'The Little Mermaid, Jr.' by SYST Footlights - My Review

The teens involved in SYST Footlights are presenting The Little Mermaid, Jr. this weekend at Southington High School. I was lucky to be invited to the final dress rehearsal that began the morning of their opening night and I was very impressed with this whimsical and entertaining production.

Adults and children who've seen the Disney movie are familiar with the story:

In a magical kingdom fathoms below, the beautiful young mermaid Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. But first, she'll have to defy her father King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula, and convince Prince Eric that she’s the girl with the enchanting voice.

The young performers in the SYST production do an excellent job of bringing these characters to life and look splendid in their colorful costumes as they do it. This is a talented group of actors, singers and dancers entering seventh through ninth grade.

They are also a group of very kind middle schoolers as witnessed by their impromptu preview for a lucky group of daycare kids. I have not been able to get a list of the cast, but I am going to mention how well they played their roles nonetheless.

Chef Louis was covered by a funny young lady while the actress who was Carlotta was motherly and kind. Flotsam and Jetsam are Ursula's slippery spies and are appropriately sinister in great serpent costumes of black and yellow. The prince's valet Grimsby was simply adorable and very proper. Scuttle and her gulls were birdlike and very funny. The six girls who played the mersisters could all sing well; every member of the ensemble played various roles and did a great job.

In the lead role of Prince Eric, the young man gave a fine performance. Another tall young actor played King Titan regally but was also ultimately a loving father to Ariel. The strong actress who played the evil Ursula had an amazing singing voice and acting chops.

Sebastian was played by a very strong triple threat who mastered the accent and some of the best lines in the show, all while wearing tap shoes. Spunky Flounder was also well-played by a talented young man. The young lady who played Ariel was perfect for the role; she possesses the necessary singing voice and is a strong actress.

Alyssa Fontana Bunel  professionally directed these young performers and managed to get married and go on a honeymoon during the rehearsal process. The staging of the storm that included most of the ensemble was very effective. Her choreographer did a great job helping the kids to move onstage and two featured dancers were especially lovely. I only noticed the music director during the final number at this rehearsal, but he clearly worked hard with the singers.

I was impressed with the scenery put together by this group; it was functional and beautifully painted. Kudos to the team that designed the costumes for these kids. The multitude of colors for all kinds of fish brought the audience under the sea. The complicated costume for Ursula the Sea Witch was a knockout without being too scary. The yellow and blue getup for Flounder was adorable and Sebastian the Crab stood out all red. The performers were also well-lit by the crew and the recorded music and microphones worked perfectly. There was even a kid-produced prerecorded announcement about cell phones and exits done in character before the show began.

Overall, I was quite impressed with the quality of this production. I couldn't help but think what a great little musical this is for very young audience members. They will love the songs and dancing and the story isn't too over their heads. Scary parts are minimal and there is a happy ending. With an intermission, the show ran less than 90 minutes.