The Little Mermaid

Thank you for your warm welcome.  The show involved 53 children who attended theatre workshops and some regular rehearsals over several weeks to prepare and develop the production and their own theatre skills.  The results here were stunning!

First, I must commend the set created for the show, with very creative scenery that was very well designed and thought through, especially for the underwater scenes.  The stage displayed a shell throne for Neptune one side, with ships items such as barrels, ropes and a chest the other.  This very neatly portrayed the two settings of the show, one underwater with Neptune, and the other land- and ship-based.  Hence before the curtains even opened, the audience were given a hint at the storyline.  A later sea scene for “Under the Sea” was very evocative with seaweed, blue and green lighting, a watery gobo and wonderful costumes for all the cast of sea creatures.  The sea witch ‘Ursula’s throne was lovely and dark, while the prince’s palace was resplendent in red and gold. The scene changes were very well done, with the main change occurring during the interval.  

The music was well organised and at an appropriate volume for the singers.  The sound level I found a little too much for the witch, Ursula, which unfortunately made her difficult to hear in the songs.  However, the rest of the sound was very well handled indeed.  The choreography and moves were very well planned and carried out, a real challenge with so many people – and puppet dog – onstage at once. The dance moves looked very natural and were well timed, while the tap-dancing seagulls were fabulous!

The costumes for this production were amazing!  For example, the red, tight fitting suit for Sebastian the crab, complete with claws, the dark costume for the sea witch, the eels in black and luminous yellow – and those amazing sea creatures.  It was easy to identify what creature each person was playing as these were all so well devised, and the bright colours made the characters really stand out onstage.  A special mention must be made here of the wonderful sea creatures, and how inventive they were, especially the jelly fish made of see-through umbrellas, strings of lights as their arms, other strings of lights acting as electric eels, and so on.  These creations made the “Kiss the girl” and “Under the sea” scenes totally magical, especially with the way they moved as if they were in water.  Most ingenious!  Wigs and make up were well used to enhance the characterisation, and overall, the cast seemed to be totally absorbed in portraying their characters and working together. It was amazing how this large group of young people became so engaged with presenting the drama in such a disciplined, creative and yet relaxed fashion.  All the cast acted and sang well, and the movement was well disciplined and well co-ordinated, creating a highly believable story.  Diction was very clear and the pace was excellent, while each character was clearly drawn.  However, the lead actors all brought something special to the production, as follows.

Ariel: What a lovely part and so well played.  The facial expressions and body language were very good, while vocal also singing so beautifully!  Well done!

Prince Eric: This was a nice part well played.  There were some moments of real theatre with the change of mood in the rowing boat, and the attraction to Ariel on the beach and in the palace, and the spurning of the other princesses.  Altogether very well done!

Triton: This was a more difficult part, I felt, but it was very well handled.  Just occasionally I felt the character fade a little, but Act 2 was very well done.

Ursula: This was a lovely part as the baddie!  You acted the part really well but somehow the sound reverb clouded your voice and it was a little hard to hear you at times.  Your body language and actions were wonderful!

Sebastian: This was a wonderful character, complete with crab walk and claws!  The characterisation here was excellent, and maintained throughout the performance.  Your arms must have been tired by the end – well done!

Flounder: What a lovely character this was, with a real affection shown for Ariel.  Good acting and body language heled to convey the friendship very clearly.

Scuttle: This was another lovely part very well played.  There was a great feistiness about the part that suited very well.

Grimsby: As the Prince’s guardian, this part needed to ‘spoil the fun’ a little, so very well done for taking this on. There always needs to be contrast in a production and you portrayed the worried guardian so well! 

Overall, this production was a wonderful piece of colourful theatre, with a young and often inexperienced cast enjoying playing together in telling a dramatic story.  It was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience and very well directed for continuity and character.  Congratulations to all involved!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.