The Little Mermaid | A 'Tail' for our Time
29 Nov 2024
This year’s Christmas show The Little Mermaid adds a modern-day theme and a splash old fashioned festive magic to the much-loved story. We asked writer Sonali Bhattacharyya to tell us a bit more..
The Little Mermaid is a contemporary, funny, wondrous take on the Hans Christian Anderson fairytale.
Sereia is the last mermaid in the Southern Waters, facing the heartbreak of all her friends leaving as Coral is no longer strong enough to support them. They all blame the evil Inky Slick. Sereia refuses to give up, however, and sacrifices her tail in order to find answers on land. She’s found a boy, Kai, who seems to care about Coral as much as her, and she’s determined to work with him to save Coral.
The character of the little mermaid has always been a compelling one for me. Someone so overcome with love that she is willing to give up a part of herself. We wanted to reframe the story so Sereia’s devotion is to Coral and her community, and in fighting for them she finds romance on land with Kai. Sereia is a brave, funny, resourceful young woman who is driven by hope.
The Little Mermaid celebrates friendship, optimism, and our bonds of community in the face of climate change. Sereia is an incredible heroine, but she needs Coral’s wisdom and magic, Kai’s hopefulness and science, Sea Turtle’s advice and support, and the help of a host of other sea creature friends in order to confront Inky Slick.
Our show will plunge you into the magical depths of the sea, with breathtaking circus and aerial feats of wonder, silly and wonderful characters, and ridiculously catchy songs. This is a big, bold show, full of heart and a belief in the power of change. Join us this Christmas and let your inner mermaid swim free!
Sonali Bhattacharyya, writer The Little Mermaid
