Schreiber Theatre Company presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid, March 1 through 4 in the newly renovated Schreiber High School auditorium. Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney’s The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for all ages.
“Anytime we sit down to choose a show, we try to find one with as large of a cast as possible, so that was one of our first thoughts and the second is we haven’t really done a truly family-friendly show in a few years, so the kids in the cast, crew and pit haven’t been exposed to having a packed house filled with children and that’s an awesome audience to play to,” said Director Lauren Foster-Holzer. “The story and the music, it’s like 30 years old and everyone loves The Little Mermaid. It’s magical.”
With choreography by Floryn Glass, orchestra direction by Anthony Pinelli, Jr., Carly Clancy as Vocal Music Director and Christine Nelson in charge of production, theatre-goers will relish every moment as they are taken on this magical journey. The music of The Little Mermaid is by eight-time Academy Award winner, Alan Menken and with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and a compelling book by Doug Wright, this fishy fable will capture hearts with its irresistible songs, including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.”
While most of the show stands true to the Disney classic, Foster-Holzer explains that some aspects of the show are different. The show will feature more songs including “Her Voice” and “One Step Closer.” Also changed is the ending to “be more doable for the stage and more exciting for the audience to see,” explained Foster-Holzer.
With more than 40 students playing in the orchestra and running the backstage and technical crew, featured in Schreiber’s The Little Mermaid cast are Molly Abramowitz, John Alexander, Arianna Asselta, Alana Bernstein, Maddy Cirker, Megan Day, Matthew DeMarino, Hannah Devlin, Jackie DiLillo, Casey Fanous, Max Finkelstein, Jordana Flisser, Eden Franco, Jack Gilsenan, Emma Goldman, Samantha Goldman, Micah Golan, Rachel Green, Daisy Griffin, Eloise Griffin, Maya Grossman, Julia Gurlitz, Erika Guzman, Ryan Joslyn, Adam Keane, Kathryn Keiserman, Natasha Klein, Jordan Krainin, Amanda Krantz, Ava Lavin, Veronica Lee, Caroline McCarthy, Robbie Meade, Ian Miller, Julia Muratore, Sitara Nagrani, Susana Noto, Ashley O’Neill, Julia O’Sullivan, Mauricio Portillo, Collin Reardon, Catherine Ricciardi, Alissa Salerno, Daniel Salvatierra, Larissa Scaffidi, Sarabeth Schiff, Valentina Scotto, Gavin Shaub, Hannah Siskin, Camille Socolof, Nikki Stern, Una Stopford, Zoe Tashlik, Isabelle Verdino, Danielle Weinstein, Derrick Weisburd, Max Welsh, Jared Wofse, Piper Woods and Rory Woods.
“Originally I did not think I was going to get Ariel so I didn’t really think about it,” said Schiff on playing the lead role. “But now I’m really getting into this role and finding my own version of Ariel which has been really nice.”
“It’s fun to kind of have this character who’s in a movie,” added Gilsenan, explaining what it’s like to play his lead role of Prince Eric. “I can watch the movie and see what he’s like and build off of that.”
Some of the cast members went on tour to each of the elementary schools to perform a 20 minute preview of The Little Mermaid, showcasing some of the musical’s highlights. Foster-Holzer explained that it was a great experience for the cast to perform in front of an audience and that the students watching could not stop talking about it.
“It’s interesting to play the villain for sure,” said Verdino of her character Ursula. “Last week we went on a tour to the elementary schools and it was funny to see how the kids react to knowing that I’m a Disney villain.”
Performance dates are March 1 through 3 at 7:30 p.m. and March 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for students, and complimentary for senior citizens and can be purchased at the box office beginning one hour before the show. Ticket holders will be seated a half hour prior to the start of the show. For more information, visit www.portnet.org.
