Posts Tagged ‘the little mermaid’

The Muny’s Energetic “Mermaid” Brings Out the Fun Under the Sea

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The Little Mermaid
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater, Book by Doug Wright
Directed by John Tartaglia
Choreographed by Patrick O’Neill
The Muny
July 10, 2024

Savy Jackson, Fergie L. Phillippe, and Cast
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

The Muny is taking its audience “Under the Sea” again, for its third staging of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. As this year’s “family show”, this production takes theatregoers on a colorful musical adventure in a vibrant staging directed by Muny veteran John Tartaglia. On the big Muny stage, the sea is brought to life by a strong cast and dazzling production values, including especially inventive usage of flying effects and puppetry.

The story is well-known to anyone who is familiar with the original animated film, its more recent live-action adaptation, or the stage show. The title character is Ariel (Savy Jackson), a mermaid and the daughter of Triton (Ben Davis), the King of the Sea. Noted for her remarkable voice, Ariel would rather be spending time on the ocean’s surface than attending concert rehearsals with court composer Sebastian the crab (Fergie L. Phillippe). There, she and her fish friend Flounder (Leia Rhiannon Yogi) meet with the enterprising seagull Scuttle (Jen Cody), who offers inventive descriptions of the discarded human artifacts Ariel finds to add to her collection. Soon, she meets Prince Eric (Michael Maliakel), who would rather be spending time at sea than becoming king. Of course, Ariel falls in love with him, saves his life after a shipwreck, and ends up making a deal with the devious Sea Witch Ursula (Nicole Parker)–trading for voice for legs with the stipulation that she must get Eric to kiss her within three days, or else she is doomed to forfeit her soul. Thankfully, Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle are there to help, but Ursula’s henchmen, the electric eels Flotsam and Jetsam (Kennedy Kanagawa, Adam Fane) hang around in an effort to thwart their plans. Some new songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater have been added to the show along with film favorites by Menken and Howard Ashman,  including the popular “Under the Sea”, “Part of Your World” and “Kiss the Girl”.  The book by Doug Wright has added some backstory for Triton and Ursula, as well as Prince Eric and his guardian Grimsby (Rich Pisarkiewicz). The scenes between Ariel and Eric are extended, as well, and the ending plays out a bit differently than in the original film. Overall, it’s the story audiences will recognize, brought to life on the large Muny stage with vibrancy and a good deal of energy, with thoughtful staging by director Tartaglia and enthusiastic choreography by Patrick O’Neill, backed by a terrific Muny Orchestra led by music director Michael Horsley.

This isn’t just the Muny’s third production of this show–it’s also the third one I’ve seen, having attended both previous Muny versions. For many in the audience, though–especially the many children attending–this is a new experience, so too much comparing isn’t all that useful. For me, though, it’s interesting to notice the similarities–especially to the last staging in 2017, where some of the costumes, and especially the look and operation of Ursula’s costume, is essentially identical, with Parker’s Sea Witch surrounded by tentacles each played by a different ensemble member. The use of puppetry and flying, however, is used even more in this production than either of the previous two, with kudos to Puppet Kitchen International, Inc. for the puppets and ZFX for the flying (well, swimming, really). This is a great looking production, with a vivid sense of color and variety in the various sea creatures and land dwellers. The costumes by Robin L. McGee are colorful and whimsical, and Ann Beyersdorfer’s detailed set is eye-catching, augmented by Katherine Freer’s fun video design and atmospheric lighting by Jason Lyons. 

As for the cast, it’s especially strong, led by the delightful Jackson as Ariel, with all the likable personality and excellent vocals required for the role. Maliakel as Eric is also memorable, displaying a great voice as well, and fantastic chemistry with Jackson, making their scenes together a highlight of the production. There are also memorable turns from Davis as the loving but occasionally overbearing Triton and Parker as the gleefully villainous Ursula, backed by marvelously sneaky performances form Kanagawa and Fane as the devious Flotsam and Jetsam. Phillippe makes a great Sebastian, as well, with excellent support from the clear-voiced Yogi as Flounder and the delightfully comic Cody as the tap-dancing Scuttle. There’s a strong ensemble in support, with a good deal of enthusiasm on big numbers like “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl”. 

Overall, this is The Little Mermaid that audiences will expect, with a good deal of energy, heart, and memorable visuals. If I have to sum it up in one word, it would be “fun”. It’s a musical treat for all ages from the Muny.

