Review: The Little Mermaid at Davis Musical Theatre Company

Closing its 33rd year, the Davis Musical Theatre Company is presenting a sparkling production of the popular Hans Christian Anderson fable The Little Mermaid, based on the Disney animated movie, and with songs by the infamous duo Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (with Glenn Slater).

The princess mermaid Ariel longs to live in the world above the sea, especially after she saves a prince. He falls overboard. She falls in love with him. With the help of her friends and the evil octopus Ursula, she is able to trade her fins for feet, but the price she pays is the loss of her voice. Of course, the object of her affections is hunting for the voice he heard when he was drowning and is auditioning all the females in the kingdom to find a wife.

There are excellent performances by Julia Hixon as Ariel, Amaralyn Ewey as Sebastian, her crab protector, Cydi Wall as Ursula and Cullen Smith as the hilarious Chef Louis.

Costume designer Jean Henderson has pulled out all the stops for this show, and there is a dazzling array of sea creatures adorning the stage.

Directed by Steve Isaacson and choreographed by Allison Weaver, this delightful DMTC production is enjoyable for all ages. Some performances are already sold out and tickets are going fast.