Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' Sells Out 7-Week Pre-Broadway Run

By Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner – TicketNews.com

It was downstream all the way for Disney’s pre-Broadway engagement of The Little Mermaid. After four weeks of previews and nearly three weeks of performances, the Broadway-bound musical sold 100 percent of its tickets in its run at the 2,245-capacity Denver Center for the Performing Arts. With nearly 95,000 seats sold in 47 performances, this pre-Broadway engagement has been one of the most highly attended events in DCPA history and the most successful out-of-town tryout for Disney Theatrical Productions ever. Its final performance was Sept. 9

Broadway previews will begin Nov. 3 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, with an official opening on Dec. 6. The Little Mermaid, based on the Disney film and the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen takes place in a magical kingdom beneath the sea, where a beautiful young mermaid named Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. . .

“The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is delighted to have had the pre-Broadway engagement of The Little Mermaid here in the gorgeous new Ellie Caulkins Opera House,” Randy Weeks, president and executive director of Denver Center Attractions, said in a statement. “This was the highlight of our year and we have been overwhelmed by the tremendous support and amazing response our audiences have shown. We greatly value our relationship with Disney Theatrical Productions, and have been honored to have this fantastic cast and crew here in Denver.”

Jack Finlaw, director of Denver’s Division of Theatres and Arenas, added the history-making engagement was a source of great pride for Denver, and hopes the city will host future Disney theatrical productions.

“The Little Mermaid” features the Oscar-winning score and music from eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken, who helped pen 11 new songs with lyricist Glenn Slater that blend seamlessly with those originally written with Howard Ashman. The book for the new musical is by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Doug Wright, and the production was directed by Francesca Zambello.

The pre-Broadway cast featured Sierra Boggess as Ariel, Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, Norm Lewis as ‘King Triton, Tituss Burgess as Sebastian, Eddie Korbich as Scuttle, Jonathan Freeman as Grimsby, Derrick Baskin as Jetsam, Tyler Maynard as Flotsam, Cody Hanford and J.J. Singleton as Flounder and Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula.