Auli’i Cravalho, Queen Latifah And Shaggy To Star In ‘Little Mermaid Live’
The TV adaptation will feature music from both the original animated film as well as the Tony-winning Broadway rendition.
ABC has announced Moana star Auli’i Cravalho, Queen Latifah and Shaggy will star in a new live concert production of The Little Mermaid set to air on 5 November.
The live musical event is part of The Wonderful World of Disney franchise, honoring the 30th anniversary of the original The Little Mermaid. The TV adaptation will feature intricate sets and costumes, weaving in music from both the original animated film as well as the Tony-winning Broadway version. Additionally, renowned lyricist for the Broadway show Glenn Slater will contribute to the ABC special.
Originally, ABC announced it would stage a live production of the beloved underwater tale in May 2017. However, in August of that year, the network chose to postpone the live musical rendition, as they claimed the production deserved more attention than they were able to provide at the time being.
Moana star Cravalho has been cast to play Ariel, with Queen Latifa slated as the villainess Ursula and Shaggy as the trusty sidekick Sebastian. Following her breakout role in Moana, Cravalho performed the film’s breakout anthem, ‘How Far I’ll Go’ at the Oscars, in addition to starring in the NBC musical drama series, Rise.
In other Little Mermaid news, Disney also recently announced a live-action feature adaptation of the 1989 animated film, which will star Halle Bailey as Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and Awkwafina as Scuttle. Director Rob Marshall, Hamilton’s Lin Manuel Miranda, and eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken will all contribute to the film’s production. Production is anticipated to begin in early 2020.
Earlier this spring, Shaggy teamed up with Police frontman Sting for their collaborative album, 44/876. The duo also performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, playing cuts from their Caribbean-inflected album, including ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’, ‘Shape Of My Heart’, and a mash-up of Juice WRLD’s chart-topper ‘Lucid Dreams’.
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