BWW Reviews: DISNEY'S THE LITTLE MERMAID at Olney Theatre Center - Take the Plunge with this Disney Classic

After seeing musicals that deal with corrupt ministers (ELMER GANTRY), troubled artists (LITTLE DANCER), decadent tales from Germany (CABARET), people with bipolar disorder (NEXT TO NORMAL), and a musical about conjoined twins (SIDE SHOW), what a relief it is to sit back and enjoy a delightful, wonderful staging of a children's fable about mermaids that the entire family can enjoy. Get your tickets now for the gorgeous and entertaining Olney Theatre Company production of DISNEY'S THE LITTLE MERMAID. One has to credit Olney Artistic Director Jason Loewith for having the chutzpah to bring this huge undertaking to the stage. Before each performance, you will hear Loewith reveal there are 21 actors in the show, 9 in the orchestra, and a total of 50 people who help every night bring this very demanding musical to life. In the program, Loewith credits Director Mark Waldrop for assembling a terrific creative team to replicate an underwater world where you see mermaids swim (set design by James Fouchard), watching sailors hoist ropes to bring a ship onstage, having inventive choreography by Tara Jeanne Vallee, gorgeous technicolor costumes by Pei Lee, seeing birds fly (flying effects by D2 Flying Effects), puppets that will remind you of LION KING (Puppet Design by Andrea "Dre" Moore), surprise video projections by JJ Kaczynski, exquisite lighting by Julie H. Duro, superb sound by Tony Angelini, and a wonderful orchestra under the baton of Darius Smith.

Then there's the melodious music by the master Alan Menken with clever lyrics from the late Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and a book by Doug Wright based on the original story by Hans Christian Anderson. Walt Disney released the animated version back in 1989 to much acclaim and then brought it to Broadway in 2007 where it lasted close to two years.

I highly recommend the "Audience Context Guide" available in the lobby. In it Director Waldrop explains why the story has such a wide appeal. He states, "...it's the story of a girl who is taking her first steps,..out into the world, breaking from her family. It's about the conflict of a father and daughter who really love each other, but the father has to learn to let the daughter go. And that's as universal as it gets." So, you have Ariel, a mermaid, living in the sea, who wants to be a human on land and a father King Triton who is the king of the Sea and who's sister, the evil Ursula (in an octopus costume with hair that will remind you of Glenn Close in "101 Dalmatians") attempts to steal the young Ariel's voice, overthrow her brother and rule the sea. That's the story in a nutshell. But what a tale to tell.

So how is the sea represented? The same way I recall it was done many years ago at the Towson Dinner Theater where my daughter danced the ballet in THE KING AND I during the number "The Small House of Uncle Thomas" and the sea was depicted by actors swirling pieces of silk. It works fine.

To make the show a success, you must first start with an actress who can be appealing both as a mermaid and a human and warm your heart. Thankfully, Olney has Lara Zinn. She is Disney personified. Check her bio and you'll find her credits include the Disney Cruise Line. She is so adorable, it's a pleasure to watch her on stage. And what a voice. I can see her on Broadway starring in FROZEN!

She has many talented artists to help her though. Playing her love interest, the Prince, is Joe Chisholm, who has just the right kind of gravitas needed for a Prince. When he dances with Zinn, it's like watching Fred and Ginger.

There are so many delightful characters. There's the seagull Scuttle (Clark Young) who actually flies and has quite the laugh. He shines during "Positoovity". There's Flounder (Sean McComas) who sings and dances effortlessly, the duet of eels Flotsam (Nurney) and Jetsam (Robert Mintz) who are Ursula's sidekicks, and then there's the villainous Ursula played by the always entertaining Donna Migliaccio who almost steals the show with her "Poor Unfortunate Souls". Nicholas Ward plays and looks the part of King Triton and has such a deep voice you certainly can see him in PORGY AND BESS (which he's done). Troy Hopper plays the crab "Sebastian" and is the crowd favorite. His two blockbuster numbers are "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" and he nails them both. Ethen Watermeier does nicely as the pilot of the ship in "Fathoms Below" but it's his take on a French chef in "Les Poissons" which brings the house to roaring laughter. When he demonstrates he has a box of "Old Bay" to use in his seafood recipe, the audience went nuts.

I can't think of a better way to introduce young people to live theater. I was thrilled to see so many young people in attendance. Take the whole family and don't miss this spectacular production. THE LITTLE MERMAID hsa been extended to January 11, 2015. For tickets, call 310-924-3400 or visit www.olneytheatre.org. Visit www.olneylittlemermaid.wordpress.com to learn more about the production.

Coming to the OTC is A CHRISTMAS CAROL performed by Paul Morella running Nov. 28 to Dec. 28 and next year get ready for hit musical GODSPELL by Stephen Schwartz running Feb. 4 to March 1, 2015.

cgshubow@broadwayworld.com

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