'MERMAID' MAKES A BIG SPLASH AT PLAYHOUSE
Theater Review by Michael Morain
You know what’s hard? Telling a story underwater.
When Norwalk native Jason Momoa pulled on his Aquaman suit and plunged to Atlantis in the recent movie "Justice League," some of the special effects weren’t entirely convincing even though the movie reportedly cost $300 million to produce.
So let’s just take a moment and put our fins together for the folks staging Disney’s
"The Little Mermaid" almost 1,000 feet above sea level at
Des Moines Community Playhouse. The creative team, led by Maxwell Schaeffer, dove headfirst into the challenge and came up with a winner
—without a Hollywood budget or the magic animation of Disney’s 1989 movie.
The show is a marvel of problem-solving and the power of suggestion. Three rows of waves (designed by Nicholas Amundson) sink to the stage or rise to the rafters to set the scenes above or under water. A reef’s worth of tropical costumes (Angela Lampe) shimmers with sequins, swirls with 200 yards of chiffon, and glides around on Heelys, those shoes with the built-in wheels. The merpeople slowly wave their arms from time to time as if treading water. (Megan Helmers did the choreography.)
At their best, the combined effects recall the stage version of "The Lion King," where the plain-to-see stagecraft is part of the fun. You can either focus on it or forget it; take your pick. Unfortunately, this show’s video projections aren’t as clever as the rest of the spectacle. Images of seashells and cartoon hearts don’t accomplish anything that creative lighting couldn’t do better.
But the visuals are just part of this world. Its inhabitants deserve some attention, too.
Savannah Trotter (a senior at Waukee High School) plays the title role and
Johnny Kroll (a sophomore at Drake) is the object of her fishy attention. The Playhouse newcomers make a winsome pair. Trotter’s Ariel sings with spot-on phrasing and a beautiful, clear tone that swells with the score’s emotional currents, especially in "Part of Your World." Kroll’s Prince Eric ably carries the scenes after Ariel barters her voice for legs.
The interspecies couple is surrounded by a supporting cast of 29 that includes Ariel’s six sisters and their father, King Triton (the polished baritone
Jerry Stoner), who bellows a lot but has a good heart. Young Flounder (
Jackson Michael Gabby) is adorable, and the truly birdbrained Scuttle (
Christopher Rozenboom) leads a flock of tap-dancing seagulls.
The show’s splashiest numbers, "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl," could drown out even a good soloist if he wasn’t careful, but here the soloist is great.
Blake Clyde’s nimble Sebastian, the crab, skitters through the tricky lyrics and pumps up the melodies like a pro. (
Brenton Brown directed the music, which relies on recorded backup rather than a live orchestra.)
And then there is Ursula. In a sumptuous purple dress and a towering white wig,
Jackie Schmillen looks like a goth Marie Antoinette and sounds just as much like an evil diva as Pat Carroll did in the animated movie. It’s the sort of juicy part that makes you wish for a spinoff, like "Wicked," to tell the story as the sea-witch sees it. Schmillen grabs the role with her tentacles and never lets go.
Disney’s "The Little Mermaid" continues through Dec. 23 at the Des Moines Community Playhouse. For show times and tickets, visit www.dmplayhouse.com.