playbill vip

Notes are from the Director and do not necessarily represent the views of Taft High School and its administration.

As a fan of Disney Animation and musical theatre, I have a special place in my heart for the 1989 film version of The Little Mermaid. The story and musical structure of the movie was shaped by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken to follow a more theatrical format, complete with terrific ensemble numbers like “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl,” a fabulous villain song, “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and one of the greatest “I Want” songs in the Disney pantheon, “Part of Your World.” Eleven-year-old me appreciated every bit of Ariel, Ursula, Sebastian, Flounder, and even Scuttle and the “dinglehopper,” and that enthusiasm has only grown over the last few decades.

When the live action remake hit the big screen, I was once again mesmerized but found some additional sources of inspiration as I revisited the story: The jellyfish and all of the incredible energy from the sea creatures. Grimsby, and the way he watches out for Prince Eric and Ariel, too. King Triton’s love for his daughters and his underlying grief for Ariel’s mother. But Ariel herself has a story that is so much more than just a young woman in love, and that’s what drew me to this musical at this time. 

The key for me is that Ariel sings “Part of Your World” before she ever lays eyes on Eric. She yearns to be a part of the human world–she surrounds herself with human relics in her grotto, and at that point we have already seen her go to the surface. Early in Act II, Ariel sings (via the voice in her head) “Beyond My Wildest Dreams,” expressing glee at being human-like and being in that world, essentially getting to be who she is. This may serve as a metaphor for trans individuals, who are assigned a gender at birth but feel more like themselves when they present as a different gender. Triton’s fear of and animosity toward humans represents the fear and lack of understanding that some have toward gender-nonconforming individuals. Eventually, he accepts that Ariel will be happier as a human, giving us a heart-warming ending. 

In a world where we see that human rights are under attack and trans individuals are being targeted, I worry for the trans and gender-nonconforming members of this company and our school community–including some talented alumni who have been part of our Taft Drama family. One of the greatest gifts of theatre is empathy. I ask you to take a moment to flip in Ariel’s fins before seeing how happy she is with legs, and I hope that afterward you pledge that you will do your part to protect the rights of all individuals to pursue their happiness.