The story of The Little Mermaid should be familiar to everyone--and especially so to people in my age group, who all (I assume) pretended to be mermaids in the pool and wanted to comb their hair with a fork. But just in case: Ariel is a mermaid and the youngest daughter of King Triton, ruler of the sea. But she longs to leave the sea and be among humans, particularly the handsome sea-faring Prince Eric. The sea-witch Ursula convinces Ariel to trade her beautiful voice for human legs (and lungs) for three days. If Prince Eric kisses her within that time, Ariel will stay human forever, but if not, Ariel will become Ursula’s slave.
Hans Christian Andersen's original tale is melancholy and doesn’t end well. The Disney version of my childhood was naturally more optimistic. It featured gorgeous music by Alan Menken and beautiful animation of Ariel’s undersea world. One of the visual moments that always stuck with me is at the end of the film when Ariel walks out the ocean, the water sparkling around her. This is the moment that I was reminded of when I saw Chris Berne’s set at Morris Park Players’ production of The Little Mermaid. A shimmery curtain of “water” was a clever way to provide a backdrop, allow for entrances and exits, and distinguish between the land and ocean for scenes on shore (Flounder bobbing through the curtain like a fish at the surface was a very nice touch). The last production of this show that I saw went for a more realistic water look that washed out the space (pun intended), but Morris Park found an excellent balance between representing realistic things and remembering the magic of the story. The costumes were a large source of color and whimsy (and glitter), while also practical (scale-patterned leggings allowed the mermaids to move and dance freely).
Wade Fields directed and Lillian Walker assistant directed this production. Their work was felt throughout because each scene had a real sense of intention. The large cast was used well and smart decisions were made about how to include and show off the youngest members, who were appropriately adorable. One unique feature for Morris Park Players is that of “guest stars” who are featured during a performance of the show, in this case, during “Under the Sea.” I was skeptical about how well this would work, but the special guests on my night were integrated seamlessly into the scene and were a big hit with the audience. It’s certainly a creative fundraiser!
Brie Keener as Ariel was also seamless. She inhabited the role very easily and brought a sadness to many scenes that had me rooting for her to find what she wanted. In one scene, after Prince Eric has listened to a room of singing princesses, Ariel steps forward and performs some simple dance steps, the only way she has to say that she loves him. The crowd of people watching just laugh. It’s a moment when we really feel for the character and a moment when Keener and James Ehlenz as Prince Eric shine.
Brandon R. Caviness brought the house down as the villain Ursula. He has a great sense of timing and succeeded very well at the character’s sudden turns from falsely kind to domineering and dangerous. I am always wary of the practice of casting men in alto roles, but Caviness was excellent and the show used non-traditional casting for multiple roles, so the decision didn’t feel like a gimmick. Mackenzie Armbruster’s Grimsby made me laugh and then was a surprisingly supportive ally for Ariel. Julia ScottRussell as Flounder was an interesting choice because the character, traditionally played by a younger boy, is kind of in love with Ariel. It was a surprise at first to have this coming from a young woman but ScottRussell was both ernest and hilarious in the role (and in the end, Flounder is happy for Ariel).
Some highlights for me were the songs “If Only” and “Sweet Child.” The first is a quartet between Ariel, Eric, Triton (a powerfully voiced Daniel K. McDermott), and Sebastian (an energetic and charming Kyle Szarzynski) and was both a tender moment and a spotlight for all four voices. The second is a duet between the eels Flotsam (Eric Alman) and Jetsam (Axl Dahl) and was a great showcase for some subtle choreography. Chef Louis (Shane Vinup) was another great surprise, bringing delightful high notes and great physicality to the role of the possibly psychotic chef. The show was full of great moments, especially in physical comedy: Scuttle the seagull (Matt Downs) was very good, Ursula and the eels played off each other very well, and there was a moment in the beginning when one mermaid sister (Adella, played by Haley Sisler) kept pointing the wrong way that had me laughing out loud.
