"Packed full of imagination": The Little Mermaid at Sheffield Lyceum

Northern Ballet returns to the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre this week with a delightful family ballet, The Little Mermaid. Based on the much-loved fairy tale, it tells the story of Marilla, a mermaid who falls in love with Prince Adir after she rescues him from drowning. Transforming her fins into legs, she heads up to the surface to find her love, only to find that he has fallen in love with another who he mistakenly believes was the one who saved him.

But having had to exchange her voice for her ability to live on land, can Marilla convince the prince to fall in love with her?

In this beautifully presented production, the story itself is closer to the original fairy tale than other takes on the source material, and those expecting a saccharine Disney-esque version of the story will find something slightly darker in tone, albeit still incredibly family friendly.

Joseph Taylor is impressive as Prince Adir, whilst Abigail Prudames is charming as the titular character.

One of the joys of this production is the simplicity of its presentation. The set comprises two large concave semicircles that are rotated and moved around the stage and are coupled with a subtle lighting change to easily shift the setting from land to the ocean.

The costumes also provide a clear demarcation between the sea and the shore, with the underwater characters swathed in flowing gowns of aqua blue and aqua green, whereas those on dry land are decked out in earthy oranges, browns and rusts.

One of Northern Ballet’s strengths is their ability to easily convey a narrative, and this production makes the story accessible for audiences of all ages.

David Nixon’s choreography is beautifully done, using gentle movements and constantly moving limbs to reflect the continuous ebb and flow of the ocean. Aquatic life sways back and forth as mermaids are held high aloft above the other dancers, weaving and bobbing as they swim through the air.

One of the standout features of this production is how Nixon has made the sea itself into a character within the story, with the coming together of the cast to convey the swelling of the ocean, crashing wave upon wave upon Prince Adir’s boat or lapping onto the shore.

As the story becomes more land based in act two, the choreography moves to the more traditional, with a delightful ensemble piece and some technically precise movements from the company opening the second act. The score by Sally Beamish moves between the jaunty, the romantic and the dramatic with ease and has quite a cinematic quality to it, especially during the final scenes.

The Little Mermaid is a production packed full of imagination, creative choreography and enough charm to delight ballet novices and aficionados alike.