Ariel has never felt like she fit in with her family and her surroundings. She has glimpses of a different world and imagines a new life for herself, but can’t make her father understand, so she ends up taking a dangerous risk to try to live her dream. Yes, she’s a mermaid. But there’s a universality to the story of Ariel’s search for the place and identity that makes her feel at home, and that’s a big part of what makes The Little Mermaid an enduring story. It's about a colorful and musical ocean world, but it's also about risking everything for the chance at true happiness.
This is my second time attending a 4 Community Theatre, but my
first at Orono High School Auditorium; it’s on the smaller side for a theater,
and the stage isn’t raised at all, which is unusual, but the acoustics were better than some other
spaces I’ve been in. I happened to
attend the sensory-friendly performance, and I thought 4CT did a really clever
thing by preparing a pre-show slide show, which was also available on their
website before the performance. The
slide show talked about what the experience of seeing the show would be like and
offered helpful tips for audience members for whom going to the theater is unfamiliar
and perhaps a source of anxiety. What a
thoughtful accessibility measure!
4CT’s The Little Mermaid was directed by Ethan
Nienaber with Sam Stoll (assistant director) and Katie Heuring (children’s
director). Nienaber made sure that the
biggest group scenes had a sense of spectacle, especially “Under the Sea,”
which included a huge amount of bubbles drifting down from the rafters. There were lots of little moments of fun and
humor throughout the show, like when Chef Louis discovered that the smallest child in his kitchen
was holding the biggest knife. Some of the staging touches that I liked the
most had to do with the underwater setting, including Eric’s rescue and the way
that Ariel’s treasures floated around in in “Part of Your World.” Under Dan Oie’s
musical direction, the big numbers sounded full and the harmonies came through
effectively. Several characters, written
as tenors, were played by female performers, meaning that Oie had to make some
adaptations to the vocal parts; I thought the choices in “She’s In Love” took a
little of the oomph away from Flounder, but the choices made for Scuttle and
Sebastian worked well for the performers’ ranges and for the musical context. My favorite song in the show is “If Only
(Quartet),” and the beauty of that song really came through in the vocal
performances. Sam Stoll’s choreography made good use of the size of the cast. In the big numbers, I would have liked a
little more “featured dancing” – the mersisters, for example, could have had
more moments to show off. “Under the Sea”
and “Positoovity” were numbers that I thought were particularly fun.
Katy Sherman’s costumes were appropriately colorful and
sparkly. Sebastian’s glittery
tailcoat-with-shorts look was my favorite, but the electric eels glowing in the
dark were also pretty cool. I thought
the way of doing the mermaids’ tails was particularly interesting; it suggested
a realistic tail, over water-toned pants that allowed free and easy movement. (They looked incredibly comfortable – where do I get
a pair?) Doug Affinito’s set design went with a sandy underwater kingdom,
letting the characters be the visual focus. I liked the texture that was built into the reef structures, and satisfied
(as always) to see them turn around and reveal Ursula’s lair and Ariel’s
treasure trove; meanwhile, I would have liked a
little more depth in the painted background for the shore. I thought the
way the ship was constructed was a versatile choice, especially the way it came
apart in the shipwreck, but also the way it could re-form into a smaller
version for moments like the quartet. Grant Ashling’s lighting didn’t go far enough for me; it may be a
limitation of the theater space, but some of the scenes felt a little dim for
me, and I wished there had been more color used in the lighting. Nathaniel Glewwe’s sound had quite a bit of
feedback in the first scene and some ongoing difficulties with one or two mics,
which was a shame. I don’t usually
comment on props, but I really loved the way designer Maddie Shafer did the
magic shell. Instead of the usual
necklace, the shell was on an elaborate stand where it could glow when
collecting Ariel’s voice. Triton’s
light-up staff and the long, golden scroll for Ursula’s contract were other props
that I particularly liked.
Kate Piering made a lot of thoughtful choices with the
character of Ariel. One moment that struck
me was at the beginning of the second act, when Ariel is unsteady on her new
legs; I’ve always seen this played as a moment of nervousness, but for Piering,
this moment was much more about joy and wonder at her transformation, which I
found to be a compelling take on the scene. “Beyond My Wildest Dreams” was one of my favorite songs from Piering because
of the playfulness and exuberance she brought to it. She also sounded lovely in “Part of Your World,”
and ended with a strong emotional moment where she seemed to recognize how big
and how far away her dream was. As Eric, James Vair’s classic tone made songs like
“Her Voice” sound absolutely beautiful. I liked Vair’s physical work in the
shipwreck scene, especially the way he fought with the helm. Vair’s Eric had a sensitivity that kept me
rooting for his relationship with Ariel. As Ursula, Gillian Barrow impressed me
with her vocal power and made me wish “I Want the Good Times Back” were still
in the show; I’d love to hear Barrow’s rendition. Her Ursula was confident enough in her plan
to have a lot of fun reeling in Ariel in the first act, saving her most menacing self
until facing off against Triton in the second act. Christy Johnson’s Sebastian was delightfully
dramatic, getting herself into difficult situations by talking too much (with
Triton) or caring too much (with Ariel). Johnson’s charm and timing brought out Sebastian’s humor, and she
sounded great in “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl” despite microphone issues.
The six mersisters had very nice harmonies in songs like “Daughters of Triton” and brought pizzazz to every scene they were in. Lily Quale perfectly captured Flounder’s discomfort from having a crush on Ariel and mostly knowing she won’t reciprocate – but still having some amount of hope that she might. Flounder frequently says more out loud than he means to, and Quale nailed that awkward moment every time. Karly Hennen played Scuttle, which I tend to think is the least interesting character (it’s so easy for him to be overshadowed by the flashier characters and their more emotionally stirring songs), but something worked differently for me in this production. It may be the earnestly congenial energy Hennen brought to the role, but her age may have helped as well – in this instance Scuttle truly felt like a peer and a friend to Ariel in a way that made the character feel more important to the story.
Emma Knapik and Hanna Stegman played Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula’s devoted hench-eels, with a real sense of menace. With Barrow’s Ursula, they sounded great in the trio section of “Daddy’s Little Angel,” and their commitment to Ursula’s whole vibe made them very effective creepy backup dancers. Scott Dutton’s King Triton started out closed off, hardened by his hate for the human world; Dutton’s emotional journey, challenging his priorities and his prejudices for his daughter’s sake, was compelling to watch. As Grimsby, Tom Branham was kind and sympathetic to Eric and Ariel, while just a little stuck in his own worldview. Andrew Scipioni as Chef Louis gave a lovely rendition of “Les Poissons” while also playing up the humor. I enjoyed his almost-romantic dance with a fish, followed by ripping out its skeleton – a very funny turn!
The ensemble put a lot of good work into this show; it was fun
for example to see the way the actors embodied different kinds of aquatic creatures. The ensemble brought great energy into big
scenes like “Under the Sea.” I
particularly enjoyed the performances from the big and small seahorses (a fun pair)
and the chorus of violence-seeking chefs.
The Little Mermaid is a show that I don’t mind seeing over and over again. The music and the emotions are so beautiful, and it’s always brought to life with so much love and joy. 4 Community Theatre created an enjoyable and memorable production that was a real treat for all of us in the audience.
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