The Little Mermaid (musical)

The Little Mermaid
Playbill cover at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Music	Alan Menken
Lyrics	Howard Ashman Glenn Slater
Book	Doug Wright
Basis	The Little Mermaid by John Musker Ron Clements The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
Productions	2007 Denver (tryout) 2008 Broadway

The Little Mermaid is a stage musical produced by Disney Theatrical, based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1989 film The Little Mermaid and the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen about a mermaid who dreams of the world above the sea and gives up her voice to find true love. Its book is by Doug Wright, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman (written for the film), with additional lyrics by Glenn Slater. Its underwater setting and story about aquatic characters requires unusual technical designs and strategies to create gliding movements for the actors.

After a pre-Broadway tryout in Denver, Colorado from July to September 2007, the musical began Broadway previews on November 3, 2007, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, replacing Disney's Beauty and the Beast. The production officially opened on January 10, 2008, and closed on August 30, 2009, after 685 performances and 50 previews. It introduced Broadway debuts by director Francesca Zambello and Sierra Boggess in the title role.

Subsequent productions have been seen in US regional theatres and internationally. A modified version of the musical with a new book and direction by Glenn Casale was developed in 2012, and this version is the basis for subsequent productions.