Michael Maliakel, Savy Jackson, and Cast
Photo by by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

The Muny is presenting Disney’s The Little Mermaid in Forest Park until July 16, 2024

This review was originally published at kdhx.org

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Vibrant “Little Mermaid” Makes a Splash at the Muny

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 24, 2017| Leave a Comment »

The Little Mermaid
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
Book by Doug Wright
Directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Choreographed by Josh Waldren
The Muny
June 20, 2017

Kevin Zak, Will Porter, Emma Degerstedt, Emily Skinner
Photo: The Muny

This isn’t opening week at the Muny, but it is for me. Unfortunately, I was out of town and unable to attend the first performance of the 2017 Muny season, Jesus Christ Superstar. That is especially sad because I heard it was an excellent production. Still, for me, the first Muny show of the year is the season’s second production, Disney’s The Little Mermaid. This is the second production of this adaptation of the popular animated film that the Muny has done, and I remember enjoying the last one but that was in the “old Muny” era so I’m not sure if a direct comparison is really possible. What I can say is that this version is visually stunning and extremely well cast, making for an entertaining evening of theatre in Forest Park.

The story is familiar to anyone who has seen the film, although it has been altered slightly for the stage, and additional songs have been added. The mermaid of the title is Ariel (Emma Degerstedt), the golden-voiced youngest daughter of King Triton (Jerry Dixon), who rules the undersea realm but has trouble understanding his youngest child. Ariel herself is obsessed with the world of humans, often journeying to the surface of the sea and collecting trinkets and keepsakes of the world beyond the ocean. She eventually encounters the human Prince Eric (Jason Gotay), who isn’t happy with his life as a prince and longs for a life at sea. When Eric is shipwrecked and Ariel saves him, Ariel’s fascination with humans turns into love for this particular human, and that’s where the Sea Witch Ursula (Emily Skinner) becomes involved. Striking a deal with Ursula that will give her legs in exchange for her voice, Ariel must get Eric to kiss her within three days or else she forfeits her soul to Ursula. With the help of her friends Sebastian the crab (James T. Lane), Flounder the fish (Spencer Jones), and Scuttle the seagull (Jeffrey Schecter), Ariel sets out to achieve her goal while Eric’s guardian Grimsby (Richard B. Watson) suggests a singing contest to find the girl with the beautiful voice who rescued Eric, and whom the prince–who is expected to marry by his 21st birthday–is determined to find and hopes to wed.

The structure of the show is similar to the film, but has been expanded for the stage, and some plot details altered to better fit the stage format. For the most part, this story works, although I still question the inclusion of the song “Les Poissons”, since it makes little sense on stage even though Frank Vlastnik as Chef Louis performs it well and with lots of energy. The ending, especially Ursula’s fate, also isn’t as dramatically satisfying as the film version, although I do like that the development of Ariel and Eric’s relationship is given a little more focus. Still, this is a vibrant, energetic show with a lot of great songs including (and especially) the film classics like “Part of Your World”, “Under the Sea”, “Poor Unfortunate Souls”, and “Kiss the Girl”, and the Muny has brought the show to life with style and stunning visual effects, with a colorful, versatile set by Michael Schweikart, excellent costumes by Robin L. McGee such as the truly magnificent Ursula costume for Skinner and the ensemble members who play her tentacles. There’s also excellent lighting by Nathan W. Scheuer, video design by Matthew Young that augments the scenery well, and some truly clever puppets designed by Puppet Kitchen Productions, inc. The undersea world, as well as the dry-land world of Eric’s court, are well represented here on the giant Muny stage.

There’s a great cast here, as well, led by Degerstedt’s determined, wide-eyed, clear-voiced performance as Ariel. Her chemistry with Gotay’s smooth-voiced, earnest Prince Eric is strong, and their scenes together are a highlight of this production. Skinner makes the most of the villain role as Ursula, reveling in her evil schemes and commanding the stage on her featured number, “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. She’s supported well by the gleefully oily characterizations of her henchmen, electric eels Flotsam and Jetsam, by Kevin Zak and Will Porter. There are also strong performances from the young Jones as Ariel’s devoted friend Flounder, and Schecter as the wisecracking, overconfident seagull Scutttle, who leads a group of other gulls in a memorable tap-dance number, “Positoovity”. Lane, as Ariel’s friend and reluctant guardian Sebastian, has some excellent moments leading the iconic songs “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl”. The leads are supported by a strong, vividly outfitted ensemble playing everything from an array of undersea creatures to palace guards and princesses.

The Little Mermaid is not the best of Disney’s stage musicals, but it is fun and it has it’s memorable moments.  At the Muny this time around, it’s especially striking in a visual sense. This production is essentially what audiences would want it to be–a big, bright, energetic musical that fills the Muny stage well and entertains viewers of all ages.

Emma Degerstedt, Jason Gotay
Photo: The Muny

The Muny is presenting Disney’s The Little Mermaid in Forest Park until June 29, 2017.

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