The Little Mermaid Wasn't A Flop And I Can Prove It!

Tonight, ABC Family aired a 1-hour special dedicated to Disney's Broadway Musicals. From Beauty and the Beast to Aladdin, Disney Theatrical Productions have captivated audiences every year for 20 years. We also got confirmation that FROZEN will hit the Great White Way... at some point. However, there was little mention of The Little Mermaid, Tarzan, Aida, and no mention of the Broadway-Bound Hunchback of Notre Dame. Of course, those shows/ movies didn't do well, so why would Disney bother with them?

Maybe I'm being a little harsh on Disney. Then again, maybe I'm not...

I saw Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid on Broadway. Those where the first two shows I've seen. I loved both of them. The adults didn't. I'm going back to Disney, but first: Peter Pan Live! and a little boy named Iain.
(email viewers, try this link)

Iain is a little boy that reviews live theater. He stayed up to watch Peter Pan Live! and guess what: 

he loved it.

(email viewers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buue45huJbQ) 

I have the VHS tapes of Mary Martin as Peter Pan and Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan. I always loved watching them. No matter what time of the day it was, I could get invested in that musical. It's wonderful! However, Peter Pan Live! had a 47% viewer decrease after Sound of Music Live! Adults downgraded the special and so did some teens.

Lucky for me, I have the height and mind of a child. 

I loved it. I was amazed with what they were able to do with it and it brought me back to my childhood. You bet that when Tinkerbell was dying, 17 year old Nathan was clapping my hands and yelling "COME ON TINK! YOU CAN DO IT!" and it reminded me of small child me: shouting the same thing and possibly crying when Tinkerbell would sacrifice herself for Peter. 

Why does any of this matter?

We need to market to the children. I know that sounds odd and terrible, but it's true. (Now I'll go back to Disney)
I didn't care about the "issues" with The Little Mermaid Musical. When I was 10, I saw my favorite Disney film enacted onstage. To this day, it boggles my mind how they managed to do everything. However, it lasted one and half years and it was called a flop. Newsies ran 2 years and called a success. Disney must have forgotten the word "financial" somewhere in there.

We need to start thinking about the future of the world. If we can make a small child think that Ariel is swimming under the sea, 2 girls with different families are conjoined twins, Peter Pan can fly, or even that Lions are onstage, it is a success. That means that we, as thespians, have done our job. We created a memory for that child. We helped them grow as a person. We made them laugh/ cry/ yell at the sky. We created a world for that child. THAT is what's magical.

Yes, Frozen is coming to Broadway. Yes, Quasimodo and Esmeralda are as well. Before you shut down an idea, ask your child what they want to do. Chances are, if it is real for them, that's all that matters in life.

-Nathan Clift, 17
Trumbull High School
President of the Youth Board