Disney The Little Mermaid. Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by
Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater. Book by Doug Wright. Musical director Adam
Bluhm. Choreographer Jodi Hammond. Directed by Jordan Best. Ickle Pickle
Productions. Belconnen Community Theatre, Friday Jan 10 – Sat Jan 25.
Having been reared on Hans Christian Andersen’s deeply
tragic original I find I have to simply switch that part of the memory off to
deal with this show. Which is, of course, a different take on the tale.
Yes, it’s still about a mermaid who falls for a human prince
and becomes human herself in an effort to win him. But this version is littered
with song and dance and eccentric underwater characters and the ending is much
more upbeat.
The cast is led by a charming Ariel, well sung and performed
by Emily Pogson. Ben Brown is equally charming as Prince Eric but needs to get
more breath behind what is a nicely placed voice. Hopefully the problem is
temporary, since they work together rather well.
They are opposed by the dreadful sea witch Ursula in a
commanding and funny performance from Janie Lawson. She eyeballs the audience
with venom, backed up ably in her machinations by henchfish Flotsam (Jackie
McIntyre) and Jetsam (Elliot Cleaves).
Jade Breen turns in a beautifully wide eyed performance as
Flounder, the fish with an unrequited crush on Ariel. Jack Morton is an affable
and funny Scuttle, the seagull with an eccentric use of language. Samuel Dietz
as Prince Eric’s old mentor Grimsby seems a little on the young side but supports the Prince
ably. Meaghan Stewart struts around with a vigorous sense of character as
Ariel’s crab mentor Sebastian.
There’s a good cameo from Joss Kent as Chef Louis, serving
up the seafood at Prince Eric’s palace to a shocked Ariel. (Is that Nemo I see on
a plate…?) And the six other daughters of the impressively noble King Triton
(Michael Jordan) make quite a tribe of sibling rivals.
Director Jordan Best does an excellent job of marshalling a
rather large and youthful cast who are required to be everything from a figureheaded
ship and its crew to courtiers to underwater denizens. The Belconnen Community
Theatre does not have a big stage but Ian Croker's compactly imaginative set makes the most of the space, it is peopled convincingly and it is
choreographed sensibly by Jodi Hammond, whether the scene is below the waves or
in the courts of kings.
Alanna Maclean
