Event Recap: The Little Mermaid Live at the Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl kicked off its summer season with three magical nights celebrating the success of one of Disney's most classic animated films, The Little Mermaid. Originally planned for just two nights, The Little Mermaid Live in Concert sold out so quickly that an additional night was quickly added. I was in attendance for the second performance on June 4th, which featured the same celebrity performers as opening night, plus a surprise guest.
The winding path to the outdoor theater featured multiple photo opportunities, sponsored by Walt Disney Records, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Plenty of fans attended the show in costume and judges were on hand for a costume contest. A limited amount of merchandise exclusive to the event was available, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, a program and a tumbler, in addition the the film's soundtrack on CD and vinyl.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149300,149301,149302,149303"]
At 7:50, Darren Criss took the stage as host for the evening's performances. First he introduced surprise special guests Ron Clements and John Musker, directors of The Little Mermaid, so they could receive a round of applause. Then the three of them welcomed Alan Menken to the stage as the opening act. Sitting at a piano, Menken played a medley of his hits, starting with "Little Shop of Horrors" and venturing into his Disney catalogue, more or less in chronological order. Audience members gasped in delight as he pulled out classic after classic from Newsies, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Enchanted, Tangled and Galavant before finishing the set with a few melodies from The Little Mermaid.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149304,149305,149306,149307"]
For a small preview of the way Menken holds an audience, here's a short video of "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast.
As Menken completed his set, many audience members applauded him with a standing ovation. And as the orchestra began to take their seats, he explained that many of the talented musicians performing that night have been featured in his film score recordings, including a few who performed on The Little Mermaid's soundtrack. The conductor channeled Sebastian with a red sports coat and the men from the choir took to the stage as the film began with "Fathoms Below." The orchestra continued to play behind the film, with dialogue and sound effects in tact. As the next song approached, "Daughters of Triton," the female members of the chorus performed.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149309,149310"]
One of the celebrity performers advertised for the first two performances was Sara Bareilles, famous for such pop hits as "Love Song" and "Brave." Assuming the role of Ariel for the evening, she took the stage in a flowing green dress with red hair extensions to pay homage to Ariel's color scheme. She held the audience in her hands as she performed "Part of Your World" and returned shortly after for the reprise.
The ticket promised that there would be fireworks and a few of them took to the sky during the scene where Ariel sees Prince Eric for the first time. As the crew set off fireworks over the ocean in the film, fireworks filled the sky above The Hollywood Bowl. Fun fact, the musical jig that plays during this moment of the film is also called "Fireworks."
In Alan Menken's introduction, he promised that four songs from the Broadway show would be inserted into the evening's program. In the show, Ariel's sisters and flounder notice that Ariel has been acting funny and come to the conclusion that she must be in love with somebody. The female chorus members returned to the stage, along with Joshua Colley from Broadway's Hamilton in the role of Flounder, to perform "She's In Love."
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149313,149314,149315"]
As the film progressed closer to "Under the Sea," the audience's energy became tantalizing. That's because one of the biggest draws of the event was the chance to see Tituss Burgess, who originated the role of Sebastian on Broadway, fill those red shoes again for this performance. Burgess' star has risen considerably thanks to his role on Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, where he plays out-of-work flamboyant actor Titus Andromedon. The audience went wild when he performed the catchy calypso rhythm with the mens choir offering backup.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149316,149317,149318,149319"]
To help you understand why Burgess is such an incomparable performer, here is the last chorus of "Under the Sea." Needless to say, he stopped the show with a standing ovation.
Another veteran of the Broadway show participating in the evening's performance was Norm Lewis, who originated the role of King Triton. Right before King Triton destroys Ariel's Grotto, he performed "The World Above (Reprise)."
The audience giggled with glee as Rebel Wilson from the Pitch Perfect films graced the stage with a giant Ursula wig and a black gown with purple crystal accents towards the hem. She preened herself as the song began, just like Ursula does in the film.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149323,149324,149325,149326,149327"]
Her performance was campy and she had a ton of fun with it. The applause mid-way through the song was so loud that the orchestra had to delay the incantation piece.
