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Los Angeles-based burlesque and dance company, Burlesque & Chill, is preparing to stage a movement-based retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, with performances scheduled for June 20 and June 21 at The Cat’s Crawl on Heliotrope Drive.
The production blends burlesque, dance and live music to reimagine Andersen’s original short story, offering what the company describes as “a queer happy ending unfit for the mouse” – a pointed reference to Disney’s more family-friendly adaptation of the tale.
Drawing on Andersen’s life
The show draws on the biographical context of Andersen’s work. The Danish author was a prolific diary writer, and those writings have led scholars to identify him as queer. Many literary historians believe The Little Mermaid was inspired by a romantic rejection Andersen received from his longtime friend Edvard Collin.
The original story is typically understood as a tragedy, and the Burlesque & Chill production leans into that framing before departing from it in the final act.
A large ensemble cast
The production features a cast of more than 20 performers across solo and ensemble roles.
Pansy St Battie takes on the lead role of The Little Merperson, with La Frida Lokah as understudy. Mae Lust plays The Sea Witch, understudied by Miss Lady Legs. Mauro Cuchi performs as The Prince, with Julian Sanchez as understudy, while Xochii de la Noche plays The Hot Maiden, understudied by Flo.
The supporting cast includes Mz Juicy Jones as The Jellyfish, Jade Risque as The Eldest Mersister, Dominique Trix as The Flamingo and Gwen Ruby as The Human Woman.
A corps of dancers fills out the underwater and shoreline scenes, portraying fish, eels, flamingos, mersisters and beach party guests. That group includes Antoinette Minx, BB Blackbird, Cassie Dailey, Daniella, La Frida Lokah, Vanity Man-Eater, Cherry St John, Deanna Brooks and Grace Amore, along with performers billed as Sea Kittens: Mx Dolly Debauchery, Lena Julian and Morgan.
A familiar story with a twist
The show follows the broad arc of Andersen’s original tale. A young merperson ventures to the ocean’s surface for the first time, rescues a human prince from a shipwreck and becomes infatuated with life on land. They visit a sea witch to exchange their voice for legs, with the condition that they must find true love within 48 hours or dissolve into seafoam.
The second act sees the merperson welcomed into the prince’s world, only to watch the prince’s attention shift to another love interest at a beach party. The merperson faces what appears to be the same tragic ending as the original story.
However, the production departs from Andersen’s conclusion. Rather than perishing, the merperson is invited to join the prince and the maiden, and the story ends with what the company frames as a pansexual resolution.
Tickets and fundraising
The venue requires attendees to be 21 and over. Performances are set for Saturday June 20 at 7pm and Sunday June 21 at 1pm.
General admission tickets are priced at $37, with VIP single seats at $60 and VIP couch seating for up to three guests at $145. An early bird discount code offering 30 per cent off is available for a limited time.
The company has raised $1,300 toward its Fringe Festival costs through its Fractured Atlas fundraising page. Donors who contribute to the “general support” page before June 1 will receive access to a replay of the performance once available.
