Review: THE LITTLE MERMAID at Starlight Theatre

Kansas City's Starlight Theatre opened its 2018 outdoor Broadway season Saturday with a charming, locally originated production of "Disney's The Little Mermaid" by Broadway Director Glenn Casale. As importantly for local audiences, "The Little Mermaid" marks the premiere outing for Starlight's long planned video assist system. Patrons sitting in some of the most distant of the 7958 seats will see the show on stage and on two huge video screens above the stage. In a huge venue like Starlight, the video displays allow new perspectives and a massive "value added" for audiences.

Starlight's massive, outdoor auditorium was filled with thousands upon thousands of mostly well behaved, entranced and fascinated young people (some in costume). Audiences were treated to the inaugural performance of a new eighteen city tour of "Mermaid" based here in Kansas City. It builds on last year's successful production from the Dallas Summer Theater.

This cast is outstanding. Diana Huey is delightful as Ariel, the little mermaid herself. Ariel is the youngest of widowed King Triton's (Steve Blanchard) seven mer-daughters. Ariel is blessed with her dead mother's beautiful, ethereal voice and youthful wanderlust. The wanderlust makes her a little hard to control. The King's court composer, a crab named Sebastian (Melvin Abston) is assigned to look out for the young mer-person.

Ariel is fascinated with artifacts from those strange creatures (humans) that live above the surface of the ocean. She must keep her interest in the surface world secret from her Father. The King believes that humans are responsible for the disappearance of his queen, Ariel's Mother.

Ariel saves a human young man from drowning. He is Crown Prince Eric (Eric Kunze) from the neighboring dry land kingdom. Prince Eric is perfect. He is one of two hold-overs from the Dallas Company. Prince Eric is so perfect as a Disney fairy tale hero, he could have just as easily been drawn as been born as a human person.

Ariel, of course, is smitten with him. But there is a problem for Ariel. No legs! She cannot easily be swept off her feet. The answer is a magical spell from Ariel's evil Aunt, a squid named Ursula (Jennifer Allen). In exchange for Ariel's wonderful voice, Ursula grants the little mermaid three days of walking around on legs. If she can get Prince Eric to kiss her, she wins the Prince lottery. If not, she is sentenced to ocean Hell with Ursula.

Glenn Casale's "Mermaid" capitalizes on the exceptional capabilities of the Starlight stage-house. It has more flying sequences by mer-people dolphin kicking their way mid ocean across the stage than any show that I have been familiar with except perhaps "Peter Pan." There are very effective. Set pieces are appropriate. Sound is great. The illusion of underwater and rising to the surface is remarkable.

The comic actors, Sebastian (Melvin Abston), Flounder (Connor Russell), Scuttle the gull (Jamie Tocellini), and the chef (Dane Stokinger) are all excellent. You have to love the calypso familiar "Under the Sea," and the seagull tap routine "Positoovity." Abston is the other hold over from the Dallas cast.

If you like puns, and delightfully simple and hum-able music by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Glenn Slater, great choreography, exceptional costumes, and lots of fun stage tricks, the "The Little Mermaid" is for you and your family. There is something for everyone to like.

"Disney's The Little Mermaid" continues its run at Starlight Theatre through June 11. Tickets are available on the Starlight website (www.kcstarlight.com) or by telephone at 816-363-7827.

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