Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is a stage musical produced by Disney Theatrical, based on the animated 1989 Disney film of the same name and the classic story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. The musical’s book is by Doug Wright, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman (written for the film) and new lyrics by Glenn Slater.

Broadway previews began in November 2007 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, previously the home of Disney Theatrical’s Beauty and the Beast, which closed in July 2007 to make way for the new production. With Disney set to open the show at the time, it was believed that having two Disney icons on Broadway at the same time would divide audiences and cause competition between the two shows. The Little Mermaid officially opened on January 10, 2008 and closed on August 30, 2009 after 685 performances and 50 previews.

The Little Mermaid takes place in a magical kingdom beneath the sea. A beautiful young mermaid named Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. But first, she’ll have to defy her father – the king of the sea, escape the clutches of an evil sea witch and convince a prince that she’s the girl with the perfect voice.