The Mermaid Princess

Synopsis

Once upon a time, in the depths of the ocean, a mermaid princess is singing, and a young prince is drowning... she saves him... he kisses her... I love you, you love me... the mermaid exchanges her tail and sublime voice for two legs, but the prince, alas, marries another! The Mermaid Princess is a captivating new adaptation of Andersen’s The Little Mermaid; a haunting tale of a young mermaid who sacrifices all for love. The production completes a trilogy of visually enthralling, theatrical fairy tales by Teatro Kismet exploring themes of rites of passage, following the internationally acclaimed Beauty and the Beast and The Snow Queen. Combining music, dance, physical performances and ravishing costumes, Kismet’s simply staged and brilliantly inventive style will transport you from a shipwreck in the depths of the ocean to a prince’s castle, from a sea witch’s cavern to a cloud of sea mist lifting to the skies. Thrilling, sensual and unforgettable theatre guaranteed to capture the imagination of both children and adults alike.

Our Review:

Anne Morley-Priestman - 8 April 2010

I sometimes wonder if in this country we as audience members don’t pay merely lip-service to an internationalism of theatrical outlook. Teatro Kismet’s new Hans Christian Andersen adaptation is darker in many ways than The Snow Queen; Andersen’s moral of “be careful what you wish for” offers no chance of lasting happiness for The Mermaid Princess, any more than for de la Motte Fouqué’s Undine or Dvorák’s Rusalka, her close relatives.

Terea Ludovico’s staging is quite wordy; the English version is by Stuart Rogers. There’s a tuna who is nanny to the princess Eugenia Amisano, an officious chamberlain at the prince’s court Paolo Summaria and an official narrator Raffaela Gardon. Well-choreographed movement carries the burden of the physical telling of the tale but the weight of words – even though the actors work their tongues around English very efficiently –...

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Latest User Review

traveller - 16 April 2010:

We have just seen this show in Ipswich and it was just lovely. The music was so right, the lighting was fabulous and the performers amazing. It is such a sad story and at times I could have cried. Really worth seeing, though not sure how much it's for kids. ...

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