‘Ariel’ the mermaid heads to Sharjah

The classic Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale ‘The Little Mermaid’ will get its own live-action stage remake at Sharjah’s Masrah Al Qasba Theatre for three days this July.

The musical ‘Ariel’ will be staged from July 11 until 13, based on the Disney animated film that was the basis for the popular Broadway musical.

‘Ariel’ follows the story of the little mermaid princess who bargains with an evil witch to trade her singing voice for legs to pursue her love, a human prince. Other beloved characters from the film will also return for the stage adventure including Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull and officious court composer Sebastian the crab, who helps a voiceless Ariel to gain Prince Eric’s love within three days.

The popular music score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Glenn Slater, featuring the Academy Award-winning song ‘Under the Sea’ will also be performed.

Earlier this month, Disney announced that singer Halle Bailey will play Ariel in their next live-action adaptation of ‘The Little Mermaid’.

‘Ariel’ is the eighth classic musical to be showcased as part of Al Qasba’s ‘World of Stories’ theatre series that began in November last year and will continue until December 20. Between August and December, other upcoming shows include ‘Sindbad’, ‘Hercules’, ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Snow Queen’.

The July 11 show will be staged at 7pm and the shows on July 12 and 13 will be performed at 5pm and 8pm, respectively. Tickets are priced at Dh45 and are available online.