Little Mermaid Jr.

The Little Mermaid is a stage musical based on the 1989 Disney film of the same name, which in turn is based on the Hans Christian Anderson story, also of the same name. It’s all about a mermaid who dreams of life above the water and gives up her voice to find true love. To my mind, the Junior version of the show is all the better for being reduced to 60 minutes, as it keeps in all the good stuff and is much more focused on the story. It particularly helps the younger members of the audience, who I could see were absolutely entranced all the way through with this production by Hayling Musical Society's youth section: Hayling Youngstars.

The curtain opened to a tremendous set, beautifully painted (Kim Budd and Lisa Willis) and clearly showing the division between above and below the sea. A handsome ship above and lots of colourful fish and plants below. The shipwreck was cleverly portrayed simply by removing the flats that represented the ship, while wave sheets were used to great effect to show the storm. Every subsequent scene change (well managed by the stage crew) brought more visual delights and clever effects – I particularly liked the rowing boat. Costumes (Kim Budd yet again, assisted by Maria Hammon) were spectacular – a rainbow of colours shimmering in the lights, and totally appropriate for the characters. This was all complimented beautifully by Lee Stoddart’s clever lighting design.

The story depends on Ariel having a beautiful voice and Bali Sherrington you certainly do. Crystal clear diction and perfectly on key – I can easily believe you could tempt a ship onto the rocks! Bali was well matched by the rich tones and confidence of Finlay Harkness as Prince Eric, the man Ariel is willing to give up her voice for. Joe Coates gave a great performance as Sebastian, trying to keep Ariel out of trouble, and maintaining his West Indian accent impeccably throughout. Erin Hartman was beautifully fresh and lively as Flounder, and I was glad not to be close to Issy Day when she was wielding that chopper in her spirited portrayal of the chef! Daisy Harkness gave baddie of the piece, Ursula, a lot of darkness and was well supported by the sibilant Flotsam and Jetsam (Livvy Coates and Anthony Neville) who moved so fluidly around the stage they could easily have been in water.

Everyone on stage, from the biggest down to the littlest, played their parts extremely well. The singing was excellent, and the choreography was crisply interpreted. You all looked like you were having a great time, which always comes across to the audience and helps us enjoy the show too.

The recorded music was of excellent quality and MD Sarah Jane Brown, conducting at the front, made sure no one missed their cues. Sadly, the troublesome acoustics of this hall and, maybe, the positions of the rearmost speakers meant that it was often difficult to hear the lyrics clearly from where I was sitting, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the show at all.

I must say a HUGE well done to everyone involved in this production, both on stage and behind the scenes. It was hugely enjoyable, colourful, and exciting. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon’s entertainment.

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