Surfacing talent in ‘The Little Mermaid Jr.’
Sneak peek of the seahorses around the stage
The Historic North Star Theatre presented Disney’s The Little Mermaid on the opening night of April 29.
The production included all the characters from the well-known movie like Prince Eric, King Triton, Flounder, Scuttle, Ursula, and Ariel.
The cast was made up of some Tunstall students. Sophomore Blake Mitchell played the role of a sailor and Scuttle (the seagull) while sophomore Ava Wood was Andria (Ariel’s sister). Senior Samantha Jones played Adella, who was also one of King Triton’s daughters. Freshman Mary Catherine Jones had the role of Ursula.
The props included seashells, boats, waves, and many colors of blue. The costumes were well made and the mermaid tails had a nice shine to them.
The production began on the stormy sea with the song “Fathoms Below.” During this song, the audience was introduced to Prince Eric and Grimsby.
The next few scences followed the story of Ariel being introduced to the human world. She found the iconic fork which is better known as a dingle hopper. After Ariel’s solo, Sebastian tried to persuade her to stay in the water with the song “Under the Sea.” The cast all appeared to chime into the catchy tune.
Ursula captured the attention with the music of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” before casting her spell on Ariel. A brief intermission followed afterwards.
The theatre had princess crowns and light-up sticks for purchase during the break. They were a big hit with the younger fans.
The curtain opened back up as Sebastian ran around trying to avoid getting cooked by Chef Louis. He sang “Les Poissons” as he prepared dinner in the kitchen. By this point in the play, Ariel had rescued Prince Eric, gave her voice to Ursula, had a new set of legs, and was on the quest for love.
After six more songs, including “Kiss the Girl,” Prince Eric confessed his love, things were made right again with King Triton, and Ariel got her voice back with great joy. After being mute for three days, Ariel realized Ursula was right when she said “a woman does not know the preciousness of her voice until it has been silenced.”
The cast took their bows to the tune of “Under the Sea” as the audience cheered. The crowd also waved their light-up sticks to show their support. All the hard work paid off in that moment.
The Little Mermaid Jr. will be held again on May 6 and 7 at 7:30 pm and May 8 at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults.
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Anna Catherine is a senior and this is her fourth year on the Trojan Messenger staff. It may appear, at times, because she is often editing articles,...
