Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
This charming tale of enchantment beautifully conveys the young character’s dreams of love, romance, and seeing the world with idealized eyes. Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton whose Kingdom is at the bottom of the sea, is being drawn to the surface where she, by being fascinated with the human world, loves swimming around or sitting on the stone and singing. Her angelic voice is her biggest treasure. It happens that at the same time, Prince Eric’s ship travels close by, and by being mesmerized by the beautiful voice he hears, he orders his crew to follow that song. When Arial returns to her father’s castle, her father is not happy as he is afraid for his daughter’s safety, yet he cannot control his own daughter. He would like to restore order under the sea, especially since, ‘It is not safe on the surface’ he says, the people of the land are not good people – her own mother went one day for an innocent swim and never returned. Obsessed by the world above, Ariel stumbles upon her evil aunty Ursula, the sea witch that creates a conflict by bargaining with Arial to trade her voice for legs, so she can be free and find her Prince on the land.
The classic story of ‘THE LITTLE MERMAID’ opened at Zephyr Theatre as a musical with a short run. You can take your little ones only from October 3 until October 12 to enjoy the enchanting sea world, with all its residents, little fish, crab, mermaids.
Based on the Hans Christian Andersen’s story and the Disney film produced by Howard Ashman & John Musker, Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ is performed with a 15-minute intermission. Presented by DIY musical theatre & Chromolume theatre, the show is dedicated to presenting Broadway’s forgotten musical theatre gems and off-Broadway’s undiscovered treasures, providing an opportunity to an artist to shine, especially to those who may not have had such an opportunity in the past.
The exciting cast includes Brigit O’Malley (Ariel), Chris Gutierrez (Prince Eric), Bouket Fingerhut (Ursula), Chris Spangler (King Triton), Christopher Baker (Sebastian), Ellie Rodriguez (Scuttle), Katie Orr (Flounder), Richard Rosales (Grimsby/Chef Louis), Jackie Seigle (Flotsam), Allie Leslie (Jetsam), Gina Ansaldi (Aquata), Mary DeLan (Andrina), Courtney Dillman (Arista), Kasey Hentz (Atina), Amaya J (Alana), and Yessenia Buezo Munoz (Adella). The ensemble also features Andrew Colburn and Zach Sain.
The beautiful O’Malley with her pleasant voice presents Ariel well. Sometimes I wished she was equipped with Lavalier microphone. The music’s loudness diminished her voice at times. Together with Guitierrez, they created the beauty of two young people in love. Christopher Baker as Sebastian is animated and on his toes throughout the play. The whole ensemble worked off each other beautifully. Bouket gave us the gift of evil power, with her strong portrayal of Ursula. Her dream role fits her well.
The music is arranged by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater. A book is done by Doug Wright. This production is directed by Brianne Lopez-Cole, with choreography by Nico Montelibano and musical direction by Abby Carlson. Scenic Design is by Brigit O’Malley, Costume Design by Allie Leslie, Lighting Design by James Esposito and the Production Stage Manager is by Mara Aguilar.
The production runs between October 3 and 12. with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. at Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, 90046. The little ones we had in our audience were glued to the plot. I would highly recommend taking your little ones to see ‘Disney’s Little Mermaid.’
Publicity is taken care of by Ken Werther PR. www.kenwerther.com
Admission is $25 and the tickets can be purchased online at www.chrtheatre.com