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Orangeville Music Theatre presents Little Mermaid

January 6, 2016   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Among the first theatre groups in Ontario to do so, OMT has secured the rights to produce the Broadway version of The Little Mermaid. These were restricted until last year and the OMT executives were quick to respond to their being released.

Their opening night is this weekend, at the Opera House, with performances Friday, January 8 and Saturday, January 9, evening performances, plus Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.

This is the full adult (actors) Broadway version of the show. So, while it certainly is a family show, it is not the junior version. Actually, they did the junior version of the Little Mermaid in 2014.

Rehearsals began in September for production at the Opera House, with Lucinda Silva and Elizabeth Hagyard directing cooperatively, as it were.

We had the chance to chat with Amanda Laughlin, VP of the OMT, about the upcoming show by telephone late in December. Ms Laughlin has been involved on all levels with OMT for many years. She is playing the role of one of the twin fish, Flotsam.

She told us that, not only is Ms Silva co-directing the show, she is also performing one of the starring roles of the Evil Sea Witch Ursula, surely one of the most comical characters in all the Disney movies. We are assured that Ms Silva is more than up to the part, for she has performed many times on the stage with the OMT company, in roles comedic and otherwise.

The story follows Ursula’s plot to corrupt Ariel, daughter of King Triton and the restless young mer-heroine, who longs for an acquaintance with the world on the earth, rather than her own ocean home. When Ariel rescues the human Prince Eric from drowning, all he remembers is her singing with which he falls in love, as she does while she is rescuing him. With her father, King Triton, furious with her for having contact with a human, her own growing desperation to be with Prince Eric and a natural inclination to rebellion born of her unnatural inclination toward a human, Ariel is persuaded to seek the help of Ursula.

Ursula wants revenge on King Triton for his banishing her for using black magic. So, she is eager to assist Ariel to become human but with very harsh terms of losing her voice in exchange for legs. Further, she must receive from the Prince a kiss of true love, all within three days. If she fails in this, by the appointed time, she will be returned to the ocean and her soul will be Ursula’s captive.

Of course, it is a Disney Princess story, so, there is a happy ending but this is not to spoil the whole entertaining time of songs, magic and some very amusing characters.

Typical of the OMT with large cast numbers, this is a cast of about 34 persons including 25local actors for the “ensemble.”

Sarah Martin is back to play the part of Ariel, following her success as Margot in Legally Blond the Musical. There are several fabulous songs for Ariel to sing and Miss Martin has the voice to fill them. Malakai Fox is her heart throb Prince Eric. Mr. Fox’s resume mentions his appearance as Jean Valjean in a Brampton production of Les Miserables.

Craig Marshall, who portrayed Shrek last for OMT, is back again to perform the role of Sebastian the (Jamaican Red) Crab, which will guarantee lots of laughs.

Desmond Baxter will play the role of King Triton, while Andrew Bechard is Grimsby. There are lots of familiar faces in this production, in “great costumes,” so Ms Laughlin assures us

Just to mention, the next OMT presentation , the junior show is coming at the other end of January, from January 22 to the 30th, when the youngsters will be performing Alice in Wonderland, also the Musical.

Bring your grannies, bring your children and teens, bring everybody to see The Little Mermaid, starting this weekend, for a great uplift after the let down from all the fun and busyness of the holidays.

Show dates are January 9, 10, 11 and January 15, 16, 17. Fridays and Saturdays are evening shows at 8:00pm; Saturdays and Sundays, there matinees at 2:00pm.

The Little Mermaid is playing at the Town Hall Opera House.

For tickets, call the Box Office on 519-942-3423 or online at www.orangevillemusictheatre.com.

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