The Mermaid Princess (Tour – Salford)

The problem with translating a play from another language is that, often it has the same effect as watching a dubbed movie, in that the dialogue does not often come across as colourful or as lively as the writer had imagined. Look at the Eurovision Song Contest for proof – as the lyrics often become laughable in English, yet sound exquistive when translated back to say, French.

In this case, Teatro Kismet have taken Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid and retained the darkness of the original, which has almost been white washed through time by Disney with their all singing, all dancing version. The premise is the same, as we follow a mermaid who falls in love with a prince, saves him and gives up her voice to be with him.

Like all love stories, there is a major complication, in that she surrenders her voice in order to be with him. Without this though, he cannot see that this beautiful woman is his saviour and lover from a far. So, he ends up marrying another. This is very sad and there are a few poignant moments in this brave and original production.

The performances are highly convincing and Daria Menichetti in particular is very effective as the Mermaid Princess conveying her sense of loss beautifully through movement. Valerio Tambone is also good as the Prince, but he often lapses into slapstick, which although amusing, renders his character redundant, in terms of plot.

Eugenia Amisano and Rafaella Gardon are scene stealers in a variety of roles including narrator, as is Paolo Summaria as the Lord Chamberlain. These three really play to the children in the audience, bringing the fairytale element to life.

The main problem though, is the dialogue, as it is often stilted and lost in translation, meaning that many scenes feel far longer then they really are. This may encourage fidgeting from the many of the youngsters, as it did on the night I attended. 

Luca Ruzza‘s set design is effective although it would benefit from having a more explicit maritime feel. The fabric hanging from the celing is particularly well used to create a stunning effect. Vincent Longuemare‘s lighting design is striking and really does provide little ones with the feeling that they are under the sea.

My two younger colleagues, Ella and Mia Walsh certainly found sections of the production amusing and at times, they were caught up in the plot. But they also found some of it a tad too scary, and slow. Therefore, it never completely charmed them.

Teatro Kismet‘s adaptation of a classic is only one hour long, yet sadly there are some scenes which almost grind the narrative to a halt. But, as an adult, it sure makes a change to see something which makes a child think long and hard about the plot and staging, as opposed to sitting back to watch another coke filled Lazy Town merchandise – tour.