Theater News

The Little Mermaid Opens Tonight at Paper Mill Playhouse

The New Jersey theater celebrates the American premiere of its reimagined adaptation of a Disney classic.

North Jersey

June 2, 2013

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Jessica Grové stars as Ariel in <i>The Little Mermaid</i>.<br />(© Billy Bustamante)”/>
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Jessica Grové stars as Ariel in The Little Mermaid.
(© Billy Bustamante)

Christian Probst (center) as the lovable Flounder with his ensemble of mermaids. <br />(© Billy Bustamante)”/>
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Christian Probst (center) as the lovable Flounder with his ensemble of mermaids.
(© Billy Bustamante)

Scott Leiendecker and Sean Patrick Doyle as the evil pair of eels Flotsam and Jetsam.<br />(© Billy Bustamante)”/>
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Scott Leiendecker and Sean Patrick Doyle as the evil pair of eels Flotsam and Jetsam.
(© Billy Bustamante)

Sebastian (Alan Mingo, Jr.) and Ariel (Jessica Grové) sing together. <br />(© Jerry Dalia )”/>
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Sebastian (Alan Mingo, Jr.) and Ariel (Jessica Grové) sing together.
(© Jerry Dalia )

Pictured from left to right: Jessica Grové (Ariel), Liz McCartney (Ursula), Sean Patrick Doyle (Jetsam) and Alan Mingo, Jr. (Sebastian).<br />(© Billy Bustamante)”/>
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Pictured from left to right: Jessica Grové (Ariel), Liz McCartney (Ursula), Sean Patrick Doyle (Jetsam) and Alan Mingo, Jr. (Sebastian).
(© Billy Bustamante)

Prince Eric (Nick Adams) and Ariel (Jessica Grové) live happily ever after alongside the company of <i>The Little Mermaid</i> at Paper Mill Playhouse.<br />(© Billy Bustamante)”/>
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Prince Eric (Nick Adams) and Ariel (Jessica Grové) live happily ever after alongside the company of The Little Mermaid at Paper Mill Playhouse.
(© Billy Bustamante)

Disney’s The Little Mermaid opens tonight at Millburn, New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse. Originally produced on Broadway in 2008, this new production boasts a completely revamped script by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright, additional songs by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater (in addition to the film’s original songs by Menken and his late collaborator Howard Ashman), and a new staging, all of which will be making their official American premiere on the Paper Mill stage this evening.

The cast features several Broadway veterans including Nick Adams (Prince Eric) who starred on Broadway as Adam/Felicia in Priscilla Queen of the Desert; Liz McCartney (Ursula), who comes to Paper Mill directly from Broadway’s Annie; and Edward Watts (King Triton), who recently appeared in Broadway’s Scandalous and in the Encores! production of It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman. The production also stars Jessica Grové (A Little Night Music) as Ariel, Matt Allen (The Wedding Singer) as Scuttle, Scott Leiendecker (Fiddler on the Roof) as Flotsam, Sean Patrick Doyle (La Cage aux Folles) as Jetsam, Alan Mingo, Jr. (The Little Mermaid) as Sebastian, Timothy Shew (Evita) as Chef Louis, Christian Probst (Beauty and the Beast) as Flounder, and Ron Wisniski (Annie) as Grimsby. Also in the company are Kristine Bennett, Ward Billeisen, Lauryn Ciardullo, Thay Floyd, KC Fredericks, Rod Harrelson, Lisa Karlin, Nicole Javanna Johnson, Morgan Kirner, Erica Mansfield, Dennis O’Bannion, Robbie Roby, James Shackelford, Katie Ulrich, and Jessica Wockenfuss.

Directed by Glenn Casale with original choreography by John MacInnis, the creative team includes Craig Barna (music direction), Kenneth Foy (scenic design), Amy Clark and Mark Koss (costume design), Charlie Morrison (lighting design), Randy Hansen (resident sound design), Leah J. Loukas (hair and wig design), and Paul Rubin (flying-sequence choreography).