The Little Mermaid

Last weekend I went to see a community theater production of The Little Mermaid in Durango, Colorado. Durango is where my husband grew up and his little sisters were in the play.

The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies and Ariel is my favorite Disney princess. For some reason the story has always held a special place in my heart. That is why it was so difficult for me to see the show butchered.

Maybe it's because I grew up doing theater and have maintained such a high standard for performance or maybe it's because I love The Little Mermaid so much, but either way I don't have many good things to say about the performance (except that my husband's little sisters were adorable).

Before we even get into the acting, the technical side of the performance left much to be desired. Some actors had their microphones up much to high and there was a lot of feedback every time they spoke or sang. Some actors had their microphones down to low and their lines and songs couldn't be heard. Worst of all were the actors who didn't have microphones who should have because entire conversations and harmonies were missed because the music over powered them.

Next, the set, props and costumes. For the most part, the set was actually done very well. Ariel's grotto could be turned to be used as the shore. They built an entire ship off the stage for Prince Eric. It was well done. Most of the props were done well. My main complaint was that out of all the props to skimp money on, they had the crew on the ship using plastic handled mops. It took away the whole illusion. Parts of the costumes continued to take away from the illusion. The costumes themselves were very impressive. All the 'fish' wore big fish hats so there was no guess as to what they were supposed to be. The mermaids had lovely fins that still allowed them to walk since actors have legs. The problem was the shoes. Every character from the fish, to the prince, to the mermaids, to the princesses, wore tennis shoes. I'm not sure if it was in an effort to make them all look uniform, but what it really did was took away from the expensive costumes and made the production look cheap.

And now, the acting and singing. Flounder was adorable. Ariel was fair. Sebastian was the star of the show. The rest of the actors with actual roles (i.e. not the ensemble) were abysmal. From Ursula's extreme and awkward over acting to King Tritan's absence of acting, the characters were uncomfortable to watch. At some points I felt bad for the actor because they seemed embarrassed and uncomfortable on stage. At other points I was unable to watch the actor's awkward behaviors because it made me feel uncomfortable. Thankfully, despite the sound problems, the singing was fine and I didn't find my ears bleeding.

Overall, I was happy to see my husband's sisters (who were both in the ensemble) but had it not been for them, I would have never gone to see the show nor paid a whole $18 to do it.