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:
Ariel, a young and naïve teenage mermaid princess; romantic and headstrong.

Song Context:
Ariel has been yelled at by her father for going to the surface of the water again, and she sits in her hidden grotto full of collected human objects, wondering if her father will ever see the beauty she sees in the world above the surface.

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. Sierra Boggess originated the role of Ariel on Broadway, and in an interview with Broadway.com, she talked about connecting with the character early on in the process: "Even though she's a mermaid and a cartoon, people feel this connection with her...I just get her. She's independent and very stubborn, and a lot of things that I am. I'm not old, but you go through relationships and get a little bit like, 'Love? Whatever.' But when you're 16 and in love, you think this is it. I love tapping into that again. This story is so beautiful. It's not just about a prince and a princess?it's about being someplace you belong. Ariel represents anybody who feels they've been born in the wrong skin." 
3. This show was composed for the movie because the lyricist Howard Ashman believed that Ariel needed an "I Want" song revealing her deepest desires shortly after the beginning of the movie, mimicking the structure of modern musicals. The music team fought for the song to be included when the directors thought it would slow down the movie.