The Little Mermaid.
Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater. Book by
Doug Wright. Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story and the Disney Film.
Directed by David Atfield. Music Direction Nicholas Griffin. Conductor. Ian McLean
Choreography. Michelle Heine. Set and Costume Design. Cate Clelland. Free Rain Theatre. Canberra
Theatre. Canberra Theatre Centre. April 8 – 17. 2016
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
There is so much to applaud in Free Rain Theatre’s
production of The Little Mermaid at
the Canberra Theatre that it is easy to forgive the occasional flaws in awkward
staging or slightly tacky setting. These are minor glitches, easily compensated
for by Cate Clelland’s spectacular costuming and Phil Goodwin’s colourful lighting to enhance an otherwise parsimonious
set design .However ambitious Free Rain’s mounting of The Little Mermaid on the commercial mainstage, there are instances
of scrimp and save economics. That is only natural in a company that is
primarily amateur, in production at least, though in this production, certainly
not in its casting. Director, David Atfield, Musical director,
Nick Griffin and choreographer Michelle Heine have created a magical experience
for young and old alike, due as much to the outstanding performances of the
cast as to the technical wizardry of Chris Neal’s sound design and Goodwin’s lighting design. Arrangements of the
melodic songs of Alan Menkin with clever lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn
Slater, and played by an accomplished
and robust orchestra in the pit under the baton of Ian McLean, do more than
simply imitate the sugary Disney world compositions, and imbue the story of the
mermaid who wants to be human and marry a prince with tuneful sentiment and a
captivating array of musical styles. I am particularly impressed by the eels’
ominous Sondheim like Sweet Child,
Sebastian the Crab’s calypso Under the
Sea, Scuttle the Seagull’s Positooivity , Chef Louis’ uniquely French
Les Poisson, Ariel’s Part of Your World and the company’s stirring Finale rendition of Part of Your World .
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| Mikayla Williams as Ariel in Free Rain Theatre's The Little Mermaid |
There is no escaping the fact that Hans Christian Anderson’s
original tale of grim consequence of unnatural yearning has been Disneyfied to
serve up a sanitized romance that can only have a happy ending. And why not?
Free Rain Theatre’s production of the popular Disney version is pure
entertainment, infectious in its exuberance, epic in its staging and performed
with energetic vim, vitality and vivacity by an excellent, mainly local cast of
singers, dancers and actors.
From the arrival of Prince Eric’s ship at the outset of the
show and the rousing, finely sung chorus of Fathoms
Below by Eric, Grimsby and the sailors, it was apparent that Free Rain’s
production would be a fully charged theatrical experience. Only in the first
appearance of King Triton’s court and later in Ariel’s bath scene in the palace
did I feel that the staging didn’t do the scene justice through a lack of clear
focus. Overall, the audience was transported into a world above and a sea
kingdom below.
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| Fraser Findlay as Sebastian and Mikayla Williams as Ariel |
Many years ago in the foyer of the Belconnen Community
Theatre, visionary producer Anne Somes confided to me that within twelve years
she hoped to create a local professional theatre company. Many years have
passed but her Canberra Theatre productions of Phantom of the Opera, Mary
Poppins and The Little Mermaid,
let alone other successes have confirmed her ambition. She has created an
outstanding ensemble of exceptional talent and with judicious enterprise
employed artists of the highest calibre to bring her vision to life. Nowhere is
this more apparent than in the casting of The
Little Mermaid. It is this talent to recognize excellence and provide the opportunities
for local and interstate talents to shine that is the hallmark of Anne Somes’s
achievements. There are flaws, as I have mentioned, but the casting of the
principals is inspired and their performances are exceptional. Only Fraser
Findlay’s combined accent of West Indian mellifluence and Scottish brogue
unsettled me, only to be reassured by his
comical sideways scramblings as Sebastian the crab and his beautifully sung
solo in the If Only quartet.
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| The Mersisters and King Triton |
There isn’t a weak link to be found
amongst the cast of this production. They act with conviction, dance with aplomb
and sing with confidence, gusto and tuneful emotion. Michelle Heine’s routines
are inventive in their fishy, sea creature gestures, as well as the more
conventional tap, jazz and waltz
choreography. Nicholas Griffin has captured
the spirited effervescence of the familiar and catchy melodies in the company’s
songs and elicited character and expression in the solos. Atfield’s direction
lends the production drama and excitement and the entire impression is one of
an ensemble relishing their roles and the exuberance of a colourful and vivid
musical.
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| Louiza Blomfield as Aunt Ursula and Jamie Winbank as Jetsam in The Little Mermaid |
To name the many highlights of this production would be a
lengthy accolade, but there are performances that deserve special mention.
Mikayla Williams' Ariel is sweet,
charming and enchanting and it is hardly surprising that the dashing Prince
Eric (Tim Dal Cortivo) should fall head over heels in love with Bradley’s voice
and personality, even when her voice has been
sacrificed to the bitter and twisted Aunt Ursula, the inky villain of
the piece. Louiza Blomfield is superb in the role and the stage is electrified
by this remarkable performance. Tony Falla’s eccentric sense of comedy as the
malapropismic Scuttle the Seagull is another highlight worth mentioning. Falla and his fellow gulls bring the house
down with the tap toeing Positootivity.
A manic touch of Parisian culinary savoir faire laced with Sweeny Todd meat
cleaver threat is David Cannell’s hilarious speciality in Les
Poisson. There is excellent support from the Mersisters, a hapless bunch of
less favoured daughters of the autocratic King Triton (Steve Galincec) and the
prince’s faithful guardian, Grimsby, is played with sober responsibility and
reason by Colin Milner.
“My favourite was the Eels”, said my four year old grandson.”They
had spiky hair” Indeed Jamie Winbank as Jetsam and David Santolin as Flotsam
had the right touch of Uriah Heep obsequiousness as the servants of the evil
Ursula. “My favourite was the mermaid with the orange sparkles in her dress.
She was the best!” my five year old granddaughter piped up. A look through the
programme revealed Philippa Murphy’s Aquata, but later questioning revealed
that she also liked all the Mersisters. Both agreed that Scuttle and Sebastian
were very funny and each had enjoyed the entire show. “I liked Flounder(Jake
Willis)” my grandson said as we walked to the car after the show. “He sounded
like Flounder in the movie. He talked like him too.” “He was very nice” my granddaughter
added.
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| Tony Falla as Scuttle the Seagull |
Disney musicals skirt the borders of the formulaic. It is
hardly surprising that lyrics can incline to sound derivative and plot lines reveal
their age old themes and familiar problems to be solved. The Little Mermaid is
one of an ilk, but in the talented hands of Free Rain’s cast and crew, this
production was a delight, and it is unfortunate that it was not playing to a
full Canberra Theatre. Economics dictate seasons that make it difficult to
recoup the expense during a short season and pro-am casting can restrict a more
flexible and reasonable performance time. It is a shame. This production deserves
a longer season, full houses and
standing ovations for a mainly local company of performers and crew who have
brought to Canberra audiences a production of exceptional merit.
