TexRep dives under the sea with ‘Little Mermaid’
Texarkana Repertory Co. takes you under the sea soon for their production of the musical “The Little Mermaid” at the Stilwell Theatre on the Texarkana College campus.
With performances running May 5-14 with shows at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, TexRep presents the tale of teen mermaid Ariel who longs to become human after she falls in love with a prince. When she strikes a deal with sea witch Ursula, things don’t go exactly as planned.
For TexRep, it’s a massive production. “Thirty-one in the cast,” said director Michael Cooper. “It’s a lot of fish and other creatures.”
As a musical, “The Little Mermaid” is based on the beloved 1989 Disney film, which won awards for its song, “Under the Sea,” and its score. Then a Broadway production came along, which was popular but received middling reviews, Cooper said.
When the musical went on a national tour, some aspects were changed. “They rewrote songs, changed songs,” Cooper said. On Broadway, the villain Ursula was sort of sexy,
but the national tour jettisoned those songs. “And made her more like the monster she is in the animated version.”
This version is true to the movie, the director said. For many of his actors, it’s still hugely popular and they’re excited to be in a production of “The Little Mermaid.”
“Everyone’s having a great time. We have a lot of fresh faces we haven’t seen,” Cooper said. The roles of Ariel and Ursula are double cast: Megan Hobgood and Julia Hornok as Ariel, Amanda Ables and Catherine Rickett as Ursula.
Also new is a chance to meet Ariel on Saturday, May 6, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. “We’re doing an Under the Sea with Ariel & Friends,” the director explained. For $10, attendees get to meet and talk with Ariel at her grotto at Stilwell. There will be crafts, cupcakes, and sea creatures teaching dance numbers.
Ticket purchase has also gone online starting with this production. People can buy them via the TexRep.org website, which then links to a site where tickets can be purchased. Memberships and the Ariel & Friends ticket can be bought online, too. Members should buy tickets via the TexRep phone number.
So what makes “The Little Mermaid” so beloved? Sea creatures, land creatures and costume changes make it loads of fun, for one thing.
But to answer this questions, Cooper also refers to the quartet sung in the second act by the Prince Eric, Ariel, Sebastian and King Triton. It’s the song “If Only.”
“If only I’d done this, if only this would happen. You know, it’s about dreams,” Cooper said. Ariel is a mermaid with dreams who wants to see other places. “It’s following your dreams.”
Visually on stage, the trick is to be on land and at sea at various times, so expect the stage to be arranged to enable both a sea world and a land world. It’s a giant show with lots of pieces to put together and, in the case of a ship that encounters a storm, break apart.
“So Ariel can rescue the prince,” Cooper said.
You’ll find a cast of colorful sea critters up on stage, too: fish and jellyfish, starfish and sand dollars, mermaids and more.
On land, there’s a flock of seagulls, snails, frogs and more. It’s both great family entertainment and should appeal to adults who grew up with the movie, too, Cooper said.
“There’s a song called ‘Part of Your World’ that I’ve heard more times at auditions than any song ever, ever,” Cooper said.
This show also kicks off the new TexRep season, which is, on that note, titled “Part of Your World.”
Up next for TexRep after “The Little Mermaid” is “Rabbit Hole” Sept. 8-17.