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For the first time in their storied history, Young Stars Theatre brings South Pasadena a splashy, delightful, full scale production of The Little Mermaid Jr. Produced and directed by Gloria Bennett with musical direction and choreography by Miranda Miller, the costumes, sets and props are bigger, brighter and more intricate than ever before. This also marks the first time the mother and daughter team have worked together as director and music director/choreographer and the result is magical.
The story takes place in an underwater kingdom ruled by King Triton. We follow his youngest daughter, mermaid, Ariel, who with her beautiful, haunting voice sings longingly about wanting to explore the world above the water. The evil sea witch Ursula promises her a three day trip to the human world in exchange for her voice which she will keep if Ariel can’t convince the handsome Prince Eric to kiss her – not an easy task because she can’t speak let alone sing!
There are two dynamite casts that keep things flowing swimmingly with their comedic timing and vocal chops. Taking on the lead role of Ariel are YST longtime actors, Veronica Koutsky, in her final year with YST after dozens of roles through the years, and relative newcomer, Maddy Smith, who has taken on several big roles this past year, most notably as Buddy The Elf. Prince Eric is played with charm by Isaac Diakoff and with an earnest urgency by Andrew Spackman. Riley Barone is spectacular as Sebastien, Ariel’s guardian crab with Alena Zepkowski bringing her own charisma to the role in the Sea Cast. Flounder is sweetly played by Inez Brennan and Josephine Barbouth. Scuttle is the hilarious seagull sidekick played for big laughs by Annie Sawran and Gwyneth Daley. The evil seawitch Ursula has a fantastically evil number matched by a dazzling costume replete with eight tentacles, six operated by individual cast members. It’s quite a sight and AwenRose Miller and Annie Sawran (Sea Cast) bring her frighteningly to life! Kudos to all the tentacle operators who are very funny in all their evil conniving and commiserating. Judah McFerrin and Gray Edwards deserve special mention for their hilarious French accents and a certain je ne sais quoi as Chef Louis!
The cast is beautifully rounded out by mermaid princesses, fish, jellyfish, sea creatures, chefs and palace staff by Luana Hoshi, Annie Miller, Ada Linscott, Ellie Schroth, Sarah Ferris, Violet Tejero, Elsa Rose Barbouth, Alex Galor-McPherson, Katelyn Wong, Dune Galor-McPherson, Grace Brennan, Akemi Wong, Joan Montgomery, Stella Rosenstock, Alexi Chen, Lucy Schroth, Leila Pennie, Zoe Cho, Charlotte Coto, Alice Ingersoll, Rose Orren, Elizabeth Sands, Solene Link, Ava Donahue, Riley Garber, Maddie Duncan, and Maddie Cooper.
So be sure to join Ariel and her cute, bubbly friends for this fun, fun, fun show for the whole family! The Little Mermaid Jr. runs through May 20 at Fremont Centre Theatre located at 1000 Fremont Avenue in South Pasadena. For tickets and information visit YoungStarsTheatre.org
Next up for YST is Bye Bye Birdie, High School Musical Jr., and Clue!