Sara Bareilles returned to the stage to sing Ariel's part of the villainess' song.
After "Poor Unfortunate Souls," the performers took a ten-minute intermission. This is the same spot in the story that the Broadway show also took its break. To find out what happened when they returned, click to the next page. You won't want to miss the special surprise guest!
When the show resumed, the orchestra welcomed the audience back to Ariel's world with violinist Sandy Cameron, who wore a seaweed inspired ensemble as she performed a very moving arrangement of the songs from the film.
The film resumed and Ariel finally meets Prince Eric face-to-face, only now she can't talk. Darren Criss returned to the stage, having changed his costume to a Prince Eric inspired piece. With a guitar in hand, he performed "Her Voice" from the Broadway show, but with a new arrangement. His version was the way I would expect the song to be performed if John Mayer had written it.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149331,149332,149333"]
Without a doubt, the most widely known star on the evening's lineup was John Stamos, who delighted as Chef Louis for "Les Poissons." The diehard Disney fan wore an oversized mustache for the part and during the chase music, took over for the conductor, leading the orchestra with a wooden spoon.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149334,149335,149336,149337"]
If there's one thing his animated performance taught me, it's that John Stamos needs to be cast in a future Disney animated film.
Tituss Burgess returned to the stage shortly after to set the mood for Ariel and Eric's date. The chorus joined him for backup on "Kiss the Girl," another winning performance.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149338,149340,149339"]
While "Kiss the Girl" is the last original song in the film, my favorite song written for the Broadway version followed it in the concert. While Ariel watches Eric from her window as he thinks about the voice he heard, a quartet was performed called "If Only." Sara Bareilles starts the song as Ariel, expressing her wants and desires, and Darren Criss picks it up from her. Tituss Burgess as Sebastian lends Ariel his support while Norm Lewis as King Triton searches for his missing daughter. It's a chilling song and I was thrilled to see it included.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149341,149342,149343,149344,149345,149346"]
The orchestra played through the film's exciting climax. The "Poor Unfortunate Souls" reprise that Vanessa sings into the mirror used the film audio rather than having Bareillis or Wilson return to the stage. As King Triton paints his rainbow over his daughter's wedding, a few fireworks were sent into the air as the stage mirrored the rainbow effect.
Up until the finale, all of the fireworks had been minimal. But as the credits began, the orchestra played an extended version of the Broadway show's overture and the audience was treated to a "symphony in the sky." Giant fans on the sides of the audience were used to push the smoke and any possible fallout away from the theater. If only Fantasyland could do something similar to remain open during Wishes.
Following the fireworks, the cast returned to the stage for their bow. During the fireworks, some members of the audience left their seats in an effort to be first to their cars (parking at The Hollywood Bowl is a very serious problem). However, Sara Bareilles revealed that there was one additional surprise as she welcomed Jodi Benson, voice of Ariel in the film, to the stage.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149348,149349,149350,149351"]
Jodi Benson thanked all of the Ariel fans for being such a treasured part of her life. "I feel like singing," she said and the audience went wild as she performed "Part of Your World." During her performance, many audience members who had already left frantically returned to their seats. And at the end, she was given a standing ovation from every member of the audience.
After her amazing performance, Jodi Benson invited Alan Menken and the rest of the cast back to the stage for another bow with the orchestra. As a Disney fan, one of the highlights of the entire night wasn't any single performance, but a sweet moment that most attendees likely missed. In the beginning, Alan Menken mentioned that some members of the orchestra are featured on the film's soundtrack. During the bow, Jodi Benson recognized two particular members and walked up to them to share a hug, a sweet reunion thirty years in the making. Sara Barellis was only booked to play Ariel for the first two performances and Jodi Benson filled in for the added performance on June 6th.
[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="149352,149353,149354,149355"]