UPDATE, March 28: Due to sell-outs for most shows, The Little Mermaid, Jr., has been extended one more week. The Broadway-style production will present three more performances: April 1 at 7:30 p.m. and matinees on April 2 and 3 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available online or at the box office of Fresno Memorial Auditorium.

After growing up watching Walt Disney’s classic movies about princesses and “happily-ever-afters,” I was excited to hear about the musical production of The Little Mermaid, Jr., coming to the stage of Children’s Musical Theaterworks (CMT).

Beginning on March 18, a group of talented young actors are performing this show, which is pleasing to audiences of all ages. After watching the musical, I felt a sudden craving to later reminisce in and watch a classic Disney princess movie.

This Fresno premiere production is directed by Josh Montgomery, who superbly executed an organized and wonderful show. In addition, Montgomery trained the actors to move across the stage in roller skates which, coupled with the fantastic set design, created the atmosphere of being underwater.

Although I repeatedly watched Disney’s The Little Mermaid throughout my childhood, I rarely found myself bored or uninterested in what was happening onstage in this production.

The show begins with Prince Eric (Bryce Moser) and his sailors on a boat out at sea, while singing “Fathoms Below.” Prince Eric then becomes haunted by a singing voice that seems to be coming from deep within the sea. This voice belongs to the mermaid Ariel (Jaclyn Kelly), who showed an exceptional vocal talent in the role.

The introductions of Ariel’s father, King Triton (Cody Campbell), and sisters are presented during the songs “Triton’s Court” and “Daughters of Triton.” Ariel is nowhere to be found during this introduction, so the court searches for her during the song “Where’s Ariel?”

Although she is a mermaid, Ariel longs to be part of the human world and even collects “treasures,” human belongings that have been washed out to sea. However, she does not have a clue what any of these items really are, so she seeks advice and answers from her friend, the bird Scuttle (Brandon Delsid).

While adding comic relief to the show, Scuttle claims to be all-knowing when it comes to humans, when really he does not have the slightest idea about them, even referring to a telescope as a “dingle hopper.” While going through the process of examining these objects, they sing “Human Stuff.”

Although Ariel would do practically anything to be human, her father refuses to let her fraternize with land-dwelling men. She keeps a secret storage room full of human possessions so that her father can never find them. She is in total amazement of how humans live and portrays her wish to be like them in the song “Part of Your World.”

King Triton is not the only one who disapproves of Ariel’s wishes, however. Her friend Sebastian (Cody Bianchi) the lobster tries to persuade Ariel to stay under the sea, hence the next musical number presented, “Under the Sea.”

Despite this, Ariel fails to admit that she is secretly in love with Prince Eric after saving him from drowning. She now has a strong desire to be with him and somehow transform into a human. When she seeks the council of the octopus Ursula (Cheyenne Gray and Hannah Huyck), she makes a deal with her to give up her voice if Ursula will change her to human form.

The deal comes with a condition, however: If she does not kiss Prince Eric within three days, she must return to the sea as a mermaid and sell her soul to Ursula forever. The rest of the story deals with Ariel’s struggle to get Prince Eric to return her love and kiss him in the next three days, even though she does not have the ability to speak.

The Little Mermaid, Jr., is a truly brilliant and heartwarming production that brings audiences back to when they were children, watching Disney movies that have remained popular through multiple generations. No matter how old or young a person is, after watching this show, an audience member can still relate and remember watching the Disney movies and fall in love with them all over again.

Overall, the actors on stage portrayed excellent vocal talents, along with poise and gracefulness as they moved across the stage. I truly enjoyed watching this show, and audiences of all ages can too.

FC students and staff may also recognize the actress Jaclyn Kelly, playing the main role of Ariel, who attended FC from 2004-07. In addition, campus eighth grade student Nikki Castro plays an ensemble role, after performing in 11 shows with CMT over seven years.

The show will continue to play March 25-27, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. and evenings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for Section A cost $22 for adults and $20 for students/seniors. Section B: $18 for adults and $16 for students/seniors. Section C: $14 for adults and $12 for students/seniors.

Tickets are available online or at the box office of Fresno Memorial Auditorium.

For more drama reviews, read the March 24 article, Rock ‘n’ roll energy redeems Broadway musical.

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