When Hans Christian Andersen wrote his fairy tale of a little mermaid in 1837, the mood was dark and the ending far from romantic. Disney changed that when it retold the story as “The Little Mermaid,” a bright and child-friendly animated feature film in 1989, and then as a Broadway musical in 2008.
The Disney version opens Friday at Diamond Head Theatre, and director/choreographer Andrew Sakaguchi says the story is more than a fairy tale.
“There’s something special about the story of the little mermaid, Ariel, feeling out of place, feeling like a fish out of water and wanting to find something new and explore other worlds,” Sakaguchi said. “I think that resonates with us more in our society now than when Hans Christian Andersen wrote the original story.”
Very young children might not notice, but Disney made some changes in its film version of the story in adapting it for a live performance. More changes were made after the show closed on Broadway. DHT is presenting what Sakaguchi describes as the “improved version.”
“They changed the order of some of the songs, they brought out Ursula’s character, they fleshed her character out a little more, but mostly they just changed the sequence to make it flow better,” he said.
Changes were also made in the staging of the underwater sequences, and so the DHT production will have better swimming effects than were seen on Broadway, according to Sakaguchi.
DISNEY’S “THE LITTLE MERMAID”
>> Run dates: Opens 7:30 p.m. Friday; continues at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 13. Matinees at 3 p.m. July 22 and 29 and Aug. 12
>> Where: Diamond Head Theatre, 520 Makapuu Ave.
>> Admission: $15-$50
>> Length of play: Two hours plus intermission
>> Intermission: Yes
>> Age recommendation: Elementary school and up
>> What it’s about: A teenage mermaid sacrifices her voice in exchange for three days as a human but must also forfeit her soul to the sea witch if she doesn’t get “the kiss of true love” from Prince Eric before the three days are up.
>> Morals and messages: Don’t trust anyone who asks for your soul as collateral. There are times when love can bridge cultural differences and overcome hate. If you have a dream or an idea or a goal, stick to it and see it through. You can be who you want to be in your heart.
>> Parental advisory: Ursula the sea witch might frighten very small children.
>> Kid-pleaser aspects: Mathias Mass as Scuttle the seagull and Miguel Cadoy as Sebastian the crab
>> Director/choreographer says: “The original story has a sad ending and she dies, and the lesson is ‘Don’t try to seek a life other than what you were born into,’” Sakaguchi said. “In the Disney version it was updated — not just to give it a happy ending, but also because we’re living in an age where we want to embrace our differences, seek out an expression of our true self and be who we really are.”
>> Info: 733-0274 or diamondheadtheatre.com
