Disney's Little Mermaid Wants Out of the Sea

A mermaid that wishes she was free of her water world and part of what is going on above the waves. That’s the story behind this Disney classic. “The Little Mermaid Jr.” musical is a special adaptation for young people and will be our annual visit for the young and young at heart from the Stage Theatre Company. Presented in Bigfork, it brings the magic adventure of an underwater world with Ariel, the little mermaid, and her friends. Adapted from the 2008 Broadway musical production it features both under and above water scenes creating a challenge for both actors and audience imaginations. “The Little Mermaid Jr.” will be on stage Friday through Sunday July 17 through 19 at The Edge Center. Performances are on Friday and Saturday 7PM and Sunday 2PM. Prices $10 for adults and $5 for children.

Arial’s journey from "under the sea" is full of challenges including defying her father, King Triton, making a “deal” with the evil sea witch Ursula and convincing Prince Eric that she is girl whose enchanting voice he has been hearing and seeking. Music accompanying her adventures include Oscar winning “Under the sea”, plus "Part of Your World," and "She's in Love." All this while Ursula bemoans those “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and Sebastian urges Eric to “Kiss the Girl.” You can see all of this done by a young cast from The Stages Treatre Company of Hopkins (above).

Artistic Director for Stages, Sandy Boren-Barrett, explained the production and introduces its star who plays Ariel by saying, “Tori Adams (Ariel) has been with Stages Theatre Company since she was ten years old. This is her 3rd production tour to Bigfork having performed in Seussical the musical and Willy Wonka at the Edge Center Theater.  Tori sings beautifully, and her portrayal of Ariel is so heartfelt, audiences will love her.  The Little Mermaid production design team has brought such unique artistry that allows audience members to truly feel Under The Sea…” Tori in rehearsals shown below.

Stages Theatre Company (STC) was founded in 1984 and since then has grown to become one of the largest professional theatres (below) for young audiences in the country. STC engages young artists with themes relevant to their lives and produces work which features young people in significant and meaningful roles. It annually serves more than 130,000 young people and their families.

"The Little Mermaid" is a famous fairy tale by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen that was first published in 1837.  It is about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. It’s a great love story adapted in various forms from Broadway musical to a classic Disney feature animated film.

We should keep in mind that, at one rime in the middle ages, mermaids were accepted as real seas creatures and were often represented on family coats of arms and were popular subjects in paintings and literature like the above painting by Edmund Dulac.

The story is about the love of a mermaid, Ariel and human prince Eric. In the story, Ariel saves Eric from drowning and subsequently wakes him up with a song.  She has such a beautiful haunting voice that her memory can’t leave him and he longs to hear it again and see Ariel. But nothing is that simple in a fairy tail. She longs for a life above out of the sea and being human, but she is a daughter of King Triton who will not allow it. It all get complicated, as love stories often do, with a villain, secret pact and a truly wonderful adventure. To see the story unfold you need to come to the Edge Center. For more about the fairy tail see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Mermaid

So come and see all the adventure, villains and friends of Ariel in Bigfork with “The Little Mermaid.” Performances are at The Edge Center on July 17 to the 19. Performances are Friday and Saturday 7PM and Sunday 2PM. Prices $10 for adults and $5 for children. Below see a couple of the photos from rehearsals going on right now.

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