Hans Christen Andersesn's Little Mermaid Onstage With UW-Waukesha

The Little MermaidDen lille havfrue in its original Danishhas captivated audiences since it was first published in 1837. Like so many other traditional fables before it, Hans Christen Andersen’s tale of a young Mermaid willing to give up her life for a human soul has been co-opted by the multi-headed Satan that is Disney. It is almost impossible for modern audiences to hear the title and not think of the red-headed Technicolor nymph with the  over-expressive face when hearing the title. All subsequent dramatic presentations of the story will ride in the shadow of that $200 million-grossing animated monster. UW-Waukesha works to forge a bit of new drama in the wake of the 1989 film as it presentes its production of The Little Mermaid and the Prince in a little less than a week.

"It's a great opportunity for these students to fully experience what life in the theatre is like," said course instructor and advisor Jeff Smerz as quoted in the show’s press release. "Not only are these students putting a lot of time and energy into the play, they are offering a great show for the community."

The 45-minute show is being presented by a UW-Waukesha Winterim class. Students involved in the production get three credits towards graduation. Students had been given the opportunity to be crucial in every angle of production from choosing the story to building sets, creating costumes and, of course, directing and performing in the final show.

UW-Waukesha’s The Little Mermaid and the Prince runs for two performances onlymatinees at 10 am and 1pm on Friday, January 22^nd at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre at 1500 North University Drive in Waukesha.