ABC finally aired its “The Little Mermaid Live!” live-action/animated hybrid production Tuesday night.
The show combined scenes from the 1989 film with live performances of musical numbers from stars like Halle Bailey as Ariel and Queen Latifah as Ursula.
But “Little Mermaid Live!” has received mixed reviews. Some of the criticism has come from Shaggy’s performance as Sebastian, though it wasn’t necessarily about his singing.
People were raw about Shaggy’s visual portrayal of the lobster (or crab, whichever you prefer).
To start with, his outfit just wasn’t up to par. Shaggy wore a red jacket and pants and arrived sans claws. What kind of lobster/crab in The Little Mermaid doesn’t have claws?
“So little mermaid play was cool… but uhm shaggy was too cool to at least wear claws or sumn? He the only one without a costume… that was wack on his part,” wrote @ToneLopez6.
“How is wearing a red jacket and red pants suddenly make him a crab? They should have at least given him claws or something,” said @Hypnotique89.
Why is Shaggy dressed like Michael Jackson in Thriller #TheLittleMermaidLive pic.twitter.com/hRytcCyD0W
— Shashana 🇺🇸 (@Shashana80sKid) November 6, 2019
Robert Mills, senior vice president of Alternative Series, Specials & Late-Night Programming for ABC, picked up on the negativity and responded to the Sebastian backlash.
Mills says they did try crab claws on Shaggy and apparently, “it looked ridiculous.”
For those wondering, Shaggy wore crab claws in early rehearsals and it looked ridiculous. #TheLittleMermaidLive
— Robert Mills (@Millsy11374) November 6, 2019
Mills was so irritated that he posted a picture of Shaggy backstage with said claws. Who would have even seen those little gloves?
Sebastian’s claws in the animated film were much larger than that, but that’s part of why we like him. Sebastian’s personality IS his claws. Why not lean into it?
People responded to the picture, saying that no, the claws were the right move.
“He actually looked great with the claws. It was the least thing you could have done,” tweeted @Millsy11374.
“There was nothing wrong with the claws. It’s a costume. They were appropriate. If anything, they could have been bigger,” said @DeltaB00.
All done. Thanks for watching #TheLittleMermaidLive! And here you go pic.twitter.com/NKHI0qsYsa
— Robert Mills (@Millsy11374) November 6, 2019
Don’t even get us started on the rest of the show’s production value. Even Flounder looked half-baked in the live production.
When you order online vs when it comes in the mail #TheLittleMermaidLive pic.twitter.com/MGmBsP7IPw
— hailstorm⚡️ (@haleyjeanne) November 6, 2019