On this day in 2008, The Little Mermaid - a stage musical produced by Disney Theatrical - had its grand debut on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (former home of Beauty and the Beast).Based on Disney's 1989 hit animated feature, The Little Mermaid first had a pre-Broadway run in Colorado in Summer 2007. Broadway previews began in November 2007 and a grand debut was to take place December 6 ... but a Broadway stagehand strike prevented the show from opening until January 10, 2008.
The opening night cast included Sierra Boggess as Ariel (pictured left), Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula, Norm Lewis as King Triton, Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, and Tituss Burgess as Sebastian. The stage musical featured the same songs from the animated version plus new songs written by Alan Menken and Glen Slater.
Audience response was generally positive and the show was nominated for multiple Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award and an Emmy. The Little Mermaid went on to give 684 more regular performances before closing in August 2009.
A national tour is scheduled for the fall of 2010.
Swim on over HERE for more January 10 Disney history.
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