Review: Disney Magic Meets Muny Magic in a Fairytale Production of DISNEY'S THE LITTLE MERMAID

John Tartaglia is a magician. He is a master puppeteer and creative storyteller who brings animation to life in grand fashion. Tartaglia follows up his triumph directing last year’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, with a ravishing production of Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID. This year THE LITTLE MERMAID has given the inventive director a perfect playground for elaborate puppetry. He tells Ariel's coming of age story while filling the stage with dozens of kaleidoscopic puppets. 

Tartaglia’s has transferred his imaginative storytelling skills to his cast. They bring Sebastian, Flounder, Ursula, Flotsom, Jetsam, and a whole host of other sea creatures to life, turning the Muny stage into a vibrant underwater reef. His joyous celebration “Under the Sea” was swimming with every colorful sea creature found on the ocean floor. “Kiss the Girl” is a moonlit romantic moment filled with the melodic croaks and chirps from frogs and birds. His staging makes the setting just right to entice Prince Eric to lean in and kiss Ariel. His collaboration with ZFX on flying acrobatic aerials (yes, pun intended) allowed a gull to fly, the mermaid to swim, and a drowning prince to be rescued. It is stagecraft at its finest.  

Credit the work of the accomplished technical team assembled to pull of this magical feat of storytelling. Ann Beyersdorfer's mosaic wave inspired scenic designs blended spectacularly with Katherine Freer’s video design and Robin L. McGee’s colorful costumes. The painted scenery and video design meshed to create a world both underwater and on land. McGee’s costumes for the puppeteering actors matched Beyersdorfer’s ocean colored palette to disguise the puppeteering actors’ bodies. Patrick O’Neill’s choreography accentuated McGee’s flowing designs giving the sea animals movement that brought the underwater numbers to life with animated playfulness. The Puppet designs and creations from Puppet Kitchen International were exact representations of the memorable sea characters from the animated Disney movie.  

Michael Horsley’s music direction of the spectacular Muny orchestra and Annbritt duChateau’s music supervision stayed true to the original compositions and vocal arrangements by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. John Shivers and David Patridge’s sound design complimented the work of the actors, the orchestra, and the storytelling. Jason Lyon’s lighting design illuminated the production beautifully, creating magical special effects for the hurricane scene.  

While the stagecraft was stupendous, the story could not have been told without the wonderful performances of the talented cast assembled by the Muny’s Michael Baxter and his casting partners Lindsay Levine and Jimmy Larkin at The Telsey Office. Savy Jackson’s Ariel was youthful, inquisitive, and adventurous. She made “Part of Your World” a magnificent Muny memory that will last a lifetime. For many of the young girls in the audience Jackson will forever be the Ariel that they remember. Her physical embodiment of the mermaid with new legs was fantastic as she stumbled about the stage early in the second act learning to walk.  

Jackson’s significant chemistry with Michael Maliakel (Prince Eric) was apparent early in the production even though the two do not have many scenes together until the second act. Maliakel’s pining for his rescuer with the beautiful voice was palpable, particularly when singing “Her Voice.” His physical performance matched Jackson’s, most notably when he is lost at sea during the hurricane.  

Fergie L. Philippe, as Sebastian, handled the puppet phenomenally while delivering awesome vocal performances on two of the biggest songs in the show, “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl.” Philippe vanished into the stage forcing the audiences’ focus onto the red crab puppet. He made a sensational Sebastian. Flounder was commandeered by Leia Rhiannon Yogi, a young actor who has been a dedicated member of the Muny Kids and Muny Teens. She held her own with much more experience actors giving Flounder a youthful exuberance. In fact, all the members of the company with puppeteering duties created a whimsical fantasy world. Kudos to Kennedy Kanagawa and Adam Fane for their fantastic performances as Ursula's electric eel henchmen and to the team of chorus members who bent over backwards to animate Ursula’s tentacles.  

Nicole Parker created a frightful, but comical, Ursula delivering a strong closing to act one with “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” Her take no prisoner’s approach was less evil queen and more Disney villain on a mission. Ben Davis’s portrayed King Tritan as a firm but loving disciplinarian. Christopher Sieber was silly as the French Chef Louis, and Jen Cody’s Scuttle was a squawking and funny gull. Tritan’s six daughters, played by Grace Marie Rusnica, Sydni Moon, Georgia Monroe, Kelly Sheehan, Meridien Terrell, and Cecilia Snow had a fun and flirty musical moment with the 60’s inspired “She’s in Love.”  

For the third production in a row this season, The Muny featured a St. Louis actor in a prominent role. Rich Pisarkiewicz did fine work as Price Eric’s guardian Grisby. This marks his 44th season working as an actor at The Muny and Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID is the 87th production in which he has been part of the cast. Pisarkiewicz, a local acting gem, also narrated the Muny Moments docuseries earlier this year.  

The Muny’s production of Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID is a visually stunning explosion of color. Director John Tartaglia, his actors and technical teams collaborate to tell a memorable story that feels more like live animation than musical theater. It is Tartaglia’s vision and leadership, the enthusiasm and vocal performances of his talented cast, and the vibrant effervescence of the sets, costumes/wigs, choreography, puppets, lighting, video projections, sound, and music that make this an exuberant production. 

This beautiful and extravagant production of Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID continues at The Muny through July 16th. More information can be found at muny.org.  

PHOTO CREDIT: Phillip Hamer

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