“Teenagers! They think they know everything. You give them an inch, they swim all over you."
LA MIRADA—Come with me now to a place where love has no boundaries. The anxiously awaited production of DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID has just docked at La Mirada Theatre, conjuring a magical kingdom where Ariel (Leianna Weaver) lives below the sea, painted with a palette of buoyant blues, greens and purples. The musical is based on the animated 1989 Disney film by the same name.
It's hard to believe that's over three decades ago, so just to refresh your memory, the story is about a beautiful young mermaid princess who becomes obsessed with the fascinating creatures that live on land—especially Eric, a particularly handsome human prince. In order to experience land-locked life, however, she has to defy her mighty father, King Triton, and make a shady pact with an evil sea witch to get her fish tail transformed into human legs and prove to Eric (a non-marine form of life) that she’s the girl for him.
The original Broadway production closed in 2008 after 685 shows and was then set to be reinvented, replacing those heely skates with flying harnesses ("Flying by Foy") for all but the eels. Playwright Doug Wright was brought on as book writer, together with John MacInnis’ undulating choreography and Kenneth Foy and Mark Koss’ whimsically operatic sets, focusing more on the story line of Ariel’s longing, not for her prince, but for a world in which she feels truly realized in her own terms. Her ambitions, it seems, are bigger than any one man.
The reborn version created a magical underwater world similar to a pop-up book, with floating creatures (including Ariel) and a truly sinister sea witch squid named Ursula (originally conceived as an octopus) with henchmen electric eels—Flotsam and Jetsam. NOTE: Ursula's design has evolved and transformed dramatically over the years. Original sketches were drawn to resemble a tall, thin regal-looking sea witch based on a manta ray and a scorpion fish, complete with long cape. At another point, Ursula was designed with spikes to resemble a spinefish, and was largely inspired by the drag queen Divine. Her total current revamping as a squid has been labeled genius by most critics.
Vilely, she makes a pact with Ariel. In exchange for her voice, Ariel may take human form and attempt to seduce earthly Prince Eric with whom she has fallen in love. If within three days, he kisses her, she may remain human. If not, she must remain Ursula’s slave.
Leianna Weaver makes a winning Ariel and possesses a pristine beauty combined with youthful impetuosity with just the right amount of spunk to make her part believable. Her shimmering soprano effortlessly slides into a caramel-creamy belt as the drama demands, portraying an innate tenderness combined with a ferocious determination to pursue a life above the foam. Ms. Weaver brings more than enough warmth and sincerity to anchor this production (and when it came time for her to sing the showstopper “Part of Your World,” we were hanging on to every word).
Coleman Cummings brings the swashbuckling goods as the dashing, down-to-earth Prince Eric and is fun to watch as he teaches Ariel to dance as an expression of her true feelings ("One Step Closer"). Mr. Cummings is a fitting match for Ms. Weaver’s Ariel, generating sparks and wonderful chemistry, coaction and proclivity, and both voices meld together with storybook delightfulness. Mr. Cummings solos are also just as euphonious on their own.
Under Director Glenn Casale’s perfect pacing and liquid staging, the show is uber enjoyable to watch and the cast, delightful. Trent Mills, for instance, is a strong, derring-do Triton, ultimately disciplined and unrelenting. Mr. Mills sings forcefully, eloquently and with much machismo.
The dynamics of the musical also gets a really big boost from Dana Orange as Sebastian, the wise-cracking crustacean and always-in-way-over-his-head crab who acts very much as Ariel’s guardian after she runs away from home. In “Kiss the Girl” and in the quartet, “If Only,” Mr. Orange’s voice takes on a syncopated Calypso beat, and suddenly you’re basking on a Caribbean shore with a rum runner in your hand.
But it is the smile-inducing charmer, “Under the Sea” (from composer Alan Menken and its intricate sealife-affirming lyrics from the late Howard Ashman), in which Mr. Orange salutes subaqueous life in complete spectacle, accompanied by a vast array of colorful dancing sea creatures in a magical underwater world. That’s when you truly know that the seaweed is, in fact, always greener.
