The Little Mermaid at HCT

I went to see Hale Theatre's production of The Little Mermaid last night and it is one of the most immersive and magical shows I've ever seen! I loved everything about it! This musical tells the well-known story of a mermaid named Ariel who just wants to be where the people are so she defies her father and trades her voice for a pair of legs to make a prince fall in love with her. What I loved most about this show is that you actually feel like you are under the sea during the first act because all of the characters, especially Ariel and her sisters, fly through the air with lots of really cool water effects. I also really loved the amazing costumes and puppets for all of the sea creatures because they are absolutely incredible! Ursula wears an elaborate gown of black sequins with dancers who manipulate her eight tentacles while Flotsam and Jetsam are in silver lamé with segmented puppets that twist and turn around each other!  The song "Under the Sea" features neon colored fish carried by dancers with headdresses that look like coral reefs, stingrays that flutter above the audience, giant whales and groups of turtles that come in from the wings, and aerialists who spin around on globes that look like bubbles! It is quite the spectacle! Sebastian is covered from claw to claw in red sequins while Scuttle is covered in white features. Ariel and her sisters each have their own color with jewel encrusted gowns and mermaid tails made of organza and King Triton has regal robes of gold and turquoise. Also, I was impressed by the sheer number of sets and my favorites were Prince Eric's ship, Ariel's grotto filled with her collection, and the lagoon where Eric takes Ariel on a boat ride (the hanging vines and all of the lanterns are so beautiful). I also loved all of the clear glass bulbs, which resemble bubbles, around the perimeter of the stage and up in the rafters. The staging of several of the numbers is absolutely magical, especially when Ariel saves Eric after he falls overboard because they seem to float and the aforementioned "Under the Sea!" Finally, the cast is phenomenal!  Sophia Marie Guerrero is the perfect Ariel because not only does she have a beautiful voice but she also has a look of wide-eyed wonder that makes the songs "Part of Your World" and "Beyond My Wildest Dreams" so much fun to watch! Eric was played by the understudy Scott Hendrickson last night and, honestly, I thought he was fantastic! He has great chemistry with Guerrero and is incredibly endearing in "Kiss the Girl." Luseane "Lucy" Pasa, as Ursula, just about blows the roof off HCT with her gospel rendition of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" with Jason Buonforte (Flotsam) and Gunnar (Jetsam) as her back up choir! The same could be said for Alec Powell, as Sebastian, because his rendition of "Kiss the Girl" also had a gospel feel that I really liked. I had so much fun at this show (it is definitely the best production of The Little Mermaid that I have ever seen) and the children sitting around me were mesmerized! You definitely do not want to miss this wonderful show which runs on the Young Living Centre Stage through January 28 (go here for tickets) but act quickly because many shows are sold out!