The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is a Disney musical, based on the feature-length cartoon of the same name, which is in turn based loosely on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy story. With the music written by Alan Menken, (lyrics by Ashman and Slater) you can guarantee toe-tapping catchy melodies galore.

I was welcomed warmly (on a stiflingly hot evening!) to the Majestic Theatre in Retford by the President of the Society Betty Teanby, and MOB Chairperson, Carolyn White, and shown to my seat by members dressed as mermaids. The MOB is the junior section of Retford Musical TheatreCompany. The large audience consisted mainly of parents and relatives of the cast, and they were enthusiastic in their applause. The impressive programme, full A4 and glossy, listed all of the large cast with photos and dedications from their family and friends.

As soon as the band struck up, under the leadership of Pete Lack, it was apparent that the musical values were going to be of a high standard, with a nice balanced sound and good instrumentalists. Sound amplification of the voices was generally good, although sometimes the desire to provide an appropriate accent for the character led to difficulty (for me, anyway), in discerning the lyrics. This can be a problem especially with inexperienced players, and a good adage is to remind the cast that they are speaking to a little deaf old lady in the back row whose hearing aids aren’t working, so they need to speak clearly.

However, this was a minor problem and didn’t distract from a really good show. Costumes were superb and colorful, lighting was excellent and choreography entertaining and imaginative.

The principals were well cast with Nancy Hudson playing a very beguiling Ariel, and Josh Parker using his excellent tenor voice to good effect in the role of Prince Eric. Cameron Duffy as Sebastian did well, and Neve Bowler as Ursula commanded the stage in her songs. Hermione Hunt made a great Scuttle -well done! -Flotsam and Jetsam were suitably sinuous and nasty, King Triton, Grimsby, Flounder and the Mersisters deserve mention; and the numerous other minor characters played their parts well – too many to name individually in a short review. However special mention must be made of Charlie Buxton as the chef, intent on getting Sebastian into the pot and onto the table. He is obviously a natural clown and had the audience in stitches with his expressions.

The large chorus were well drilled and beautifully costumed, and wigs, make-up and props were good.

So overall a great evening out to see a high quality children’s production.

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