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2nd show of Muny Season is another Winner!
A Review:
“The Little Mermaid” Takes Us to a
Place Where Dreams Come True
by Pat Lindsey
It might be just a fish tale, but we knew “The Little Mermaid” was going to capture our imaginations and transport us to a place of magical enchantment before we even took our seats at The Muny Tuesday night. We could feel the excitement all around us as dozens of little girls in mermaid costumes and princess dresses skipped to their seats and anxiously awaited being part of Ariel’s world under the sea. They already knew the story and they believed.
Schools of fish, flying seagulls, shimmering jellyfish, a guppylicious flounder, and a conscientious crab engulfed in an aqua and turquoise background set the stage for our underwater adventure into a world where King Triton tries to control his seven mermaid daughters and rule the sea creatures in his saltwater kingdom. Imposingly played by Jerry Dixon, King Triton is a stately character who loves all of his daughters, but has a soft spot in his heart for Ariel, his youngest, who possesses the beautiful voice of his deceased wife.
Ariel is rebellious because she doesn’t feel as though she belongs in King Triton’s watery world. She longs to be part of the human world, so she swims to the surface of the ocean every chance she gets. And it is during one of her trips to the surface that she spies a ship with Prince Eric at the helm. A storm soon propels Prince Eric overboard and Ariel rescues him from drowning. Prince Eric, semi-conscious, only gets a glimpse of Ariel and hears her gorgeous voice, but that’s enough to make him obsessed with finding her again
Emma Degerstedt is a perfect Ariel in looks and voice and Jason Gotay is believable as the handsome prince for whom Ariel is willing to sacrifice her voice and the only life she has ever known. When they sing, it’s Disney magic to the tune of Alan Menken music, with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater.
The elements that create this fantastic tale–singing, dancing, puppetry, video, lovely sets, and ingenious costuming–are nothing short of wonderful. The most remarkable character creation is Ursula, the antagonistic sea witch. She is usually portrayed with a huge body and a deep voice, but Emily Skinner in this role has a slim body and enormous tentacles. The tentacles are formed by four people wearing a tentacle prosthesis on each arm. With the help of these four people, Ursula is able to roll about the stage and flail her tentacles whenever she decides to fly into a rage.
Sebastian the crab, played by James T. Lane, steals the show each time he does his Charlie Chaplin walk across stage wearing his little red top hat. The biggest applause of the night came after he and the other sea creatures sang the favorite , “Under the Sea.”
The Muny’s production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” is a magical masterpiece for many reasons, but for me, it was a two-hour retreat with my imagination to a familiar place I knew as a child–to a place where dreams come true. Bravo, Mike Isaacson!
“The Little Mermaid” will be performed nightly at 8:15 p.m. at The Muny in Forest Park now through June 29.
