Singing princes, mermaids, sea witches and other creatures of the sea are coming to The Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown.
"The Little Mermaid Jr.," a musical theater production, is scheduled to debut on Friday at 8 p.m.
A total of seven shows are scheduled. Every show that does not fall on a Sunday will start at 8 p.m, and Sunday shows will start at 2 p.m. Shows are scheduled for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Nov. 15, Friday, Nov. 16, Saturday, Nov. 17, and Sunday, Nov. 18.
Article Photos
Fifty area children were selected to be featured in the Lucille Ball Little Theatre’s musical theater production of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” The show will debut on Friday at 8 p.m.
Photos by Amy Hudson
The show is directed by Helen Merrill, Little Theatre board member. It will feature 50 area children, 20 scene changes, set pieces, costumes, choreography and special effects.
"There are characters that everybody knows from the fairy tale such as Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle," said Merrill. "They are played by young people who are doing an excellent job and are very entertaining. The costumes are phenomenal; the parents have done a wonderful job of creating those. We also have the six mersisters who have a couple of musical numbers with choreography that is very well done. The whole show is really an enchanting thing to watch."
The show will also feature Ursula the sea-witch.
"Ursula, the villain in the show, is quite uniquely done," said Merrill. "I think everybody is going to enjoy what we have done with Ursula the octopus."
The show's scene changes run the gamut of Disney's classic "Little Mermaid."
"We have Ariel's Grotto, which is the shell she sits in, and it's very attractive," said Merrill. "We have the lagoon where Ariel and Prince Eric sit in the boat together. We do the storm in which Eric falls over the side of the ship. It's quite cleverly done in a simplified way. We also visit Eric's palace, go under the sea and on the beach. Some of these things are difficult when you're doing them on a theater stage, but we've worked it out, and I think the people will be impressed with what we've done."
Merrill also tried to include the audience in the production by making them feel like they are a part of the show, she said.
"We want the audience to feel like they are under the sea," said Merrill.
The background orchestral music featured in the show is straight from the Disney accompaniment CD.
"Because this is a junior show it was recommended that we use the CD," said Merrill. "We have never done that before, so we thought it would be a good time for the children to learn how to perform with a CD."
This show is not a Junior Guilders production, but rather a production made possible through a special arrangement with Music Theatre International to be one of the theater shows on the season ticket that is community oriented. According to Bob Ostrom, president of the board of directors for the Lucille Ball Little Theatre, the show will kick off the 2012-13 season.
"It's something that people have been waiting for for a long time because it's going to appeal to all ages," said Ostrom. "And, to my knowledge it's the first time 'The Little Mermaid' has been shown in this area. The Lucille Ball Little Theatre just celebrated out 75th year, it's the largest volunteer theater in New York state and it has a membership that exceeds all the other arts groups in the county combined. It's a true family package because it's so nice to be able to go to a theater and see friends, family, neighbors and children together in one place."
"We wanted to offer a real family oriented show this season," added Merrill. "So, we selected one of the hottest commodities there is right now, 'The Little Mermaid.' Young and old are going to love this love story."
The Lucille Ball Little Theatre is located at 18 E. Second St. in Jamestown. For more information call 483-1095 or visit lucilleballlittletheater.org.