Queen Latifah has recently announced that she will be playing Ursula in ABC’s live musical version of The Little Mermaid, (not to be confused with the live-action movie remake starring Halle Bailey).

The actress, singer, rapper, mogul & icon will be joined by reggae musician and actor,  Shaggy as Sebastian the crab, and the voice of Moana Auli’i Cravalho as Ariel.

Ursula will add to Queen Latifah’s ever-growing collection of musical theatre roles and her 2nd time in a live musical broadcast, after having played The Wiz in NBC’s The Wiz Live.

This live event will air on November 5th on ABC and will be part of the Disney celebrating 30 years since the initial release of The Little Mermaid (1989). It will combine concert-style performances, costumes and set from the 2008 Broadway musical, and footage from the original animated feature.

Director Hamish Hamilton described the set as an immersive “dive in theatre” and will feature a projection surface in the middle. Despite the broadcast being a celebration of the original movie, the broadcast will feature songs from the Broadway musical. specifically for the characters who didn’t have solo songs in the original movie.

No new songs will be added to this production, strengthening its positioning as a celebration and not as an entirely new version of The Little Mermaid. 

The Wonderful World of Disney presents The Little Mermaid Live! will air Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. ET, live on ABC.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Olivier Award winner for her portrayal of Effie White in London’s West End production of Dreamgirls, Amber Riley (Dreamgirls UK) and Pose star Mj Rodriguez will star in a reimagined production of Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse in California.

Riley will take on the iconic voice of Audrey II while Rodriguez will star as Audrey alongside George Salazar (Be More Chill) as Seymour.

The show will run from Sept. 17-Oct. 20 with an official opening set for Sept. 25.

Little Shop of Horrors is considered a classic. It’s a horror-comedy rock musical with music by Alan Menken and lyrics and a book by Howard Ashman. The story follows a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. It debuted Off-Broadway in 1982 and the movie version of 1986 introduced the world to young talents of Gina and Pam Tisha Campell and Tichina Arnold.

Directed by Mike Donahue, the design team includes scenic design by Dane Laffrey; costume design by Danae McQueen; lighting design by Josh Epstein; sound design by Veronika Vorel; and choreography and puppet design by Sean Cawelti.