By Christy Hudson
If you’ve never been to the Pickleville Playhouse in Garden City, Utah, I recommend checking out their current production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Based on the popular animated film, the book by Doug Wright, the music by Alan Menken, and the lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater combine to bring an ocean full of fun for the whole family.
Most people have seen the classic film The Little Mermaid (and if you haven’t, what have you been doing since 1989?), so you probably know the story of Ariel (Kenzie Davis), the mermaid who dreams of being a human. She falls in love with Prince Eric (Joshua Goodrum-Green) and makes a deal with Ursula (Devin Davis) to trade her voice for some legs. She becomes more graceful in thirty seconds than I have ever been in my whole life. Then, she sets out to get Eric to fall in love with her (with more game in silence than I have ever had with a voice).
Davisas the adorable Ariel personifies the Disney princess role. Her pitch-perfect voice matches the most beautiful singer of the sea. Davis is very expressive, with her big eyes and big smile, making her very enjoyable to watch whether Ariel has a voice or not. Goodrum-Green plays the handsome Prince Eric and is very charming in the part, and has a nice, smooth voice.
Davis’ villainess Ursula has so much sass and power; he truly exonerates the character from the movie and makes it his own. He totally commands that stage. His portrayal of Ursula is not one you can forget. Stefan Kurzius as King Triton has an amazing bass voice, and is convincing in the role of royalty. Ursula and King Triton both use hoverboards to move smoothly as though they are swimming while also making them stand above the other actors.
The Jamaican crab, Sebastian, played by Jaquel Spivey has a couple of the big musical numbers already well-known from the film. His take on them is fun and original, and he has a great voice. He also has some hilarious facial expressions. He plays the part well. Chase Andreae plays Ariel’s fish-friend, Flounder. I absolutely love his voice. He is quite a talented singer and actor. Unlike the movie, Flounder is not such a guppy; he’s older, and he totally has a crush on Ariel. Andreae breaks your heart a little as he has to watch Ariel fall in love with someone else. It’s an interesting, unexpected subplot, but Andreae plays the part wonderfully.
The seagull, Scuttle (Jordan Todd Brown) is hysterical. Brown is the source of much laughter from the audience and is just so fun to watch. Another hilarious part is that of Grimsby and Chef Louis, played by Slater Ashenhurst. His scene as Chef Louis is one of the most enjoyable scenes as he expresses his somewhat grotesque pleasure in cooking fish with the song “Les Poissons.”
Abby Huff and Abbey Jolley play Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula’s evil eel henchmen. They do this by wearing eel puppets over their shoulders like scarves, using their hands to move the mouths. I love their sneaky performance. Huff and Jolley’s voices mix together beautifullyDermatologists consider this to be viagra lowest prices amerikabulteni.com the most disheartening situations which can take a big toll on the marital status of the couple. If you have observed, it is men that are suffering online purchase viagra amerikabulteni.com from hair loss and baldness by helping to increase blood flow into the penis during sexual stimulation. Hence these ingredients and methods must viagra 50 mg alleviate vata and balance all three doshas. Although reported to be successful by some men, the urge for sex tends purchasing that viagra generika to wane as they get older, but aging does not have to mean the dreaded trip to the surgery. whenever they sing.
Rounding off the cast are the mersisters, played by Vanessa Vause, Nicole Disandro, Georgia Bowman, Aria Grace Critchley, and Anne Blotter. I say “mer-sisters,” but they actually play a wide variety of roles, such as singing flamingos, sassy princesses, gossiping maids, and colorful fish. One of my absolute favorite musical numbers from the production is “She’s in Love,” which they, along with Andreae, sing with so much personality. They have incredible harmony and energy in all their songs and dances.
An amazing aspect of the show is that whenever the characters are underwater, they make a point to move as such. Flounder’s fins wave in the water. The mermaids’ arms become weightless as they tread. Additionally, before the play even starts, blue lights move around the audience, making it look like you are underwater. It’s small things like that that make a show captivating.
Lighting Designer Tanner Funk and Sound Designer Connor Stevens creates amazing effects throughout the entire show. During the storm, loud thunder and flashes of lightning fill the theater, which, mixed with the action on the stage, makes a spectacular scene. The elements are effective in every scene and add to the production’s quality.
Probably the first thing people notice when seeing the cast members is their colorful costumes. Costume Designer Whitley O. Davis has created quite a spectacle with the cast’s imaginative costumes. Every single costume is vibrant and awesome. “Under the Sea” is one of the best examples, with each actor in a different bright, beautiful, eccentric costume. Davis also serves as the choreographer for the production. The dancing is so fun and energetic, filling such a small theater with big movement. Mixed with her costuming, every moment onstage is lively and captivating.
Pickleville Playhouse’s production of The Little Mermaid is full of magnificent talent. It amazes me how much they can pull off in that small theater, but Director Derek Davis has created a spectacular show. It is enjoyable for the whole family; I heard laughter coming from both kids and adults in the audience, . The level of professionalism and high-quality that Pickleville is capable of is a great contribution to local theatre. If you’ve never been before, The Little Mermaid is a great show to experience.
Pickleville Playhouse presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, and book by Doug Wright.
Pickleville Playhouse, 2049 S Bear Lake Blvd. Garden City, Utah, 84028
June 13-August 23, 2019 (see Calendar for specific dates)
Tickets: $22-28 adult, $17-23 child
Contact: 435-946-2918
Pickleville Playhouse Facebook Pagew
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