‘The Little Mermaid’ Will Come Alive With Star-Studded Hollywood Bowl Performance

Disney’s beloved animated film The Little Mermaid will be brought to life via a performance by some of the biggest and most beloved names in entertainment, music, and theater at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

The animated film will come to the stage with some serious star power to headline, including former Glee and Scream Queens star Lea Michele and theater legend Harvey Fierstein. The aforementioned actors will portray Ariel and Ursula respectively.

Playbill reported that The Little Mermaid — An Immersive Live-to-Film Concert Experience, will take place on May 17 and 18. The leading theater site also reported that the actors will be backed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, which will be conducted by Michael Kosarin. The movie will play behind them during the performance. The animated film’s composer, Alan Menken, will also be in attendance.

Joining Michele and Fierstein will be Cheech Marin as Chef Louis, Ken Page as Sebastian, Peter Gallagher as King Triton, and Leo Gallo as Prince Eric. The event will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the animated film. Playbill also reported that The Hollywood Bowl will be transformed into the Hollywood Fish Bowl Dive-In Theater for the special two-night event.

This experience will somewhat mirror the Broadway show, which made its debut on the Great White Way in 2008.

Entertainment Weekly reported that songs from the film, including “Kiss the Girl,” “Under the Sea,” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” will be performed.

This is not the first time the film has gotten the star treatment at the legendary outdoor venue. The last time it was performed was in 2016. At that time, stars such as Sara Bareilles, Darren Criss, Norm Lewis, Rebel Wilson, Joshua Colley, John Stamos, and Tituss Burgess starred in the production, reported Variety.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the production will be directed and co-produced by Richard Kraft, who also helped usher the exciting performances of Beauty and the Beast and The Nightmare Before Christmas into the venue.

Kraft told The Los Angeles Times that casting Fierstein was a certain thing after seeing him perform a song as the character of Ursula at Carnegie Hall at a tribute to Menken.

“It brought down the house,” he said to the Los Angeles Times, in reference to Fierstein’s performance.

A press notice on The Hollywood Bowl‘s official website reported that in order to recreate the feeling of an underwater night-out at the “dive-in,” in addition to the feature film, this evening will include a full program of aquatically-themed previews of coming attractions, nostalgic animated snack bar commercials, and the 1938 Silly Symphony cartoon Merbabies.

The evening will also feature the world premiere of a live original score composed and performed by 17-year-old piano playing musician Emily Bear.

The Hollywood Bowl site also reported that ticketholders are invited to participate in a Little Mermaid costume contest prior to the start of the show.

Tickets for The Little Mermaid — An Immersive Live-to-Film Concert Experience are available to purchase now at the venue’s official website.