Mercury Theatre’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ flounders

 

Bob Abelman

Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics

 

As tempting as it is for local theaters to stage adaptations of animated Disney films, it is a near-impossible uphill climb to capture the cinematic majesty of the movies and the big-budgeted spectacle of the Broadway productions.

 

Some theaters wisely opt to re-envision the work in the hope that simplification and creativity can capture the heart of the original.  Re-envisioning happens to be Mercury Theatre’s strong suit, best seen in this season’s marvelous “Finnian’s Rainbow” and a recent, ingenious production of “Peter Pan: The Musical Adventure.”  

 

But for its current production of “The Little Mermaid” – based on the 1989 Disney film that is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic story about a young mermaid who dreams of the world above the sea and gives up her voice to find love – director Pierre-Jacques Brault has opted for opulence.

 

 For more of this review, go to www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/.