Disney The Little Mermaid

It was exciting to see PMOS take on the task of performing a show that isn’t available often for societies to do, and in a different performing venue for them at a fellow District 4 venue, the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock. Being at the Wednesday matinee performance made this visit even more special as the audience was full of younger audience members, most dressed up in various Disney outfits, and of course a lot of Ariels! Seeing their excitement and enjoyment grow as the show progressed was magical and made the fact that I was excited to see these Disney characters come to life acceptable … well that’s what I have been telling myself.

From the minute MD James and his orchestra started the impressive overture the magic began. The use of the digital screen as a permanent back drop sustained the magic, making you feel like you were being immersed into the film. With the music and screen setting the scene, the entire cast put their all into each character they had from principals to ensemble. The fuller ensemble numbers in particular; “Fathoms Below” and “Under the Sea” sounded great and the movement was clever allowing the sea creatures characters to be maintained as they danced. The audience reaction to “Under the Sea” was electric as the energy from the stage flooded over the audience.

The costumes, makeup, wigs and featured set pieces all came together so perfectly to give the show the right balance of musical and cartoon that is key for this type of Disney show.

The principal cast as always was of a very high standard. Zoe Tennant used her excellent character acting skills to bring each element of Ariel to life. Her facial expressions were phenomenal, and this was proven more in Act 2 when Ariel loses her voice. Her physicality even from the simplest finger movement was controlled, kept the belief of her being under water during those scenes and was in true Disney princess style.  This performance combined with superb costumes and makeup completed a perfect character package. There are a lot of key characters who feature throughout the show as it progresses, and each was performed exceptionally well and I enjoyed the physicality to capture the different sea creatures in particular. Robin Cameron’s take on Sebastian the crab was very funny and balanced the fun nature of the character with his sensible side. His accent, vocals and movement were all well accomplished. Aly Lamond as Scuttle was comedy genius. She had fantastic stage presence in every scene with this cooky character, the squawks before she exited each scene had the audience in stiches and her tap number “Positoovity” with the principal Gulls was outstandingly flawless. The scenes in particular with Ariel, Sebastian and Scuttle were some of the highlights for sure. Robert Sharp used great stage presence and an impressive deep, controlled vocal to bring King Triton to life. Ronan Corkey was every bit the Disney prince as if he had stepped out the movie giving the kids in the audience (and many adults too I am sure) exactly what we wanted and expected. His scenes with Zoe were lovely, and his vocals impressive, especially in the Quartet with Ariel, Sebastian and King Triton. The other iconic role in this show is Ursula and Lindsey Ross did not disappoint in her portrayal of the evil Sea Witch. Her songs were flawless and diction exceptionally clear and she used her stage presence well to being this under the sea diva to the stage. A special mention must go to Gillian Gray and Katy Carey as Flotsam and Jetsam, who were a joy to watch and brought comedy to Ursula’s sidekicks with their accents and movements. Another standout number was “She’s in Love” performed by the Mer-Sisters and Flounder who captured the upbeat number very well.  Not enough space to list every character, but congrats to everyone on their performances.  Another great success for PMOS and thank you again to the committee for the warm welcome.

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