgiving live shows are a great tradition, and this year when the tradition was paused, it was nice to go back and watch last year’s performance.
More Queen Latifah movies here!