Hi Maria,
I think I found the perfect place to end Act 1 to be after Beluga Sevruga. I decided to make it so that Ariel disappears behind blue cloth waves during her transformation, and then her legs fly out above the "ocean surface" (the fabric) at the final chord. The curtain closes right as her legs pop up. I believe that's how they did it in the original Broadway version.
Hope that helps!
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