Rounding out the cast is Kevin Kulp’s perfectly plucky Flounder, who carries an unrequieted heartthrob for Ariel and is a major highlight; Quintan Craig’s high-flying Scuttle has impeccable comedic timing (pay special attention to the Act 2 opener “Positoovity”). There’s Jeff Skowron’s rambunctious and hilarious Chef Louis (who also plays the pilot), tearing up the scenery and producing gales of audience laughs, and a riveting Kevin Symons’ playing an appropriately straight-forward yet friendly Grimsby, the court advisor.
Two of the biggest showstoppers in the musical, however, are both over the top in any category. Early in the first act is “Daddy’s Little Angel” (a new song which replaced Ursula’s big, cabaret-style “I Want the Good Times Back” from the Broadway production) “When I was a kid. A squirmy little squid. I was number seven born of seven little girls. Seven little pearls…” Then, as the final number in Act I, when a belt-tastic Regina Le Vert as the nefarious sea witch bolters her resolution with the brassily awaited “Poor Unfortunate Souls” to thunderous applause, bringing down the house yet again.
Enriching those great deliveries are Auntie Ursula's two assistants, Flotsam (Mitchell Lam Hau) and Jetsam (Christopher Diem), who diabolically teat around the stage and are deliciously evil. Plus, the six Mersisters with garishly colored wigs—Katie Cruz, Cristyn Dang, Andrea Dobbins, Tayler Mettra, Neema Muteti and Candace J. Washington—are in constant flutter and adorable to watch. Put all this together with composer Alan Menken’s glittering score and Doug Wright’s light-handed book, and you’ve got a truly delectable salt water confection.
DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID is an entertaining treat, aglow and scintillating for kids of all ages. Young kids laugh and hiss at Ursula and her mad pranks; older ones love Ariel's romantic reverie with the Prince. All the color and splendor of the ocean is onstage without water, and you feel you are right there with her. La Mirada Theatre brought THE LITTLE MERMAID to their stage in 2016 for the first time, and now this brings another glorious cast and creative team full circle with this newest, and most exquisite production, now running through June 23rd. Don’t miss it!
TONY-NOMINATED LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS and McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT presents DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID; with Book by Doug Wright; Music by by eight-time Academy® Award winner Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater; Direction by Glenn Casale; Musical Direction by Brent Crayon; Orchestrations by Danny Troob; Incidental Music and Vocal Arrangements by Michael Kosarin; Dance Arrangements by David Chase; Choreography by John MacInnis; Flying Sequences Choreographed by Paul Rubin; Lighting Design by Charlie Morrison; Sound Design by Julie Ferrin; Costume Coordination by Adam Ramirez; Hair/Wig Design by Kaitlin Yagen; Make-Up Design by Madison Medrano; Properties Supervision by Kevin Williams. The Casting Director is Lindsay Brooks, and the Production Stage Manager is Talia Krispel.
The Cast of DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID features: Leianna Weaver as “Ariel,” Coleman Cummings as “Prince Eric,” Trent Mills as “King Triton,” Dana Orange as “Sebastian,” Kevin Kulp as “Flounder,” Quintan Craig as “Scuttle,” Regina Le Vert as “Ursula,” Mitchell Lam Hau as “Flotsam,” Christopher Diem as “Jetsam,” Jeff Skowron as “Chef Louis/Pilot,” and Kevin Symons as “Grimsby.” The Ensemble features Kevin Corte, Katie Cruz, Cristyn Dang, Daniel Dawson, Andrea Dobbins, Christopher Ho, Michael James, Kurt Kemper, Edgar Lopez, Tayler Mettra, Neema Muteti, Madison Miyuki Sprague, and Candace J. Washington. Swings are Josh Zacher and Helen Tait.
Performances for DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm, Sundays at 1:30pm & 6:30pm. Run Time: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including an intermission.
Chris Daniels
Arts & Entertainment Reviewer
The Show Report
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Niedle/TETHOS
