By McKenna Johnson
If you need a Disney princess fix, CenterPoint Theatre’s performance of The Little Mermaid in Centerville, Utah, will hit the spot. Children and adults alike will discover fun and ethereal splendor as they escape to the world of once upon a time.
In this musical adaptation of Disney’s classic film The Little Mermaid, a young mermaid princess named Ariel (Bre Welch) seeks a life above the waves and sets her heart on the human Prince Eric (Ben Lowell). In her efforts to find love and belonging, Ariel makes a deal with the sea witch, Ursula (Natalie Haddock), and then must navigate the world of magic, dance, and dry land in order to make everything right.
I attended this production with my boyfriend-human, Jake, who is a grad student studying music. We had no trouble finding parking, and we were impressed by the grandeur and scale of the CenterPoint Legacy Theatre.
The set design by Joshua Roberts realizes the expectations set by the theatre at large. Complex, versatile, and elegant, the boats and palaces brought to life onstage are the foundation of the Disneyland-esque magic the musical brings to the Centerville area.
The dazzling costumes of the merpeople, designed by Katie Miller, complement the set and contrast with the ornate yet relatively subdued outfits of the humans. This distinction visually establishes the differences and lack of understanding between the two cultures.
Within this setting, Ariel and Eric function as intermediaries between the two kingdoms, like a Romeo and Juliet who get a happy ending. The leads’ similarities and differences are established more clearly in the musical than in the 1989 film, and the audience figures out quickly that the two characters share important similarities.
Welch wonderfully represents Ariel’s clear voice and impetuous innocence, though conveying frustration and anguish seemed more difficult for her during Friday’s performance. Welch’s voice soars with power and grace at various points in the show. For example, “Part of Your World (Reprise)” contains some poignant moments. Welch highlights Ariel’s admirable traits and shows how she is in many ways an embodiment of the ocean itself.
Lowell’s Prince Eric is better developed than the prince from the animated film, and the quality of his voice is suited to a Disney prince. In “Fathoms Below,” his voice was partially drowned out by the sailors’ voices, but I think this may have been a problem with Lowell’s microphone volume, as he projects room-filling sound in songs like “One Step Closer.”
Scuttle (J. Craig Williams) bears the burden of comedic relief with ease, and Williams acts out Scuttle’s squawking and misplaced confidence without missing a beat. Meanwhile, Haddock’s Ursula is flamboyantly evil in “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” which was my favorite musical number of the evening. She provides all the tumult I want from my vengeful, melodramatic half-octopus villains.
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Sebastian (Andrew Taula) shows off dancing skill in “Under the Sea,” and Taula comes into his voice during “Kiss the Girl” and “If Only (Quartet).” Despite Jake’s and my misgivings about the message of “Kiss the Girl,” (consent before crabs, my lovelies), we both thought it was one of the strongest numbers of the night.
King Triton (Jared Haddock) sounds like the older man he is despite the actor’s relative youth, and he is a convincing argument for royalty existing among mythical creatures. Still, I thought Triton could achieve greater stage presence with improved posture and increased voice projection.
Finally, Flounder (Brandon Smith) deserves a shout-out for his screaming and singing abilities. Smith killed it in “She’s in Love,” and his performance breathes life into a song that doesn’t do much to move the story forward. In fact, while the cast struggled with pitch and leaned sharp, Jake identified Smith as arguably the most on pitch, the possible exception being Haddock’s Ursula.
The CenterPoint Theatre’s production of The Little Mermaid weaves a mood of adventure and romance you won’t get from watching the movie at home. Reserve your tickets now to ensure you get to be a part of this world.
CenterPoint Legacy Theatre Presents The Little Mermaid by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Glenn Slater, and Doug Wright
CenterPoint Legacy Theatre, 525 North 400 West, Centerville, UT 84014
February 23–March 24 7:30 PM
Tickets: $17.50–27.00
Contact: 801-298-1302
CenterPoint Legacy Theatre on Facebook
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