An undersea world of mermaids and mermen will flood the theater in early June as Briarcliff Middle School presents Disney’s “The Little Mermaid Jr.” Directed by Ian Driver, with musical direction by Regina Leon, technical direction by Jim Britt, choreography by Davyd Suber and costumes by Karen Altabef, the show will be performed June 3 and 4 at 7 p.m. and June 5 at 2:30 p.m. by a large cast of humans, merpeople and sea creatures.
For director Driver, the technical challenges of creating a credible undersea world in the small space of the middle school theater presented several educational opportunities. The students are being exposed to “every trick in the book” in terms of the stagecraft required to represent a giant ship, a storm, mermaids and mermen, a maniacal chef, an evil octopus with her electric eel henchmen and other nontraditional elements. In the process, they are learning not only the techniques and artful means to present things visually on stage, but also how to creatively problem-solve, given the limitations (and advantages) of the space. Said Driver, “These creative hurdles are the most rewarding things to have to overcome.”
It has been a joyful experience for the cast of nearly 50 students to perform the Academy and Grammy Award-winning music from a modern classic. Songs like “Under The Sea” and “Part of Your World” have been part of their worlds for most of their lives, and the opportunity to perform them with their friends and neighbors is a gratifying adventure.
“The songs in this show are iconic, character-driven gems,” said Leon. “The challenge is to impress upon the kids that they should not copy any past performances, but rather tell our fresh version of this story using their own unique voices. We are having lots of fun exploring style and different vocal sounds at each rehearsal.”
Don’t be one of the Poor Unfortunate Souls who misses out – get your tickets today!
Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. features music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and a book by Doug Wright. It is based on the Hans Christian Andersen story and the Disney film. The music was adapted and arranged by David Weinstein.
Tickets for Disney’s “The Little Mermaid Jr.” are available on showtix4u.com now through Friday, June 3, at 12 p.m. All seats for all performances are $10.