In 1989, Disney breathed new life into the classic The Little Mermaid. Loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson story, The Disney adaptation told the tale of a young mermaid named Ariel that desires to be part of our world upon the surface. After saving the life of a sailor, that is later revealed to be a prince, Ariel makes a Faustian bargain with an evil sea witch in order to become human and be with the human she loves. Now in 2014, Ariel, Eric, Ursula, and everyone’s favorite crustacean conductor have left the ocean again courtesy of Dallas Summer Musicals and Fair Park Music Hall.
In the musical adaption of the film, Chelsea Morgan Stock’s singing voice rivals that of Jodi Benson, who gave voice to Ariel in Disney’s animated feature film. In addition to the original songs from the film, the stage production offers new musical scores by Howard Ashman and Glen Slater that will become “Part of Your World” and just as beloved as the original soundtrack. The song “Beyond My Wildest Dreams,” is an original number that helps showcases Ariel’s childlike infatuation with the human world as she finally finds herself on land and inside her true love’s palace. Pleasantly, the Musical adaption also offers more insight into the villainous mind of the evil sea witch Ursula who is denied much of a backstory within the Disney film. Liz McCartney embodies Ursula in the stage production effortlessly and her performance of several original numbers details her previous deeds to include murdering her sisters in “I Want The Good Times Back.”
Stock’s portrayal of the beloved Disney princess was made all the more believable thanks to the swimming sequences choreographed by Paul Rubin. The wire work featured within the stage adaption allowed for the clear separation between the underwater world and that of the surface. The seemingly effortless swimming acrobatics and the consistent rippling of cast members via subtle body movement as choreographed by Billy Spague showcased a great attention to detail. The precise movements by Stock and the rest of the cast encouraged the audience to believe they were partaking in an underwater adventure right along with Ariel.
The costume coordination and design by Amy Clark and Mark Koss also deserves a bit more than an honorable mention within this critique. This is perhaps the most true when it comes to considering the use of LED lighting in the costuming of Ursula’s dubious henchmen, Flotsam and Jetsam. The timely use of the lighting allowed emphasis to Scott Leiendecker and Sean Patrick Doyle’s chilling performance of “Sweet Child” in which they coerce Ariel into meeting with her less than honorable aunt, Ursula. Clark and Koss’ use of silks and other flowing fabrics made the transition for Triton, Ariel, and cast of the other Merfolk from screen to stage seem effortless as it allowed for movability within the several wirework sequences featured within the performance.
Charlie Morison’s lighting was a valuable contribution to the stage adaption as well. The ambiance of the lighting by using subtle blues and greens created a believable ambiance that embellished chirography the underwater sequences. This use of subtle lighting greatly contrasted the bright over the top lighting used to differentiate the surface world from Triton’s underwater Kingdom.
Music Hall at Fair Park itself invited the attendees of The Little Mermaid musical to be submerged into a world under the sea, that for me, became much more than simply seeing a musical based on one of my all-time favorite Disney stories.
As a venue, the music Hall showcased exuberance with its high ceilings and fanciful chandeliers. Also, If you were fortunate to partake in a meal before the performance you may have been delighted to see items like “Triton’s Tuna and White Bean Salad” and “ Scuttle’s Spinach and feta stuffed Chicken breasts,” among other delectable gourmet dishes. I felt that these names, although a tad morbid added to the experience as a whole. I was also enchanted by the fact that you could purchase your very own Dingle-hopper hair brush at the merchandise booth because at some point every little girl attempts to comb their hair with a fork after seeing the film.
I must admit that besides loving all things Disney, Especially the Little Mermaid, my main reason for attending this performance was due to the fact I am required to go to three art exhibits or performances for my art appreciation class. I am a college student after all! After giving us the assignment my teacher informed us about Student Rush Seats, which is when events offer low cost seats to students usually the day of the show. This is done in order to give students affordable access to the arts (usually at the cost of the lowest seating arrangement available. For example a last minute floor seat may cost a student the price of a nose-bleed balcony seat) and to fill the floor seats which may go for a price of 250 or more depending on the venue and performance. This news while making me super giddy, made me slightly upset because no one had told me this information previously. Had I have known I would have used it to my advantage. Hello, Wicked! I would have been defying Gravity right along with Elphaba instead of opting to miss out on one of my all-time musicals because as a student, I could not afford the 100-200 dollar asking price. I mean why isn’t this common knowledge? I believe that If more people could afford the arts than more people would support them. Right?
I would also like to thank Fair Park Music Hall for having disability friendly seating available on the floor and offering it for the lowest ticket price available. Needless to say a lot of venues do not offer this. I remember seeing the off-Broadway version of Hairspray while living in Cleveland and having to pay a large amount (120 dollars for tickets) just so that I could sit in a seat that I could get to because the building was old and had very limited wheelchair access. I think it’s important to praise venues that offer options to handicap people and for this reason I will continue to go to their performance hall and support the arts.
Lastly, Here is a photo of me taken after the show because I loved my Ariel dress so much. Yay!
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