I had so much fun ‘under the sea’ with Barrow Arts Theatre Society (BATS) for their opening night of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. This was one of those special productions that absolutely puts paid to the phrase ‘amateur theatre’.
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| Photo by Poyner and Mee |
As the audience file in, the preset on stage sets the mood. Simple, yet effective, with a wooden pirate’s wheel set against a dynamic projection of a deep blue sea and the show’s title displayed proudly. The glittering purple coral frames the proscenium arch, against the ultramarine-blue gels lighting the stage and the hypnotic low fog plunge us into gentle, magical waters. My only concern here is how much haze was spilling into the audience pre-show; the technical team should limit this for the remaining performances.
Emma Hollas, as our heroine Ariel, has children watching, gasping with delight. First appearing on a downstage rock as multi-coloured gobos fade with the overture, Hollas’ costume, make-up, and enviable ruby-red wig were incredibly nostalgic of the original animated movie, and Hollas just looked gorgeous as our favourite mermaid. Unfortunately, her fringe did shadow her face at times. Arguably, ‘Part of Your World’ was the solo we were waiting for, and although Hollas’ nerves were visible (just!), her lovely, musical-theatre-ready voice did not disappoint! In the reprise of ‘Part of Your World’, Hollas’ belt gave me goosebumps, and her performance in the quartet ‘If Only’ is utterly heart-wrenching.
The costumes in this production are an absolute stand-out, with the attention to detail raising the bar for costume designers everywhere. Such details include Evelyn Crossley’s (Flounder) yellow-and-blue adidas, matching hairpiece and sparkly blue make-up (all of which is done very tastefully), and Shay Kubavat’s (Sebastian) facial hair dyed red (inspired!). Even Ariel’s Act 2 dress, as pink as Princess Aurora, shows just how lost and out of character she feels being voiceless on land. Ariel’s glamorous sisters Aquata, Andrina, Artista, Atina, Adella and Allana (Mace, Phillips, Kenny, Webb, Nixon and Banks respectively) create a rich rainbow, each styled in a different colour, with coordinated coloured nails, eyeshadow, gems, hair pieces and, of course, tails. Their colour schemes, along with their blue silk fans, give their appearances an ethereal feel. However, my favourite costumes were those of Flotsam and Jetsam (Edith Osborne and Aria White), Ursula’s eel underlings. Electric-green, punk-style costumes and wigs, and with beautifully executed choreography, it is hard not to hate the evil eels.
With so many remarkable performers in principal and ensemble roles, this production ischaracter-driven. Hollas as Ariel, with Alex Thompson as the handsome Prince Eric, are very much in sync, particularly during their dancing duet. Thompson’s Eric is slightly awkward, but in a very charming way. Although he is a Prince, he is very human, which I really enjoyed in Thompson’s performance. Evelyn Crossley, as Ariel’s confidante Flounder, is just adorable, with great confidence and articulation for such a young actor. Crossley’s energy is just infectious, and her talent is evident. Grace Martin as Scuttle, the scatty but lovable seagull, is a fantastic comedic actor, and her evident experience shows in her animated performance. Scuttle’s tap dancing in Act 2 is a fun surprise! Supported by an ensemble of seagulls, Martin leads the dance break with true showmanship and is clearly a born performer. Shay Kubavatas fan-favourite Sebastian has great energy and maintains both a strong accent and good articulation, which is no mean feat! A special mention to Ariel’s sisters (Mace, Phillips, Kenny, Webb, Nixon and Banks), who had great unity as an ensemble, beautiful harmonies and movements so graceful they create the weightless-under-water illusion wonderfully. A sextet of skilled dancers, the sisters are led by choreographer Tamzyn Hace and Danni Nixon, who both drew my dancer’s eye during the musical numbers.
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| Photo by Poyner and Mee |
The musical numbers are a joy to watch. The stage production of The Little Mermaid contains songs not in the original animation, but I’ll admit I was waiting for those well-known numbers, ‘Under the Sea’, ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ and ‘Kiss the Girl’, none of which disappoint! Rebecca Reeve, as the wicked sea-witch Ursula, has an effortless, musical-theatre-trained voice, and her rendition of ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ was indeed music to my ears! In‘Under The Sea’, the stage explodes with colour, filled with ensemble members in fantasticsea-creature costumes. Musical Director Derek Hunter has done a great job on this production, with a company bubbling over with talented singers. I have to commend the direction and design in ‘Kiss The Girl’. Another full ensemble number, the stage could appear overcrowded, but the ensemble’s constant, gentle movements create the image of a lazy river, with Ariel (Emma Hollas) and Eric (Alex Thompson) floating centre stage. LEDs in the ensemble’s costumes create that beautiful dusk lighting that surrounds one of Disney’s most iconic scenes. The ensemble performers, who first appear as a jolly sailing crew, have great energy, clear unity and spot-on timing, with some well-executed, exciting choreography. The ensemble are a pleasure to watch through the whole performance.
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘the show must go on’, and I would like to thank and commend choreographer Tamzyn Hace and Dance Captain Edith Osborne, who performed as emergency covers for Aquata and Flotsam respectively, which I only found out at the end of the night. Covering a role as spectacularly and seamlessly as Hace and Osborne both didisn’t easy, especially at short notice. A huge well done to both of you.
Now, yes, as is often the case in theatre, we do have to suspend disbelief sometimes, and of course, with a cast of mermaids and sea creatures, that challenge was ten-fold in this production. Julie Crossley, on props, has done a great job of helping to convey the necessary illusions. For example, when the iconic ‘dinglehopper’ first appears on Eric’s ship and is tossed downstage, it is much larger when Ariel picks it up, meaning that it reads perfectly to the whole audience! To create the storm and Eric’s drowning, as well as whirlpools for Ariel’slater transformations, simple translucent drapes cleverly create the illusion of seafoam, and the tri-toned silk fans used by Ariel’s sisters create mesmerising waves. The added fun of a bubble gun in ‘Under The Sea’ makes the performance feel even more immersive.
Overall, this production has come to fruition through great direction from Abi Crossley, challenging choreography from Tamzyn Hace and a fabulous overall creative vision, assisted by a well-allocated budget, and a great backstage team executing seamless scene changes. It is evident how well-rehearsed this production is, with a hard-working company who can rely on each other and ooze confidence and professionalism.
BATS (formerly Barrow Youth Theatre), first formed in 2003, ‘exists to develop and nurture theatre skills among young people and adults within our local communities, whilst creating opportunities for our members to perform in high-quality productions.’ The Little Mermaid is the first production of BATS’ that I have seen, and they have absolutely achieved their stated goal!
The Little Mermaid plays at Mountsorrel Memorial Centre until Saturday 19th September and I hope the remaining performances are sold out!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tickets for The Little Mermaid are available from https://www.ticketsource.com/mmc-venue/bats-presents-the-little-mermaid/e-mjxbjv
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| Photo by Poyner and Mee |
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