Jodi Benson’s Daughter Takes On Mom’s LITTLE MERMAID Legacy
By Movieguide® Contributor
Delaney Benson has made THE LITTLE MERMAID a family affair as she takes on the role of Ariel in a stage version of the classic story.
Delaney’s mother, Jodi, was the voice of Ariel in Disney’s original animated movie. She is now stepping into her mother’s shoes in a theater production of the story at Area Stage in Miami.
“Area Stage is teaming up with Loxen Productions to revive our immersive production of DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID in a sleeker, shorter version in a new all-immersive space designed from the ground up to tell this story,” Area Stage says on their website. “Step into a mystical seaside tavern where sailors and pirates share myths of mermaids and adventure. Once inside, Ariel and Eric’s story will spring to life all around you in this epic under the sea spectacular.”
While Delaney seems like the perfect fit for this role, she admitted that, until recently, she would not have accepted it as she is focused on blazing her own path.
“I try to stray away from ‘the walking in the footsteps’ or ‘she’s just like her mom,’ because I’m not,” Delaney told Mamas Uncut, per The Miami Herald. “We’re kind of a similar age of when [my mom] did the voice of Ariel and I’m doing this, but we’re totally different people and I’m excited to like, bring me.”
“So I’m really, you know, taking some of the isms of and the antics that [Ariel] does, but also like me as a person, like, what would I do in this situation? So that’s what I’m starting to play with. And I’m really having a lot of fun,” she continued.
Delaney is also quick to point out that a somewhat abridged version of the story on a stage is very different from the edited and polished version that her mother got to partake in.
“It’s different from the animated movie. You know, [my mom] didn’t do it on the stage. I’m not an actual mermaid,” she joked, adding, “I don’t have fins. I’m not underwater. So there’s got to be some suspension of disbelief.”
“This is a new adaptation. It’s 90 minutes. It’s immersive. The audience will be right below [me],” Delaney continued. “I can see them. I can feel them. I can smell them. It’s like nothing I’ve ever done before.”
The show is currently running, and tickets will be available through August 4.
Movieguide® previously reported on the Benson family:
In a recent Jesus Calling podcast with the original actress in THE LITTLE MERMAID, Jodi Benson, shared how God led her on the journey to have a career in acting and become the famed Ariel.
Benson was born and raised in Illinois and began showing an interest in singing around the age of five.
“I kind of started singing at the age of five, pretty much all the time, and sort of came out of the womb singing according to my mom,” she shared on the podcast.
Around the age of nine, her sister taught her guitar, and she began playing in church every Sunday.
“I think around the age of eight or nine, I told my mom, ‘I’d like to make a living, to sing, dance, and act and do Broadway.’ Of course, I’d never seen a Broadway show or really seen hardly any theater except the community theater in my town. But for some reason, I just had this idea that I really wanted to find out what Broadway was all about,” she said.