REVIEW | The Little Mermaid, Metta Theatre.
Derby Theatre
★★★
This production combines circus, song, and storytelling to create a new adaptation of a classic story. The award-winning company, Metta Theatre have created a show for the whole family to enjoy, with some fantastic acrobatics and an original song score.
The foundations for the original story are there, The Little Mermaid does long for life on hand and she captures the attention of a handsome Prince after an enraged storm at sea brings them together. The Prince is consumed by the lure of the sea. The Little Mermaid sacrifices her voice to the powerful Sea Witch, she will face more hurdles is she is ever able to be with the Prince. She is given the ability to walk on two feet but life on land doesn't turn out to be as wonderful as she had hoped it would be, she's unable to return to her sisters and remains floating helplessly above the waves. The only hope she has rested with her sisters - can they help the Prince conquer his own fears, return to the sea and reveal his true feelings before it's all too late..
The company stars seven of the world's leading circus artists, but for me, it didn't give me the wow appeal I had expected. It felt as though the company's focus was on the storytelling rather than the performance. The performance quality lacked for me, particularly in the sections which used the Cyr Wheel. The Cyr Wheel is a large ring made from steel or aluminum, a piece of apparatus that I thought would easily carry along with it some wow factor. The person using this apparatus spent more time throwing it around the theatre space instead of performing something.
They knew how to use the space and integrate different circus skills into the story which worked very effectively. They had really explored how a mermaid would move around without stating the obvious. The original song score used in the production didn't appeal to me, it didn't need to be there and some of the artists didn't have the strongest of vocal ability to execute it how I wanted. The space itself looked vast and not as lively as I would expect from something set for a large percentage of it in the sea.
It wasn't my most enjoyable performance. This production would have more appeal to younger families. It has the fun factor and great storytelling ideal for this specific age range. I would definitely encourage families to go and see this production if their child is interested in mermaids.
The Little Mermaid is available to watch until Aug 2018. You can find out more about the production and where it'll be performing by visiting the Metta Theatre website.
If you are interested in Circus/Dance performance, you may enjoy reading my review of Super Sunday by Race Horse Company!
This production combines circus, song, and storytelling to create a new adaptation of a classic story. The award-winning company, Metta Theatre have created a show for the whole family to enjoy, with some fantastic acrobatics and an original song score.
The foundations for the original story are there, The Little Mermaid does long for life on hand and she captures the attention of a handsome Prince after an enraged storm at sea brings them together. The Prince is consumed by the lure of the sea. The Little Mermaid sacrifices her voice to the powerful Sea Witch, she will face more hurdles is she is ever able to be with the Prince. She is given the ability to walk on two feet but life on land doesn't turn out to be as wonderful as she had hoped it would be, she's unable to return to her sisters and remains floating helplessly above the waves. The only hope she has rested with her sisters - can they help the Prince conquer his own fears, return to the sea and reveal his true feelings before it's all too late..
The company stars seven of the world's leading circus artists, but for me, it didn't give me the wow appeal I had expected. It felt as though the company's focus was on the storytelling rather than the performance. The performance quality lacked for me, particularly in the sections which used the Cyr Wheel. The Cyr Wheel is a large ring made from steel or aluminum, a piece of apparatus that I thought would easily carry along with it some wow factor. The person using this apparatus spent more time throwing it around the theatre space instead of performing something.
They knew how to use the space and integrate different circus skills into the story which worked very effectively. They had really explored how a mermaid would move around without stating the obvious. The original song score used in the production didn't appeal to me, it didn't need to be there and some of the artists didn't have the strongest of vocal ability to execute it how I wanted. The space itself looked vast and not as lively as I would expect from something set for a large percentage of it in the sea.
It wasn't my most enjoyable performance. This production would have more appeal to younger families. It has the fun factor and great storytelling ideal for this specific age range. I would definitely encourage families to go and see this production if their child is interested in mermaids.
The Little Mermaid is available to watch until Aug 2018. You can find out more about the production and where it'll be performing by visiting the Metta Theatre website.
If you are interested in Circus/Dance performance, you may enjoy reading my review of Super Sunday by Race Horse Company!