The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is the story of a young mermaid, Ariel, who is fascinated by the human world and what life would be like on land. After a fight with her father King Triton, she is lured to the sea witch’s cave. Here she makes a dangerous deal with the witch - her tail for legs - and a chance to get the prince to fall in love with her. But when plans go awry, Ariel, needs the help of her friends Flounder the fish, Sebastian the crab and Scuttle the seagull.

The simple stage was transformed from scene to scene – 23 in total – by the efficient use of a video wall and side video masking flats. The graphics were well designed by Craig Spence, even to the extent of having a split stage representing Ariel’s Chambers and King Triton’s Court, as one example.  Many of the scenes had the addition of small additional items of furniture or rocks to further enhance the locations. Atmospheric lighting added to the overall picture and well-mixed sound ensured we heard all the songs and spoken word.

Ariel (Olivia Addington) and Prince Eric (Jake Reynolds) both in their first year with CYMT made a great young couple falling in love. Both sang well and Olivia showed her dogged determination to “get her man”.

The trio of Flounder (Jay Seaton), Scuttle (Anya Ravel) and Sebastian (Aaron Smith-Lees) provided spirit, and all excelled with their comedic timing. None more so than Aaron as the lively crab. 

Grimsby (Ben Lothian) and Pilot (Finn Cameron) were well-chosen shipmates for Pince Eric, both performing with confidence.

Ursula (Alina McGarrie). The Sea Witch was a true baddie in the production, and what a singing voice.

Ursula’s sidekicks, Flotsam (Charlotte Ritchie) and Jetsam (Eilah Mackenzie) both acquitted themselves well as aides to the evil Ursula.

Eden Sweet as the powerful King Triton gave a commanding performance and, finally, but definitely not least, Darcey Manson gave an entertaining performance as Chef Louis. Like many of the cast, extreme movement comes as second nature to these young performers!

Without the liveliness and singing abilities of the ensemble the show would just not have been the same. From the smiles on their faces they were obviously enjoying every minute!

Congratulations to MD Martin Tollick for being in charge of firing backing tracks on cue and adding in appropriate vamps and extensions on the keyboard between scenes. Joining Martin in bringing this show together is Director (Jude Vandecasteele) and Choreographer (Alison Graham) all of whom have obviously put hours of work into  getting the maximum out of this young cast!

Many thanks to all at CYMT for inviting us along, and for the friendly welcome and chat before and after, which has become synonymous with all Cupar productions! 

 

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