The Little Mermaid review – fairytale musical has splashes of magic and mysticism

The Little Mermaid review – fairytale musical has splashes of magic and mysticism

Watermill theatre, Newbury Relocating the Hans Christian Andersen tale to Cornwall, with its folk musicians and fishermen, Elgiva Field and Lara Barbier’s show is cheery and sweet Christmas has gone undersea for 2025, with productions of The Little Mermaid in Nottingham, Hull and Newcastle . This one, at the Watermill, is presented in the theatre’s trademark actor-musician style, with the script illuminated by cheery live folk music played on stage. There’s even some snow thrown in for festive good measure. The story is relocated to Cornwall in this short and sweet adaptation by Elgiva Field and Lara Barbier. Following the basic structure of Hans Christian Andersen’s original, it narrates the tale of a sea girl (here called Merryn) who longs to experience life onshore. In this version, it is when her younger brother Kitto (a very charming Zach Burns) goes missing that Merryn is compelled to make a deal with a sea witch named Granny Ocean, trading her voice for a pair of legs. Continue reading...

Brighton climb to fifth after De Cuyper and Tzimas floor Nottingham Forest

Brighton climb to fifth after De Cuyper and Tzimas floor Nottingham Forest

It seemed fitting that a left-back playing on the wing set great innovators Brighton on their way to fifth. Maxim De Cuyper opened the scoring as the Seagulls enacted revenge on Nottingham Forest for last season’s 7-0 defeat on a bitingly cold day. Forest had their chances to equalise, something that seemed unlikely after a dreadful opening quarter of uncharacteristic lethargic play. Brighton failed to make the most of their early dominance count but Stefanos Tzimas removed the nerves late on. Continue reading...

Boubacar Kamara adds to Wolves’ woe with superb Aston Villa winner

Boubacar Kamara adds to Wolves’ woe with superb Aston Villa winner

With each Wolves near-miss, it was impossible to ignore the growing stench of a smuggled Aston Villa victory. For so long Unai Emery cut an agitated figure but by the end he could celebrate a seventh league victory in eight matches, Boubacar Kamara dispatching an unerring left-foot strike into the top corner midway through the second half to move up to third, for a few hours at least, and within a point of second-placed Manchester City. Villa rattled the crossbar after a couple of minutes but from there Wolves gave their hosts an uncomfortable ride, this arguably their best display of the season. Jørgen Strand Larsen saw an early goal disallowed for offside and on the verge of half-time Emiliano Martínez pushed Yerson Mosquera’s header on to the bar with his fingertips before scrambling the ball clear. Continue reading...