November 29, 2013

I had a wonderful opportunity to attend a showing of The Little Mermaid that was playing at The Elgin Theatre in Toronto.  While I went into this thinking it was the Disney show and my daughter would love it....after reading reviews and a synopsis online it became clear this WAS NOT the Disney version.  I went into this knowing it wasn't so it wasn't a disappointment to me.  I can understand how someone might pay a lot of money (these tickets aren't cheap) and go to it with kids expecting a Disney show, but I enjoyed it.  I found it to be highly interactive for kids and often enjoyed the kids responses as they are instructed to boo when specific characters come onstage.  I found it started in a strange place with Sponge Bill Triangle Pants who is the lesser known Canadian cousin of Sponge Bob Square Pants...then the sea monsters opening dialogue was ripe with political rhetoric and innuendo about Rob Ford....kids stared confused.  It quickly adapted into a cute tweaked version where the ending was a great surprise.  A character that held his/her own in this show was Plumbottom.  She was hilarious in her excentricity.  I had a very hard time watching her face with the horrid makeup though and found it difficult to carry the storyline if watching her speak.  This was a first time experience at Elgin Theatre with my daughter.  We were treated to a lovely buffet dinner before the show and seating that was VIP.  The theatre was immaculate and sparkling with gold.  One thing I did not enjoy myself was the kids in front of us who bought glow in the dark wands that they used throughout the show directly affecting my experience.  Overall I found it an entertaining experience to be had for the while family.