The Little Mermaid Live

[Spoilers may be ahead.  Plus, Full Disclosure I totally watched this a day later and after having read the reviews (well, a review, but you get the point).

Thankful for “The Little Mermaid Live”

100% HERE for The Little Mermaid Live.  A former theater kid who plays in live events for a living – I’ve been hyper sensitive and excessively critical of the recent trend of LIVE theater productions.  “Grease Live” — well done, way to go off the cliff and learn how to float!  “Rent Live” — unfortunate injury aside, my issues are less with the production and more with Millenials interpreting Jonathan Larson (but I didn’t entirely hate it – not listening to the soundtrack in the car, but I think I understand how it ended up where it did).  “The Wiz” and “Peter Pan” – we are just going to say… not my favorite musicals to start with… entirely an uphill climb for both.  “The Sound of Music” – Love Carrie.  Love, LOVE SOM… but let’s be real… Julie Andrews is still alive and if I’m going to see SOM on TV… I want it to be the 1965 film version.

But back to “The Little Mermaid Live”

*. Auliʻi Cravalho should be cast in SO much more.  I really do want to see more of her… and I’m still mad that “Rise” got cancelled.

• Claws – how did everyone in the audience have claws for the lunch scene and Shaggy as “Sebastian” not have any?  (Mel B + I have seen Shaggy in concert, I feel like he could handle the claws.  #justsayin)
• John Stamos – I’m not actually sure you went away… but WELCOME the eff BACK
• Queen Latifah — I continue to bow down to you. Totally a #poorunfortunatesoul

Personally, I think this format is my favorite for three reasons…

1. There were animatronic frogs (If you know me, you know)
2. Such an entertaining production challenge —- and so many of my peeps in the credits (Kudos)
3. Skip the fluff… focus on the big fan-favorite numbers, immerse the audience —- yeah, fuck yeah.  IN for that.

Yeah, it’s a live production, there is always something to pick apart – if there wasn’t what would those of us that play in this world do for a living?  That’s part of the fun… the little things that only those people ‘in the know’ KNOW.