Pelican Productions. Arts Theatre. Matinee, 15 Aug 2026. Cast 1
Hard to believe, but The Little Mermaid has been loved by children for nigh on 200 years, although these days many of them aren’t aware of the original tragic ending of the lovelorn creature.
It wasn’t until the animated feature made by Disney in the 1980s that she became known as Ariel and gets to marry the man of her dreams rather than dying in a spludge of sea foam.
It’s this nicely sanitised Disney version that was developed into the musical that has since played around the world and has now been brought to the local stage by Pelican Productions.
This is the Junior version of the production and from the get-go, it is obvious that no effort has been spared in mounting this show. Prince Eric (Joel Howis) stands atop the bridge of a ship, looking out to sea. The rear projection screen immediately has us moving on the waves – the screen is used throughout, morphing into the underwater world and back to land seamlessly.
Eric is following the song of Ariel (Maree Fong), who falls in love when she rescues him from the inevitable shipwreck. Fong has a powerful voice and uses it to great effect in Part Of Your World. The Sea Witch, Ursula (Keira Wubbolts) is also quite a belter – amazing to hear these voices in such a youthful setting.
Immediately winning hearts was Alejandro Jiminez as Sebastian (aka Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian) – his Spanish/Trinidad accented wonderfully camp utterances were delightful.
The ensemble all work hard at bringing Director/Choreographer Bec Schimbri’s vision to life, with some very cute performances from some of the younger cast. There are far too many excellent performances to mention, but the Gulls (Eva Astachnowicz, Hanna Gray, Abbie Klingberg, Zahara Leon, Paige Maggs, Gracie Nagesh, Ivy Owen and Lenny Thoman) do bring an attitude to the show that really, only a seagull can bring!
Pelican Productions is known for its amazing attention to costume and The Little Mermaid is no exception. Jen Frith’s costumes take over the stage in an absolute cacophony of colour; the cast moves across the stage on Heelys (sneakers with wheels) costumes flowing behind in a beautiful underwater representation. The gulls are perfect in their mono toned winged glory, right down to their bright orange socks! Crabs, eels, mermaids and mermen, princes and kings – each costume was meticulous and quite simply stunning.
The cast (and crew) of The Little Mermaid should be very proud of the production they have mounted and the audience certainly enjoyed it. One proud dad left singing Under The Sea, “I’ll be singing that all week!” he cried. And so he should. Great production, great performances. Do catch this company for their next production.
Arna Eyers-White
When: 15 Aug
Where: Arts Theatre
Bookings: Closed