Overall, The Little Mermaid was a delightful show that was very thoughtfully put together. Under Blake Brauer’s musical direction, the orchestra was strong and seemed to be having fun. Marley Ritchie’s choreography was entertaining and used the performers well. This show made me laugh over and over and has me looking forward to Morris Park Players’ next show.
Hans Christian Andersen's original tale is melancholy and doesn’t end well. The Disney version of my childhood was naturally more optimistic. It featured gorgeous music by Alan Menken and beautiful animation of Ariel’s undersea world. One of the visual moments that always stuck with me is at the end of the film when Ariel walks out the ocean, the water sparkling around her. This is the moment that I was reminded of when I saw Chris Berne’s set at Morris Park Players’ production of The Little Mermaid. A shimmery curtain of “water” was a clever way to provide a backdrop, allow for entrances and exits, and distinguish between the land and ocean for scenes on shore (Flounder bobbing through the curtain like a fish at the surface was a very nice touch). The last production of this show that I saw went for a more realistic water look that washed out the space (pun intended), but Morris Park found an excellent balance between representing realistic things and remembering the magic of the story. The costumes were a large source of color and whimsy (and glitter), while also practical (scale-patterned leggings allowed the mermaids to move and dance freely).
Wade Fields directed and Lillian Walker assistant directed this production. Their work was felt throughout because each scene had a real sense of intention. The large cast was used well and smart decisions were made about how to include and show off the youngest members, who were appropriately adorable. One unique feature for Morris Park Players is that of “guest stars” who are featured during a performance of the show, in this case, during “Under the Sea.” I was skeptical about how well this would work, but the special guests on my night were integrated seamlessly into the scene and were a big hit with the audience. It’s certainly a creative fundraiser!
Brie Keener as Ariel was also seamless. She inhabited the role very easily and brought a sadness to many scenes that had me rooting for her to find what she wanted. In one scene, after Prince Eric has listened to a room of singing princesses, Ariel steps forward and performs some simple dance steps, the only way she has to say that she loves him. The crowd of people watching just laugh. It’s a moment when we really feel for the character and a moment when Keener and James Ehlenz as Prince Eric shine.
Brandon R. Caviness brought the house down as the villain Ursula. He has a great sense of timing and succeeded very well at the character’s sudden turns from falsely kind to domineering and dangerous. I am always wary of the practice of casting men in alto roles, but Caviness was excellent and the show used non-traditional casting for multiple roles, so the decision didn’t feel like a gimmick. Mackenzie Armbruster’s Grimsby made me laugh and then was a surprisingly supportive ally for Ariel. Julia ScottRussell as Flounder was an interesting choice because the character, traditionally played by a younger boy, is kind of in love with Ariel. It was a surprise at first to have this coming from a young woman but ScottRussell was both ernest and hilarious in the role (and in the end, Flounder is happy for Ariel).
Some highlights for me were the songs “If Only” and “Sweet Child.” The first is a quartet between Ariel, Eric, Triton (a powerfully voiced Daniel K. McDermott), and Sebastian (an energetic and charming Kyle Szarzynski) and was both a tender moment and a spotlight for all four voices. The second is a duet between the eels Flotsam (Eric Alman) and Jetsam (Axl Dahl) and was a great showcase for some subtle choreography. Chef Louis (Shane Vinup) was another great surprise, bringing delightful high notes and great physicality to the role of the possibly psychotic chef. The show was full of great moments, especially in physical comedy: Scuttle the seagull (Matt Downs) was very good, Ursula and the eels played off each other very well, and there was a moment in the beginning when one mermaid sister (Adella, played by Haley Sisler) kept pointing the wrong way that had me laughing out loud.
Overall, The Little Mermaid was a delightful show that was very thoughtfully put together. Under Blake Brauer’s musical direction, the orchestra was strong and seemed to be having fun. Marley Ritchie’s choreography was entertaining and used the performers well. This show made me laugh over and over and has me looking forward to Morris Park Players’ next show.
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