Disney's The Little Mermaid, Part of the Music Circus World
A Review by Ken Kiunke
Staff Writer
 The California Musical Theater is presenting Disney's The Little Mermaid at the Music Circus as part of the 2012 Summer Season, and marks the west coast premier of this Broadway hit musical. The Little Mermaid is based, of course, on the animated feature film. Like the stage adaptations of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, a lot of new songs have been added to make it a full fledged musical production, rather than the original story with 5 or 6 great songs. While still appealing to kids who loved the original, these musical stage versions are really designed to appeal to adult theater goers, with minimal dialog and new musical numbers, and added plot points to fit the stage presentation. Photo: Jessica Grové as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, by Charr Crail
 The Music Circus, presented at the Wells Fargo Pavilion in downtown Sacramento, is a unique theater experience, presented “in the round”, with a circular stage, orchestra pit on one side, and four main aisles that the performers use to enter and exit the stage, often performing from the aisles amid the audience. With just over 2000 seats, all are fairly close to the stage, and at least some of the action. The set pieces are minimal, with some scenery hanging from the rafters, and lighting used to create the mood of the scene. In the Little Mermaid, performers dressed like water often come in carrying various sea creatures to add to the underwater effect, while Ariel and the “merfolk” undulate on stage to show you they are not just standing there, they are swimming about. Photo: Vicki Lewis as Ursula a sea creature, by Charr Crail
 The story is a very familiar tale – young girl longs to leave her home for new adventures, falls for someone her family doesn't approve of, and he turns out to be a prince; meanwhile, evil characters scheme against them, loving friends try to help, and miscommunication gets in the way. And finally (unless it is Romeo and Juliet) evil is vanquished and true love wins out for a happy ending. Make the characters mermaids, sailors, crabs, seagulls, and an evil octopus, and you've got the Little Mermaid! Of course in a musical, the story is just a vehicle for the music, and the songs by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, from the original Disney film, and newer songs for the stage by Menken and Glenn Slater, are terrific. The calypso inspired songs Under The Sea and Kiss The Girl, along with Part Of Your World, became the best known songs from the film, and remain as highlights in the stage musical. But the new songs stand up as well, especially the funny word play of Positoovity and the stunning four part If Only, at the dramatic climax of the show. Photo: Kevin Smith Kirkwood as Sebastian and ensemble, by Charr Crail
 The performers are equally important to the success of a show, and the Music Circus cast is great. Ariel is played by Jessica Grové, who has the looks and great voice to carry the lead role of the girl trying to break free. She sparkles as she explores her new world, and even her jealous sisters can't really dislike her. Eric Kunze is the perfect prince charming, with a nice booming tenor, equally at home sailing with his crew, and wooing his girl. Vicki Lewis is probably the best known of the cast, with many TV, movie and stage roles to her credit. Though somewhat buried in her Ursula, the evil octopus costume, she belts out her songs and brings just the right amount of menace and humor to the role. Merwin Foard (what a great name!) brings the gravitas of King Triton with his deep voice and regal looks. Photo: Eric Kunze as Prince Eric, by Charr Crail
 Some of the supporting cast also stood out for the performances. Jack Doyle, as Scuttle the seagull, has a voice like Nathan Lane and brings a lot of the humor to the show, especially when he and his seagull buddies do the song and dance number Positoovity that opens the second act. Scott Leiendecker and Ben Roseberry, as Ursula's minions Flotsam and Jetsam, have some great musical moments when they harmonize in Daddy's Little Angel and Sweet Child. Another highlight of the first act is when the six “Mersisters” (mermaid sisters) and Flounder, played by Henry Hodges, sing She's In Love, another of the great songs added for the stage musical. Hodges plays the hapless best friend fish with youthful sweetness, hinting of his love for Ariel, but never getting in the way of her happiness. Using a skateboard for him to swim in and out is a great concept, especially for the “in the round” stage setting. And Eric Gunhus, as Chef Louis, leads a hilarious cooking scene in the song “Les Poissons”. Photo: Jack Doyle as Scuttle, by Charr Crail
Holding the whole show together is the character Sebastian t he crab, played by Kevin Smith Kirkwood. At the beginning, Sebastian is a comic character, put upon by King Triton and his daughters as he tries to teach them to sing, and is blamed when things go wrong. But by the end of the first act, Sebastian tries to convince Ariel that life in the sea is good, and leads the company in the colorful and uplifting Under The Sea. Kirkwood's voice shines brightly for the first time, and continues when he sings Kiss The Girl. The show hits its peak when Sebastian joins Ariel, Eric and King Triton in If Only, blending their voices in a moving song about the regrets they all have. Kirkwood is able to move from animated comedian, to calypso singer and dancer, to moving song stylist with ease, and does it all with big red claws for hands. Photo: Jessica Grové as Ariel, by Charr Crail
 The show is well paced and full of great music and clever dialog (as when Eric tries to guess Ariel's name.) It is a nice evening for young and old alike, though not necessarily suitable for young kids and some older ones who may get restless with too many singing and dancing numbers. Director Glenn Casale has done dozens of shows on Broadway and worldwide, including the Little Mermaid and other Disney shows, and he is the Artistic Director for California Musical Theater. He has done a great job adapting this show to the Theater in the Round format, so much that it is hard to imagine it being as good in a traditional theater. The music, provided by conductor Craig Barna and a 15 piece orchestra, sounds like a much larger ensemble, and is always in sync without overwhelming the singers. Photo: Jessica Grové as Ariel and the ensemble mermaids, by Charr Crail
Disney's The Little Mermaid runs at the Wells Fargo Pavilion music Circus through July 22, 2012. For tickets, show information and more, visit www.CaliforniaMusicalTheatre.com. Music Circus productions are performed at the Wells Fargo Pavilion, 1419 H Street in downtown Sacramento. This season continues with The Music Man (July 31 – August 5), Fiddler on the Roof (August 14 – 19) and Crazy for You (August 28 – September 2). Performances are Tuesday through Sunday evenings with matinees on Thursday and Saturday. Tickets start at $30 online at www.tickets.com or can be purchased in person at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office. For more information, and group rates you may visit www.SacramentoMusicCircus.com or phone (916) 557-1999.
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