State Street Ballet’s World Premiere of ‘The Little Mermaid’ Lands in Santa Barbara

A Spectacular Rendition of Hans Christian Andersen’s Famous Fairy Tale

'The Little Mermaid' | Photo: Andre Yew

Stunning new choreography; haunting, original music; rich, new costumes; huge puppets; and exquisite dancing bring the timeless tale of The Little Mermaid to life March 1-2 at the Lobero Theatre. This State Street Ballet (SSB) world premiere is a production for all ages that you won’t want to miss!

I have always found fairy tales, myths, and folk tales absolutely fascinating, as they represent narratives that are grounded in the Weltanschauung (world view) of a particular culture. Russian folklorist Vladimir Propp, who analyzed hundreds of Russian fairy tales, described the hero’s journey as the basis of all fairy tales. We see Propp’s archetypal hero’s narrative in popular contemporary epics such as The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.

But the fairy tales of Danish writer and poet Hans Christian Andersen are different. Many are not simply depictions of a hero’s journey; they center on the unbearable suffering of an innocent young creature — human, animal, or mythical; often female; who endures great physical and/or emotional pain; and is often redeemed only in death by union with God. (Yikes!)

The original Little Mermaid is such a story. Published in 1837, it is perhaps the most famous of Andersen’s 168 fairy tales. In the original, after enduring unspeakable suffering without a single complaint, instead of marrying her prince, the Little Mermaid dies when the prince marries someone else. Due to her selflessness throughout her sojourn on land, instead of turning into sea foam (as is the fate of all mermaids), she joins the daughters of the air, eventually earning an eternal soul, and ascends to heaven. The Little Mermaid was, as were basically all of Andersen’s stories, a teaching tale meant for children in 19th-century Europe.

‘The Little Mermaid’ premieres March 1-2 at the Lobero. | Photo: State Street Ballet

But this ghastly tale is not something we tell children today. It is not part of our zeitgeist. Instead, Cecily MacDougall and Megan Philipp, directors and choreographers of State Street Ballet, along with Resident Choreographer William Soleau, have created a version of The Little Mermaid that is a teaching tale for our times, with a lesson: Be kind to those who are otherwise abled. The team started work on this production in 2020, but no message could be more important for today’s troubled world.

In the original Andersen story, as well as in Disney’s version, the Little Mermaid gives up her tail for legs with which to walk on land, but she also relinquishes her melodious voice. Thus, she is mute while on land, and MacDougall and Philipp have brilliantly incorporated American Sign Language into the choreography.

Instead of a palace on land, the central terrestrial building is a lighthouse — a structure that is meant to guide sailors to safety around treacherous shorelines. The lighthouse keeper has a beautiful daughter who is deaf, and she befriends the Little Mermaid once she makes the transition to land. She teaches the Little Mermaid to sign. Brilliant!

Rehearsing with the larger-than-life jellyfish puppet. | Photo: State Street Ballet

Instead of taking place under the sea outside Copenhagen, where a statue of the Little Mermaid overlooks the harbor, SSB’s The Little Mermaid takes place around Ireland. As MacDougall explained, Ireland has a rich tradition of mysticism, including fairies, leprechauns, sirens, mermaids, and “selkies,” the Irish version of mermaids.

I was fortunate to see a studio rehearsal of The Little Mermaid on February 5. Even in its then-unfinished condition, State Street Ballet’s The Little Mermaid is a tour de force of choreography and spectacular dancing. MacDougall and Philipp have combined contemporary and lyrical dance for the underwater scenes of Act One, giving the sense of gliding smoothly through the water, with classical ballet, en pointe, for the on-land scenes of Act Two. Again, absolutely brilliant.

The underwater scenes incorporate beautiful, larger-than-life puppets, designed and created by Christina McCarthy of the UCSB Dance and Theater Department. The dancers dance with these flowing puppets, giving the sense of the lilting motion of being underwater.

The role of the Little Mermaid will be danced by the ethereal Amara Galloway, for whom this role was created. She is the perfect dancer for this role, being quite petite, and she looks absolutely weightless as the guys throw her through the air and effortlessly catch her.

The Sea Witch of the original story, who gives the Little Mermaid the magic with which to ascend to land, is a Siren in SSB’s ballet. “Sorcha” the Siren is exquisitely danced by Arianna Hartanov, accompanied by a huge clamshell puppet manipulated by Amber Hirschfield.

The dancers alternate between pure dancing roles, dancing-with-puppet roles, and pantomime roles in which they manipulate the larger-than-life puppets to create the underwater scenes, explained MacDougall. SSB has no hierarchical structure like other companies; all the artists are soloists in their own right, and they all work together to make the productions happen.

The Little Mermaid also has a new, original score composed by Charles Fernandez. The underwater scenes are supported by exquisite lyrical music that portrays the weightless sensation of being underwater, while the on-land scenes are portrayed by lively music with Irish/Celtic overtones. The production will be accompanied live by the Opera San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra, led by Maestro Brian Asher Alhadeff.

I can’t wait to see the production on stage, with the new costumes and scenery.

The main performances will be Saturday night, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, March 2, at 2 p.m. There is also a special performance on Saturday, March 1, at 2 p.m., which is described as “sensory friendly.” Said MacDougall during questions at the studio rehearsal, “There will be no ‘shushing’ at the Saturday afternoon show!” Parents are invited to bring their small children, who will be allowed to move around freely, comment on the performance, and even dance in the aisles.

Tickets are available through the State Street Ballet website (statestreetballet.com), or by calling (805) 845-1432, or through the Lobero Theatre website (lobero.org/events/the-little-mermaid), or directly from the box office at 33 East Canon Perdido Street.