Everyone knows “The Little Mermaid”. Whether it’s a childhood movie favorite or you grew up on the Hans Christian Andersen tale, the story is ingrained in our memories. Girl falls in love, father disapproves, girl bargains her voice away…well, you know the rest. The stage musical adds a few new songs and a lot of glitz and glam. I saw Stage Center tackle this beast of a production Friday night under the helm of director Jared Watson. It was a pleasant evening with a very sweet cast, but it lacked a certain excitement that I was expecting. Familiar stories often have this problem. Actors and directors alike can fall into the trap of relying on the story to tell itself, forgetting to invest and sink themselves into the material. This was evident in a lagging first act, but the second act proved that these guys really did know what they were doing.
Maddison Gilcrease opens the show with a positively sweet Ariel. You could feel the Disney princess oozing off of her, but she didn’t find her stride until act two. With the loss of her pipes, Gilcrease had to up her acting game and it brought out a new side of her character. A more energetic, invested Ariel met us after intermission and it brightened the show. Her counterpart, Tommy William Thurston, never quite matched that vigor as Prince Eric. His princely singing voice was easy on the ears, but his character was forced and never made it to the next level.
While other actors took some warming up, a certain obnoxious, white bird flew onto the stage with excitement. The absolute standout of this production, Cameron Cason’s Scuttle, infused the stage with energy upon every entrance. His lively tap number in act two was a highlight of the show. Scuttle’s fishy friend, Flounder, played by Cade Ostermeyer, was equally as energetic, if not as polished. I definitely see potential in Ostermeyer and look forward to seeing him grow as an actor.
Other performances worth noting were Jordan Farris and Meredith Fisher who gave the audience the creeps as Ursula’s eels. Their snakey, slithery performance was on point. Gary Watson’s Chef Louis was hilariously over the top and Grimsby, played by Bryan Grisham, was appropriately droll. Jasey Gilbert’s Ursula was a great cross between Adele and Devine, but she missed out on that inner drag queen that defines the Sea Witch. Kaelon Gerard got lost in a lilted vocal affect as Sebastian the cowardly crustacean, but his Caribbean accent was superb. However, he seemed to find himself during “Kiss the Girl” and a little bit of his character started peeking through.
This was a large cast and the chorus played an important part in creating the underwater wonderland. Fishes on wheelies, wispy jellyfish, puffy sea urchins, they were all there. The sassy Mersisters were entertaining, the Gulls were delightfully goofy, and the Palace Servants were energetically vibrant. Rick Stovall (King Triton) commanded the trident and Cody Griffin was a steadfast ship captain.
Of course, this underwater paradise would have been nothing without Daniel Salazar’s lighting. He captured the movement and life of being under the sea perfectly, but did have a little trouble bringing that dynamic lighting into the world on the surface. The lighting was complemented by Seth Taylor’s set design, framing the show in intricate coral. Taylor did a good job of filling the large stage without making it too busy. Unfortunately, I found the costumes to be hit or miss with many characters in brilliant gowns while leaving much of the sea life as an afterthought. I was also disappointed to hear recorded music instead of a live orchestra. It certainly changes the dynamic of music and vocals, making it harder to adjust to actors’ ranges, but I can understand the reasoning behind forgoing it.
“The Little Mermaid” was an entertaining night and if you’re looking for something to do with your children, give it a go. The kids really loved seeing Ariel onstage in real life. I would still like to see more character development in Stage Center’s productions, but they are coming along. I look forward to the rest of the season.
“The Little Mermaid” runs through April 23rd. Go to www.StageCenterLA.com or call 318.218.9978 for tickets.