Show Synopsis:
Prince Eric is hesitant to take the crown, and while he is out at sea, he commands his ship's crew to follow a beautiful female singing voice instead of going back to his kingdom. It belongs to the mermaid Ariel, daughter of King Triton, who is fascinated by the human world above the sea but forbidden to go to the surface. Ariel saves Eric from drowning and starts to fall in love with him, and when Eric wakes up, he wants to find Ariel, but only knows what her voice sounds like. King Triton fights with Ariel about saving Eric and Ariel gets coerced into making a deal with her aunt Ursula, an evil sea witch, so that she can be a human for three days and make Eric fall in love with her on land. Ursula is conspiring to steal the crown from King Triton and takes Ariel's voice in exchange for giving her legs. Eric finds Ariel on the beach and brings him to her palace, where she is fascinated by the human world and she and Eric start to fall in love. Unfortunately, to keep her legs and get her voice back, Ariel needs to be kissed by her true love, and she and Eric do not kiss, so he does not know that she is the one who saved him. Ursula arrives to take Ariel back down to the sea to be her slave, where King Triton surrenders his power to her in exchange for Ariel's freedom. Ariel destroys Ursula's magic shell and she loses all her power. King Triton gains back his kingdom, gives Ariel and Eric his blessing, and declares a truce between humans and merpeople.
Character:
Sebastian, an extremely nervous crab; he is very loyal to King Triton but also wants Ariel to be happy.
Song Context:
King Triton has asked Sebastian to keep an eye on Ariel and make sure she does not return to the dangerous surface of the water. Sebastian tries to show Ariel all the great things about living under the sea that she will not find if she goes up to the human world.
Fun Facts:
1) This musical was based on the 1989 animated Disney film of the same name, which was in turn based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic story of the same name.
2) This song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1989.
3) Tituss Burgess originated the role of Sebastian in the Broadway musical, and in an interview with BroadwayWorld.com, he described the crab as ?a partier. All he wants to do is live the good life and hang-out and conduct these orchestras. Who wouldn't want to live under the sea in the world they have? He?s a little selfish. He slowly becomes a care-taker to Ariel (against his will at the beginning), but I think we learn that he has a lot more heart than he initially lets on.
"The seaweed is always greener
In someone else's lake.
You dream about going up there,
But that is a big mistake.
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor.
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you looking for?
Under the sea, under the sea.
Darling its better down where it?s wetter
Take it from me.
Up on the shore they work all day,
Out in the sun they slave away.
While we're devoting full time to floating
Under the sea.
Down here all the fish is happy
As after the waves they roll.
The fish on the land ain't happy.
They sad cause they're in the bowl.
The fish in the bowl is lucky --
They're in for a worser fate.
One day when the boss get hungry
Guess who goin' be on the plate?
Wo-no, under the sea,
Under the sea
Nobody beat us, fry us and eat us
En fricassee.
We what the land folks loves to cook.
Under the sea we off the hook.
We've got no troubles, life is the bubbles.
Under the sea,
Under the sea.
Since life is sweet here, we got the beat here
Naturally.
Even the sturgeon and the ray,
They get the urge and start to play.
We've got the spirit, you've got to hear it
Under the sea.
The lute play the flute,
The carp play the harp,
The plaice play the bass and they soundin? sharp,
The bass play the brass,
The chub play the tub,
The fluke is the duke of soul,
The ray, he can play the lings on the strings,
The trout acting out,
The blackfish, he sings.
The smelt and the sprat,
They know where it's at
And oh, that blowfish blow!
Yeah, under the sea,
Under the sea.
When the sardine begin the beguine,
It's music to me.
What do they got, a lot of sand?
We've got a hot crustacean band.
Each little clam here know how to jam here
Under the sea.
Each little slug here cutting a rug here
Under the sea.
Each little snail here know how to wail here,
That's why it's hotter under the water.
Yeah, we're in luck here down under the muck here,
Under the sea."