(Above: Prince Eric (Matthew
Brown, ISPA) choses Ariel (Chloe Marot, St Mary’s DSG) to be his bride, much to
the chagrin of the other princesses!)
(Pics by Val Adamson)
The Little Mermaid Jr
is a gentle, delightful musical fantasy, just perfect for all ages to enjoy! (Review
by Shannon Kenny)
Disney’s The Little
Mermaid Jr by The Young Performers’ Project - The Milkwood Theatre @
Danville
The Young Performers’ Project production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr delighted the
audience at Durban’s Milkwood Theatre audience in a dazzling flourish of joyous
music, great acting, colourful costumes, wigs, bubbles, exuberant dancing and a
generosity of spirit.
Our story opens with Prince Eric (Matthew Brown) who is
enthralled by a beautiful, mysterious voice he hears while on the high seas.
That mellifluous voice is property of Ariel (Chloe Marot), the titular Little
Mermaid, and daughter to King Triton (Daniel Mayiza). Ariel dreams about a life
on land with the humans and their human stuff. Concerned about his daughter’s
waywardness, Triton appoints his Musical Director, Sebastian the crab
(Khethukhuthula - Thula - Ngcobo), as Ariel’s chaperone.
What follows is a colourful, jaunty adventure replete with
musical ear-worms that will have you humming for days; all performed with such
joy and verve by a cast comprised of senior primary, high school and performing
arts academy students, put through their paces and mentored by seasoned
professionals Daisy Spencer (Director), Des Govender (Musical Director &
Production Manager) and Evashnee Pillay (Choreographer).
Chloe Marot’s Ariel, with her curiosity, dreams and desire
for independence, is played with a gentle determination. She positively
sparkles in the show-stopping Part of
Your World, that had the audience gasping and applauding in equal measure.
Azania Mavimbela’s Flounder is the perfect bestie, all spunk
and spark, a pocket rocket with the moves and voice to match.
Kaitlyn Rex’s Scuttle, fount of all knowledge on things
human and monarch of malapropism, is played with a streetwise spring in her
step and glint in her eye that has you convinced a dingle-hopper truly is the
wondrous thing Scuttle says it is. Every “awk” is perfectly placed; every
stride exudes the confidence of someone who knows stuff and is perfectly
comfortable on stage. Rex’s comic timing is just so good and she leads her
flock of seagulls in the utterly charming Human
Stuff.
(Right: The seagulls keeping
an eye on all goings on)
Marot, Mavimbela and Rex are triple-threat talents to watch.
Thula Ngcobo is perfectly cast as Sebastian the crab. Ngcobo
is a generous and gifted performer, who packages every ounce of energy, skill
and talent into a role that is physically and technically demanding; that
requires just the right balance of sensitivity and mischief - in a Caribbean
accent. Thula, like a consummate professional, delivers in spades. His
dramatic, musical and choreographic skill are a feast.
Matthew Brown as the dashing Prince Eric is just charming,
especially in the number One Step Closer and
in the moonlight Kiss the Girl scene.
And you really do believe him when he instructs Grimsby (Nate Nefdt) to cancel
the search because he has found true love.
Any good story about the joy of friendship,
intergenerational conflict, choices good and bad and love triumphing over all,
would not be complete without a dash of peril and some villains in the mix.
Enter sub-marine baddy-in-chief, Ursula the Sea Witch
(Ntsako Mngoma), and her electric eel henchmen, Flotsam (Nzuzo Buthelezi) and
Jetsam (Onke Gumede).
Mngoma makes for a fabulously diabolical Ursula, with a
delicious performance of Poor Unfortunate
Souls - sarcasm dripping off every well-rounded phrase delivered by her
powerful and versatile voice. Obsequious ne’er-do-wells Flotsam and Jetsam had
the audience in stitches with their oh-so-well-timed synchronous, sibilant
utterances, devious glances, and undulating movement, which Buthelezi and
Gumede execute to wonderful comic effect.
There are some really lovely moments - little vignettes that
are beautifully played - with Chloe Marot and Esihle Gobozi who plays a sweetly
maternal Carlotta, palace house-keeper and Ariel’s ally at court. Daniel
Mayiza’s King Triton bidding farewell to his daughter drew aah’s from the
audience.
(Left: King Triton (Daniel
Mayiza, ISPA) listens to a tall story from Sebastian the crab, (Khethukuthula
Ngcobo).)
Stand-out musical pieces include the Mersisters’ harmonious Daughters of Triton; Flounder and the
Mersisters’ rendition of She’s in Love
a doo-wop number delivered with oodles of sass and fun; the boisterously comic Le Poisson featuring the senior ensemble
and Clive Ngcobo as Chef Louis, Sebastian’s nemesis; and of course the full
company in Under the Sea, that burst
into the auditorium in a wash of colourful lights, costumes and bubbles!
The junior ensemble ably supports the main cast, filling the
stage with their delightful voices and colourful characters as sailors,
jelly-fish, water, coral and sparkly fish.
The costumes are designed and made by Kathryn Singery, a
talent whose creations deliver the goods every time. My personal favourites are
Ursula’s tentacled suit, Sebastian’s spangly red shell, Flounder’s blue and
yellow onesie (and hair) and Aquata’s purple sequinned mer-suit and curly wig.
Live theatre is dangerous precisely because it is live and
anything can happen. On the night I attended, the cast had to contend with a
technical hitch - which they handled with the aplomb of a professional company.
The digital backdrop and mobile set pieces are just the
accompaniment this production needed, bringing to full view the high seas,
Triton’s court, Ariel’s grotto and Ursula’s lair.
Nicolene Steyn, Anthony Govender and Evan Le Roux
respectively provided set design, sound design and lighting design to complete
the magic.
Successfully mounting a large-scale theatre production - 52
cast - is a monumental feat. Doing so while juggling professional, school and
college schedules; creating a seemingly endless array of costumes, building a
set and getting the music and moves ‘just right’ is akin to building a Jenga
tower. Hats off to every performer, and production team member. Your level of
discipline, dedication and commitment is commendable. Daisy Spencer’s
direction, Des Govender’s musical direction and Evashnee Pillay’s choreography
deserve every applause!
The
Little Mermaid Jr is a gentle, delightful musical fantasy, just perfect
for all ages to enjoy! Plenty of laughs, a dash of pathos and just enough
tension and suspense to thrill without overwhelming the littlies. I just loved
the sound of children of various ages cheering for the goodies and singing
along to the music. Do yourselves a favour - take the whole family. You’ll be
ever so glad you did!
The Little Mermaid Jr
runs at the Milkwood Theatre, Danville until April 12, Booking is through
Webtickets. – Shannon Kenny
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