The Pike Road Theatre Company continues its magic with their production of Disney's The Little Mermaid, a musical based on the 1837 Hans Christian Andersen story. Director Travis Clark guides his large company of actors with a sure hand, and with James Keith Posey's fine musical direction, Jordan Hollett's clever set designs, dazzling costumes by Emily Blossom, and the reliably challenging and enjoyable choreography by Kim Isbell and Marissa Moore, this is a non-stop family-friendly entertainment.
Though the Disney version takes a lot of liberties with the original source material, Anderson's spirit and important messages are retained: family values must be emphasized, love can be an antidote to many problems, respect the wishes of others to be independent, "If you really love them, you've got to let them go".
So it is with Ariel [Eden P. Jemison], a little mermaid who falls in love with Prince Eric [Kaleb Morton], and yearns to be human so they can be together; but it's not without consequences and opposition from all quarters: her father King Triton [Kevin Morton], her six jealous "Mersisters", and especially the sea witch Ursula [Jenifer Hollett] and her slimy eels Flotsam [Derek Handy] and Jetsam [Dalton Adair] who are trying to wrest the sea kingdom from King Triton.
Of course, Ariel has her defendants too, a motley set of characters who complicate her journey while trying to help: the comical seagull Scuttle [Robert Nave], a delightfully besmitten Flounder [Jacob Savage], and a commanding Trinidadian crab named Sebastian [Zaylon Johnson] are chief among them.
Ariel's voice has captivated Prince Eric, and in this production, we can hear why: Ms. Jemison's precise and lyrical soprano seems effortless as she engages with the Prince and with the audience; we understand his attraction from the minute she opens her mouth...and their on-stage chemistry and Mr. Morton's ample baritone become the centerpiece of this production. Her rendition of "Part of Your World" and his "Her Voice" seal the deal.
There are several entertaining numbers by the company members ["She's in Love", "Positoovity", "Les Poissons", for example] that enhance the story and showcase the ensemble talents of the cast. And the sheer energy brought by Mr. Johnson in "Under the Sea" is in itself worth the price of admission.
As a counterpoint to Ariel/Ms. Jemison's sweetness, and as a character we love to hate, Ms. Hollett's Ursula earns every "boo" and "hiss" that the role demands. We look forward to her every moment on stage, and her presentations of "Daddy's Little Angel" and "Poor Unfortunate Souls" garner all the appropriate audience responses.
There are many nautical and seafood references ["something's fishy", for example] that are glossed over so quickly that we might miss them, and there are occasional lighting issues with characters in shadows that mask their faces; but the 2+ hours running time seem to go quickly because we are being entertained by a very talented company at the Pike Road Theatre Company.
