The Nocturne Theatre’s The Little Mermaid is a colorful and vibrant knockout production that is swimming with incredible quality. While it could have benefited from a greater boost in global majority presence considering that the aquatic kingdom is inspired by the Caribbean, the production boasts an extraordinarily talented ensemble cast, creative team, stunning imagination in its production design and direction, and that tingling touch of chaotic madness that puts an indelibly refreshing take on this classic Disney animated tale.

The Nocturne Theatre’s 2026 production of The Little Mermaid invites audiences of all ages to dive into a vibrant undersea adventure full of heart, magic, and timeless songs. At its core, this beloved musical tells a warm, family-friendly story of curiosity, courage, and the power of following your dreams — making it a perfect outing for parents and children alike. Drawing on the classic tale many grew up with, this staging brings the wonder of Ariel’s world alive in a way that delights both first-time theatergoers and long-time fans of the story. Visually, the production is infused with the high-fantasy costuming style The Nocturne Theatre has become celebrated for — imaginative, richly detailed designs that transform performers into fantastical sea creatures and enchanted figures. Expect shimmering fabrics, jewel-toned palettes, and inventive silhouettes that evoke coral reefs, swaying seaweed, and ethereal ocean light, all crafted to create an immersive fantasy spectacle on stage. This commitment to vivid, theatrical costume artistry enhances the sense of wonder and transports audiences straight into Ariel’s underwater kingdom.

Time can only tell but this will be for two for two that The Nocturne Theatre, an intimate and immersive theatre-in-the-round experience established just in 2023, has impressed me so thoroughly. They blew me away with its iconic stamp on the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Jesus Christ Superstar and they have done so again with this Broadway rendition of the Disney animated classic. It must be stated that I am usually not a fan of animated musicals expanded into lavish Broadway productions as more often than not, the newly created numbers and added plot-lines do little for me as it often drags everything down.

While I still think the faults normally found in expanded Broadway versions of animated musicals are also found here in this expanded and revised edition written by Doug Wright (with new songs by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Glenn Slater), this production will delight you in all its eccentric and terrific ways that you won’t think too much of that randomly rushed revised plot line that it was Ursula who killed Ariel’s mother all along??! GASP.

Speaking of Ursula, it seemed only appropriate that the role was played in fabulous drag because after all, the character was originally inspired by Divine. While I can nitpick that the most villainous character in the musical is based on a legendary LGBTQIA+ icon, there is no question that Moran crafts such a performance for the ages with such a deliciously riveting rendition of this most iconic villain. Speaking of other legendary performances, Andrew Gaxiola‘s Chef Louis is perhaps the most deranged horny rendition I have ever seen and it cracked me up to no end seeing the antics of this bewildering operatic maniac come to life. It is also in this production that they have Flounder (played with such sweet innocence by Nicole Nelson) have a tragic unrequited love for Ariel… which… uh… brought up a flurry of questions that proved to be more distracting than intended. That being said, all of these elements took creative risk and daring that I very much appreciated.

When it comes to Ariel herself, it is odd to say that the most critical note I have for the most incredible Jenna-Mae White was that while her singing and acting talent was tremendous, it may have been in fact a bit too tremendous as every singing moment was a powerful belter that could have benefited in more subtle and graceful touches. With Ben Raanan’s Prince Eric, he accomplished something that I didn’t even think was possible with a role as dangerously generic as his: he actually made us care for this silly white boy. We believe in his yearning and his compassion and Raanan made those extraneous solo numbers written for the prince somehow sound essential.

The rest of the seven sisters deserve a special mention as Abhaya Krishnan-Jha, Kasey Hentz, Tara Cox, Catherine Ballantyne, Chelsea Carroll, and Taylor Foster each created a unique and hilarious character while working so well cohesively as a bickering sisterhood that I would love to see further antics with them in a spin-off. And Kelby Thwaits as King Triton? Oh my. In the performance that I watched, a lady released a stunned gasp as soon as Triton first came on-stage because Thwaits certainly fills the role not only in such magnetic stage presence but in sheer muscles. I must also commend Darius Aaron Frye‘s on Sebastian, the most unenvious role of the only character in the Caribbeans that speaks in an inexplicable Jamaican accent, as he infuses the subservient bumbling fool while also combining the most suave and charming player all the while doing so in his incredible costume.

That being said, the fact that there is only one major character played by a global majority actor leads me to my most critical note of this production and that is that if it were to take any more creative challenges with this classic musical, it’s to truly amp up the global majority presence in significant positions & roles. Considering that the kingdom of Atlantica is based on the Caribbeans, I would have LOVED to see a significant amount of Black, Latino, and Indigenous actors represented. While Disney can commend itself for casting a Black actress for Ariel in the live action adaptation, it limited itself by not having that diversity be shared with everyone else. This is the one area that I feel The Nocturne Theatre could have made an even stronger memorable mark as there truly is no shortage of incredible global majority actors who can sing, act, and dance in Los Angeles.

If there’s a costume designer that continues to astound me in sheer imagination, that’s Tanya Cyr. You’re gonna have a blast staring at literally every single costume that comes onto stage because each and every one has been crafted with such vision and care. This quality is shared across all the spectrums and you forget that this is intimate theatre done with modest budgets as this company operates only on the non-Equity contracts. While some can bring up if Nocturne should open that up for any of their future productions, one thing is for sure and that is that the teamwork of Melissa Meyer and Justin Meyer who founded this theatre company together are the sources of where this incredible spark of chaotic theatre madness comes from. Considering that they are so amazing in finding unknown talent, my only encouragement is that they keep seeking such talent from global majority communities as they do so for all their future productions.

The Nocturne Theatre has only been around for less than three years but it is safe to say that after this production and Jesus Christ Superstar, I will constantly look forward to all their productions with much anticipation. The Little Mermaid will perform till June 28 at the Nocturne Theatre located on 324 N Orange St, Glendale, CA. You can buy tickets here.