By James V. Ruocco
It's the girl-meets-boy story retold, but with complications.
He's a human.
She lives under the sea. He lives above on land.
Not to worry, though.
This, being a Disney musical, things end happily, of course, in Broadway Method Academy's bright and bouncy telling of "The Little Mermaid," Hans Christian Anderson's beloved children's tale about a beautiful mermaid so fascinated with life on land, she swims to the surface, falls for a handsome prince and makes a deal with a devious sea witch to become human for just three days.
Based on the 1989 Disney animated film musical of the same name, this reinvented revival of the 2008 Broadway production that starred Sierra Boggess and Sean Palmer, uses the combined talents of Equity performers, non-Equity actors and Broadway Method Academy students to make its mark, or splash, as the case would be, on the very inviting, intimate Westport Country Playhouse stage.
It is simplistic and sweet and retold without aerial illusions simulating underwater life, aggressive scene changes, gargantuan sets and backdrops, lavish costuming and over-the-top special effects that could obstruct the story at hand. This is a very budget conscious "Little Mermaid" more concerned with graceful storytelling and pretty music than Magic Kingdom opulence. Here, using or stretching your imagination to the fullest, is mandatory.
Utilizing Doug Wright's reworked play script (updates were made in 2012 to the book, the musical score and characterizations), director Bret Shuford crafts a pleasant enough fish tale of land and undersea action that is fun, silly, imaginative and entertaining. At times, however, his direction, lacks the three-dimensional grandness of both "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast" and occasionally, the story itself somersaults into tedium, but only fleetingly. Happily, for all involved, both onstage and off, it bounces right back to reach high moments of comedy, drama and musicality intended by the show's creators, all of which Shuford embraces with wit, good cheer and heartfelt projection.
The musical score for "The Little Mermaid," written by Alan Menken (music) and Howard Ashman/Glenn Slater (lyrics) contains 26 songs. They are: "The World Above," "Fathoms Below," "Daughters of Triton," "If Only (Triton's Lament)," "Daddy's Little Angel," "Part of Your World," "The Storm," "Part of Your World (Reprise)," "She's in Love," "Her Voice," "Under the Sea," "If Only (Ariel's Lament)," "Sweet Child," "Poor Unfortunate Souls," "Act I Finale," "Positoovity," "Beyond My Wildest Dreams," "Les Poisson," "Les Poissons (Reprise)," "One Step Closer," "Daddy's Little Angel (Reprise)," " Kiss the Girl," "If Only (Quartet)," "The Contest," "Poor Unfortunate Souls," "Final Ultimo." "I Want the Good Times Back" and "Human Stuff," which were featured in the original 2008 Broadway production of "The Little Mermaid" are deleted from this revamped edition of the two-act musical.
Musical direction for "The Little Mermaid" is provided by J. Scott Handley whose Broadway Method Academy credits include "Evita," "Annie," "Carrie: The Musical," "Into the Woods," "Hair," "Spring Awakening" and "Carousel." Working from the Ashman/Manken/Slater blueprint, Handley creates a melodic tonal picture that caps the musical's pleasant-sounding songs and production numbers, its jovial rhythms and colors, its magical flourishes, its individual eccentricities and its elated outbursts of joy. Fully engaged throughout with the able assistance of an accomplished orchestral team of very talented musicians, the ebb and flow of the music is splendid at every turn, full-throated in typical Disney fashion and tinged with a playful humor that is canny, effective and lively.
Choreography for "The Little Mermaid" is the brainchild of Audra Bryant, a crafty dance auteur who opts for simplistic beauty and lyricism whenever the musical happily glides into dance. Her rhythmic compositions befit the story's underwater/on land magic and bliss and heighten the production's narrative progression, its fairy-tale atmosphere and its sugary, cartoonish appeal.
All of the choreography is inspired and diverse with touches of avant-garde emotion and ersatz panorama that bring sass and kitsch to the story along with an inherent wistfulness, brightness and balance. It's all marvelous to watch as "The Little Mermaid" cast dives deeply into Bryant's work with energetic confidence and articulate elan.
Jordan Tyson, as Ariel, possesses a beautiful, lilting soprano voice that commands attention and generates well-deserved applause when she sings the ever-popular "Part of Your World," "The World Above" and "If Only (Ariel's Lament)." Acting wise, she brings an invigorating sense of humor, compassion and independence to the part, which works especially well throughout the production. As Prince Eric, the handsome prince who wins Ariel's heart, Johnny Stellard is charming, truthful and dashing, personified by splendid, pitch-perfect vocals ("Her Voice," "One Step Closer," among others) that reflect the kindheartedness and romanticism of the material. Steve Blanchard, in the role of Ariel's widowed father King Triton, plays the part with attendant care, strictness and power the characterization demands while Lawrence Cummings laps things up comically, acerbically and campily as Sebastian, the king's trusty crab servant, who offers advice to Ariel at his master's request and musically, stops the show with his beautifully-performed renditions of "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl."
The wicked and evil Ursula, played here with mischievous allure and unbridled sexiness by Meredith Inglesby, is yet another one of those Disney villainesses, you can't help but love and hate for all the right reasons. She's flamboyant. She's vengeful. She's confident. She's lively. She's calculating. And vocally, she brings the right sound and mindset to both "Daddy's Little Angels" and "Poor Unfortunate Souls." As Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula's giggly electric-eel henchmen, Jackson Wood and Kyle Geriak are a lively, energetic and comical twosome with plenty of well-timed personality, dash and slipperiness that makes them stand out whenever they are on stage. Performing most engagingly alongside the diva-like Inglesby, one eagerly awaits their next onstage moment.
Scuttle, the nonsensical gull, hilariously portrayed by Marty Gnidula, performs "Positoovity" with vaudevillian aplomb. Connor Deane, as Price Eric's trusty, seafaring Pilot, acts and sings admirably. Chef Louis, played with giddy zest and unabashed craziness by Jules Royce, turns "Les Poisson" into the French-tinged showstopper it was meant to be, enhanced greatly by his superbly-timed expressions, gaiety and musicality. It's so much fun, you want to shout "Replay" over and over again.
As with "Evita" and "Annie," the latter of which was staged earlier this season by Broadway Method Academy, one of the key points of this production and others before it, is to showcase the vocal, acting and dance talents of the dedicated, hard-working students of BMA, all of whom put their best foot forward in the name of musical theatre. And what better way to do that than with the zest, vitality and animation that is "The Little Mermaid" and its happily ever after themes and undercurrents.
Under the invigorating tutelage of Shuford, Handley and Bryant, each and every one of the Broadway Method Academy cast members (all ages, all sizes) succumbs to the beat, spark and magic of this Disney musical. As performers, acting alongside established Equity actors, they are assured, animated, emotional young artists, completely in sync with the production's musicality, its humor, its warmth, its story arcs, its dances, its theatrics and its high-spirited Disney tonality. They are first-class troupers who smartly reflect BMA's long-term commitment to nurturing and shaping the raw, real, refreshing talent of tomorrow. They dazzle. They surprise. They entertain. They also bring a smile to your face, which is this day and age, goes a very long, long way.
Photos of "The Little Mermaid" courtesy of Evan Zimmerman for Murphy/Made
Broadway Method Academy presents "The Little Mermaid" at Westport Country Playhouse (25 Powers Ct., Westport, CT), now through September 8.
For information about Broadway Method Academy, call (203) 675-3526
website: broadwaymethodacademy.org
For tickets or more information about "The Little Mermaid"at Westport Country Playhouse, call (203) 227-4177.
website: westportplayhouse.org
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