“The Little Mermaid” will only take Kansas Citians “Under the Sea” until July 28. (Poster courtesy of Disney Theatrical Productions and Starlight)
By: Jacob Elyachar
Last night, thousands of people dove “Under the Sea” at Starlight Theatre to see the stage adaption of Disney’s beloved animated feature the Little Mermaid.
While it kept true to the original animated classic, The Little Mermaid musical adaptation added several new twists to the production that helped expand the story such as Ursula becoming Ariel’s aunt and the increased presence of Ariel’s sisters and her feathery friend, Scuttle.
But it was the superb cast and show-stopping musical numbers that helped make this show a success.
Liz McCartney’s larger- than-life performance as Ursula was one of the highlights from “The Little Mermaid.” (Photo by Billy Bustamante).
The show’s cast delivered strong performances and had a great chemistry together on stage. Some of the scene-stealers of the production were Alan Mingo, Jr., who delivered an outstanding performance as King Triton’s right-handed crustacean Sebastian, Timothy Shew, who portrayed Prince Eric (Nick Adams)’s castle cook Chef Louis and of course, Liz McCartney, whose larger-than-life portrayal of Ursula the Sea Witch would make original portrayer Pat Carroll proud.
In addition to the show’s ensemble, there were incredible musical numbers. While some of them were successfully adapted from the 1989 film including Ariel’s anthem: “Part of Your World,” the outstanding “Under the Sea,” Chef Louis’s hysterical “Les Poissons.”
Besides the classics, there were several new songs that were created by The Little Mermaid’s composer Alan Menken and new lyrics from Glenn Slater. Among the new songs that will catch the audience’s attention includes Ursula’s origin: “Daddy’s Little Angel” and “She’s in Love” that featured the first time Flounder ever interacted with Ariel’s sisters.
Final thoughts and grade: This is an incredible show that featured outstanding singing, incredible costumes and a superb script that will make the audience laugh, smile and possibly sing along with the actors on their favorite songs. A-
