The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘Part of Your World’
Community theater players to stage Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’
CROMWELL — When the lights slowly dim and the curtain dramatically opens at the high school on Thursday night, Cromwell Community Theater Director Julie Braun will be watching her latest production with an uncritical eye.
With a cast of more than 50, ranging in age from 7 to 74, “Disney’s The Little Mermaid” likely is poised to wow audiences — with the intrinsic talent of its performers and inventive set design.
Many of those involved in this weekend’s show have little or no experience on stage.
“I want people to know that you don’t have 35 Broadway stars. What you have is 35 people on the stage and probably half as many behind the scenes that have given every ounce of everything they have to make this happen,” Braun said.
“And it didn’t matter that they didn’t have the skills when they walked in — they all came in together — and what they see is a reflection of that,” she added.
The cast and crew consists of residents from throughout the area: New Britain, Middletown, Branford, Rocky Hill, Deep River, West Simsbury, Cromwell, Wallingford and beyond.
“Someone’s going to sing a wrong note or something may not come out when it’s supposed to and that’s OK. There will be mistakes, but what they have given to this, to me, it’s perfect because of that,” Braun said.
The show is produced by Wendy Wilkins, of Cromwell, who runs Wilkidoos Productions.
The story line centers on a mermaid, Ariel, who feels she doesn’t fit in under the sea where she lives, said Nicole Neely, 19, a sophomore at Hart School of Music, who plays the role of Jetsam.
Ariel goes up to the surface to watch humans, and collects treasures to keep in her grotto. One day, she rescues a prince from a shipwreck, saving his life.
“She has this inward battle: She wants to be human, but doesn’t know how. She struggles not fitting in,” said Neely, who is majoring in performing arts management.
“What you have is 35 people on the stage and probably half as many behind the scenes that have given every ounce of everything they have to make this happen.”
Cromwell Community Theater Director Julie Braun
Neely and Alexis Hartman, who plays Flotsam, lure Ariel into the cave of the witch Ursula.
“We pretend we’re on her side: ‘Poor child, we can help you ….’ We’ll give you what you want, but we’re really evil,” said Neely, who has acted extensively locally. Her “ultimate dream” is to one day work at Radio City Music Hall.
“She goes to see the witch Ursula, who grants her the ability to be a human, but she has to lose her voice as a trade-off. She has to try to get the prince to fall in love with her and kiss her in three days,” Neely said.
Joe David plays a sailor who’ll be wearing purple tights and even a pair of jeggings (leggings made to look like jeans), he said.
“Sometimes I feel like the guy who can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. It’s going to be an interesting opening night,” said David, who’s never acted before.
During a break Monday afternoon with the crew, Stage Manager Kathy Dunn surveyed the wings and stage areas, filled with props from different show scenes.
“This is my world and what’s going on inside my brain,” she said, pointing to an area off stage filled with handmade creations large and small.
Years back, Dunn was involved with Theater Newington On Stage and worked on 20 shows. She hadn’t done anything else theaterwise until Braun asked her to come aboard.
“Julie has this way of pulling everyone in. I don’t know how it happens, it just kind of does,” said Sadie Sullivan, 15, a sophomore at Cromwell High School who works on set.
The size of the “Little Mermaid” set pieces and the tightness of the space has been quite the challenge, Dunn said.
“It’s like a hidden dance that’s choreographed behind the scene. The audience won’t see it — we have to plan out every little detail and every little step,” she said.
“Every movement on stage corresponds with every movement back stage,” Braun added.
All the props may look like they’ve been placed willy-nilly off stage, but there is a method to what appears to be madness, Dunn said.
“There’s so many pieces and it’s really kind of frustrating sometimes, but when it all comes together it’s just so interesting to watch,” Sadie said.
Many of the show’s “Little Mermaid” designs are oversized, which means making one’s way around backstage is a challenge.
“They’re really big. There’s really nowhere to put them,” added Sadie, who, like the others moving props, are either wearing black or covered in seaweed so they disappear into the background undetected.
Kevin Allen holds several titles, including assistant director, technical director and actor.
“Seventy-five to 80 percent of the set pieces were built in my driveway,” he said. That includes Ariel’s underwater cave, or grotto, built with plywood 2-by-4s and paper mache.
“It’s dual purpose — chicken wire with sheets put on top of it. We used wallpaper paste — 12 gallons,” Allen said.
The giant prop has handles, which allows it to be wheeled around, and transformed into Scuttle the seagull’s rock, complete with a slide and nest up at the top.
Like any well-run machine, all the mechanics that go into its successful run aren’t necessarily apparent, Braun said.
“I think the crew, which is really unseen and unknown in a lot of ways, is really the heart of the show. It has to be. The actors are great and they do a wonderful job. I don’t think anyone got to wear a single hat,” she said.
“The improvement is remarkable especially seeing the people that don’t really do this often —from the beginning to now, they’ve improved so much. It’s crazy,” Neely said.
Music Director Matthew Chiu of East Hampton, 26, has been commuting from Boston for rehearsals. He is working toward a doctorate in music theory from the Eastman School of Music in New York.
“He’s got more talent in his little pinky than I’ve seen in many people his age,” Braun said.
Cromwell High School is at 34 Evergreen Road. Watch the show’s promo video on Facebook at https://bit.ly/2NDP0qg.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students. The show runs Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit Showtix4u.com and type in “Cromwell.”