Lea Michele to play Ariel in live 30th anniversary performance of The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid type Movie genre Animated Where to watch Close Streaming Options

Lea Michele is heading under the sea for a two-night musical performance of The Little Mermaid.

The Hollywood Bowl announced Monday it will host a revival of the popular live production of Disney’s classic animated film in celebration of the movie’s 30th anniversary.

The Glee actress is set to play the titular sea creature, Ariel, who — despite opposition from her overbearing father, King Triton (Peter Gallagher) — falls in love with a human (Leo Gallo) and enlists the help of an evil sea witch, Ursula (Harvey Fierstein), to help cement their romance.

Image zoom Disney; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

The cast (as well as special guest Alan Menken, who wrote music for the original film) are set to perform songs from the Oscar- and Grammy-winning soundtrack as the film plays on the Hollywood Bowl’s movie screen and a full orchestra provides a live score.

In addition to memorable songs from the film, including “Kiss the Girl,” “Under the Sea,” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” additions from the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid will appear in the Hollywood Bowl set, while creative studio Mousetrappe will provide state-of-the-art projection mapping technology to project “living scenery” across the theater.

“Sometimes it’s a frame, sometimes it’s an equivalent of scenery and sometimes it’s a costar,” director and co-producer Richard Kraft told the Los Angeles Times of the performance’s digitally enhanced aesthetic, adding that the final product is a “game-changer” in the vein of an immersive theme park experience.

The outdoor venue will also be outfitted with aquatic theming to become the Hollywood Fish Bowl Dive-In Theater, complete with a full program of ocean-themed previews of attractions on the horizon, historical snack bar commercials, and a screening of the 1938 Silly Symphony cartoon Merbabies (presented with a live original score performed by 17 year-old pianist, Emily Bear).

The Little Mermaid‘s 30th anniversary performance takes place May 17 and 18 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. For more information, head to the theater’s website.

Related content: