Having seen the amazing Centenary Theatre Group deliver a spectacular Phantom of the Opera, I was intrigued and yes – very excited – to see how they would deliver a performance from a 1989 animated Disney film – The Little Mermaid. Diverse, brave and unpredictable – this theatre group were never afraid of risks or challenges – so I knew they would ‘smash it’ and ‘smash it’ – they did!
From entering the theatre, a unique backdrop of surging bubbles and waves welcomed us , a spectacular and ‘gob-smacking’ digital backdrop that would mesmerise us all throughout the show – I am not sure how the Director Dan Grimes and the Digital Designer Simon Matthews did this, but it was a stroke of genius and consumed us all in a word of magic and wonder throughout.
The story- originated as a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale in 1837, that was then brought again to life by Disney in 1989, tells the tale of a beautiful mermaid Ariel, the youngest daughter of the god of the sea Tritan, who longs to live life above her sea world and explore the walking world of the humans. Her father forbids her to mix with the evil humans, as he blames them for the murder of his wife many years ago, but Ariel is engulfed with the desire to change her life’s course and in seeing a handsome human Prince, is not only smitten with him but with the desire to live above the sea to experience this wonder. The prince similarly is unhappy with his lot and so this fantasy tale of how two lost souls meet and fulfil these needs is a tale that is heart-warming and endearing. Titan’s evil sister Ursela seizes this opportunity and persuades Ariel to swap her voice for the chance to be a human for three days. The only way to break this spell is – yes you guessed it – by a kiss from her true love, the prince.
The show is remarkable from start to finish, every single member of the cast is sublimely talented from the awesome Poppy Williams (Ariel), enigmatic Ben Vaughan (Prince Eric), charismatic Andrew Dunn (Sebastian) , comical Scuttle (Jessie Scotson) and splendid Rosie Fields (Ursela) and to the smallest junior ensemble cast member – everyone gave 100%, danced and sang seamlessly and delivered the professional show of their lives.
The costumes were awesome (Spotlight costumes) – giving each cast member a crustacean, fish or anemone to wear (wonderful! ), the choreography (Kirsten Dunn) was exquisite, the music (Simon Pickup) was (as always) magical , having us all sing along to the musical classics “ Under the Sea”, “Kiss the Girl” and “ Part of Your World” and the props and digital back drops, as stated, were transformational – stage manager (Paul Downham) transporting us from the glorious sea bed, to the dazzling coastline onto the magnificent Prince’s castle in a magical faultless way – likened to a dream world of Walt Disney himself – and it was fascinating how this was mastered on this stage in Runcorn – a work of genius!
Every scene gave us more wonder, from dancing seagulls to a crazy chef in the palace kitchens, to a ship on the roaring seas – each scene was breathtaking and done with such humour, panache and skill – it was unlike anything I have ever seen on stage in my life. Congratulations to one and all!
This is a masterpiece and must be seen to be believed.
The show is on at the Brindley Theatre from Wednesday 13th November – Saturday 16th November at 7.30pm and 2pm on Saturday. Ticket price £25.00, £23.00 and £85 family tickets (All prices include booking fees)
Reviewer Jan Mellor
Reviewed: 12th November 2024
North West End UK Rating: