Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr.

Following the release of Disney’s live action, The Little Mermaid earlier this year, this was the perfect show choice for the Ludwig Theatre Arts, Summer Youth Project. The production involved 25 talented youngsters from the local area, who together through the creative vision of artistic director Jack Ludwig and the dazzling dance routines of choreographer Megan Davies put on a breathtaking adventure…under the sea. The show was well cast, with creative use of set and costumes, brilliant direction, fabulous movement and some great characterisations, which played true to the originals. It’s hard to believe that this was all accomplished in only two weeks, that said the cast and crew were truly committed to this project and in total racked up an impressive 77 hours of rehearsal time! I applaud them for their dedication and hard work, which shone through in their performance.

The stage was submerged in different tones of blue/green drapes with faux reeds and seaweed added to give that underwater feel. The steps centre stage: covered by a sandy-coloured cloth, became a focal point during the more intimate scenes on land and acted as a perch for Ariel during her underwater scenes at her secret cavern of human trinkets.  At the sides of the stage were two cargo nets casting down from the lighting rig to stage level, which gave good elevation of sight and had the audience looking for hidden treasures, as well as some local sealife (hello Nemo!). This wonderful story of love, friendship and underwater adventure had the audience captivated from the moment the curtain went up until the final bows, which were met with huge applause by a supportive audience. The production was magical and had some great individual performances from its principal cast. Overall, this was a brilliant, fun piece of theatre and I for one loved being transported to the mysterious fathoms below.

Opening the show with great energy and a strong leading vocal was Georgina Laity as the Pilot of Prince Eric’s ship. Wielding a ship’s wheel and navigating her way through the ocean waves, cleverly created by using blue sheets, rippled by the ensemble. Georgina gave us a great rendition of ‘Fathoms Below’ supported well by a swaying ensemble of sailors. Here we met the dashing Prince Eric, played charmingly by Alfie Phillips and his long-standing confidant Grimsby, played with great pomp by Amelie Hill, I think we all felt for poor old Grimsby when it was made clear that he was suffering from sea sickness. Then we dived down into the depths of the ocean, where we meet an array of sea creatures both good and bad and of course the mythical sea folk - mermaids (mermaid off the port bow!).

King Triton was played confidently by Freddie Pugh, who did well to keep a strong posture and authoritative voice before succumbing to his more sensitive side towards the end, where we saw him soften towards Ariel’s wish of wanting to be human, which was played with great sensitivity. Ariel’s sisters Aquata (Meredd Morgan), Attina (Felicity Kinsey), Allana (Ruby Engels), Arista (Lacey Newhill), Andrina (Lola Thompson) and Adella (Caitlin Stocker) were played with great energy by this small talented group of “Mer-Divas”. They had great stage presence and during their song with Flounder ‘She’s in Love’, they knocked our socks off with their bold and sassy moves teamed with great vocals. Flounder, the adorable guppy and faithful friend to Ariel was played brilliantly by Ellie Davies, she interacted well with the other characters and I especially enjoyed watching her close bond with Ariel. Ellie’s delivery of Flounder’s famous line “don’t be a guppy” was heartfelt and she also sported some impressive dance moves along the way! Kristiyan Yordanov played the comical crustacean, Sebastian and he was fabulous in this role. Donning a bright red suit, matching top hat with eyes and a pair of pincer claws, he really did look the part. With his witty quips and excellent line delivery Kristiyan brought this iconic character to life. He did a great job at sustaining the Caribbean accent and ‘Under the Sea’ and ‘Kiss the Girl’ were among the highlights of the show with strong support from the fabulous ensemble. Another strong comedic performance came from Evelia Ray as Scuttle, a seagull and expert on all things human. Evie had great stage presence and comic timing and her scene with Ariel and Flounder, identifying ‘Human Stuff’ was so fun. She gave a good vocal during her solo number and this was well supported by her fellow gulls Charlotte Rigby, Lucy Dahn and Sophia Mukho, who all had great facial expressions and glorious squawks. A special mention goes to Maisie Riley as Chef Louis, who I thought was marvellous, she fully embraced her character and gave a convincing performance as the unhinged, slightly sadistic fish (and crab) murdering Frenchman. Good consistent accent and during her song ‘Les Poissons’ she turned up the heat with well-crafted comedic flare, which brought the house down. Great job Maisie! Flotsam and Jetsam were played eerily well by Finn Walters and Elizabeth Ray respectively. This creepy duo were the evil sidekicks of the wicked sea witch Ursula. I loved their slow ‘almost snake like’ movements through the waters, A good pairing who worked well together and had great synchronisation when it came to their movements and stylised voices. They truly were the snakes of the sea.

There was another outstanding performance from Oliver Handley as the formidable sea witch Ursula. My goodness is there any role this young performer can’t play? A strong actor, who puts his heart and soul into every performance he does and this was no exception. The characterisation was spot on and the voice, well you would swear you were listening to the original voice actor of the 1989 animation, Pat Carroll. Oliver’s delivery of ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ was a highlight and showcased his many talents with powerful vocals and his strong use of “body language!”.  Great performance.

My final mention goes to the star of the show Lucy Thurley as Ariel aka The Little Mermaid herself. This was a truly special performance from this young and extremely talented performer. With fantastic storytelling, characterisation and stunning vocals which captivated her audience and took us on a magical journey. Her rendition of ‘Part of Your World’ was beautifully sung and delivered with great feeling and emotion. The audience hung onto her every word and we were all left completely spellbound when she reached her hand towards the surface – a true vision of beauty. Lucy certainly has a voice made for Disney! A remarkable performance which elevated an already well polished production. I loved her interactions with the other characters, especially the bonds of friendships with Flounder, Sebastian and Scuttle. She had great chemistry with Alfie as Prince Eric and their performance of ‘One Step Closer’ was excellent. Lucy is certainly one to look out for, as I’m convinced that one day, she will be part of ‘the pro theatre’ world.

Huge congratulations to the cast and crew who did a fantastic job on and off the stage, what a fabulous way to end a great Summer Youth Project! I would also like to thank Tracey Jones (Head Chaperone) for her warm hospitality and for showing me around backstage after the show. It was also nice to meet Assistant Stage Manager, Steve Roberts as well as some familiar faces from previous shows - Georgina Webb (Dance Captain, Matilda Jr.) and Adam Kerr (Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz), you are all a credit to your group and strong advocates for the performing arts, I salute you! A special thank you to both Jack and Megan for their invitation and for their warm welcome, it is always a pleasure to attend one of your events.

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