General

When the amateur rights were released for The Little Mermaid there was a general recognition that it would be an enormous challenge to stage it both effectively and safely. Its underwater setting and reliance on mythical and magical elements creates many hurdles that must be overcome in order to tell the story well. Centre Stage was brave to take on the challenge and, thanks to a hardworking and dedicated team, created a production that justifiably earned the awe and respect of its audiences.

Direction

In directing this piece, there were plenty of fixed production points that needed to be navigated. These included blocking that had to cover costume changes or flight preparation, set that required key scenes to be played in fairly limited spaces, and costumes that restricted some performances to the waist up. Director James-Lee Campbell and Assistant Director Alexis Rose did an incredible job working with and around these restrictions to create a world of fully-rounded characters whose interactions felt real and meaningful.

The other feat of directorial achievement here was ensuring that the storytelling took precedence. Yes, there was a lot going on throughout the show from a technical point of view, but the directorial team clearly put value on the story and brought it to the fore wherever possible. This meant that while the bigger scenes were visually spectacular, the scenes that really stood out theatrically were the more character and story driven moments, such as the adventurous and comedic sequences between Ariel and Flounder, and the beautiful treatment that was given to One Step Closer.

Of course, there are always curveballs that arrive when so much technical material is introduced in the lead up to, or during, show week. Some of these led to situations where the production elements weren’t quite as completely integrated with the direction as they might have been. Examples of this included the necessity for Ariel to enter from the flies following her transformation, and the drowning sailors suddenly transforming into waves to carry Eric off. Although these moments were few and far between, they did stand out due to the careful consideration that had been given to the remainder of the piece.

Choreography

There were two sides to the choreography in this production, and Choreographer Paul Brookland Williams and Assistant Choreographer Tim Garrard excelled at both. There were the large musical numbers that Paul and Tim have always done a brilliant job with, and this was no exception. Positoovity was an absolute highlight, and Under the Sea was intricate and fun. But on top of this was the under water movement, including roller skating, floating arms and a level of detail that required consistency and precision. This was also achieved impeccably.

Musical Direction

This was a wonderful sounding show with Musical Director Mark Smith’s 14 piece orchestra filling the theatre with some excellent playing. The harmonies from the cast were equally strong, creating an overall soundscape that was enjoyable to hear. It was also a pleasure to have at least part of the band visible from the audience.

Cast

This was an excellent cast who each worked hard to ensure that their individual characterisations weren’t overshadowed too much by the production’s more technical elements. This was particularly embodied by Bex Evans who, as Ariel, brought a wide-eyed sense of wonder to the role, recklessly throwing herself into dangerous situations and taking on some of Disney’s most iconic songs with tremendous success. She was well matched by Nick Dore as Prince Eric, who brought out some touching humanity in a role that could have become a cypher in the hands of a lesser performer. As mentioned earlier, One Step Closer was a highlight.

Ariel was supported in her adventures by a menagerie of friends, chief amongst whom was Rosie O’Rourke, who played Flounder as a naïve but loyal friend and disappointed love interest. The relationship between the two was very well drawn and Rosie’s sense of comic timing was excellent, particularly when combined with her dance skills, as in the delightful She’s In Love. Sebastian, played by Josephine Bannerman, and Scuttle, played by Tom Howard, were also incredibly entertaining. Josephine’s effervescent presence and hilariously sardonic delivery were fantastic, and Tom’s wild but well-pitched characterisation made for a rich, funny performance.

Chris Waiting struck an imposing figure as King Triton, presenting a more sensitive character than the original film, which helped sell his motivations and gave the story more heart. He also showed a good sense of comedy, particularly in his interactions with Grimsby at the end. Grimsby, played by Will Garrood, was the show’s other father figure. This was a nuanced performance, as he slowly revealed that his claim to carry out the late king’s wishes was really borne of a fondness for his young charge. His performance mixed some very touching moments with excellent comedy.

The show’s principal antagonist arrived iconically in the form of Cleo Simons as Ursula. Her magnificent tentacled costume was probably the most restrictive, but she nevertheless gave a powerful, terrifying performance, particularly in the moments when she really allowed herself to let loose. She was supported by Giovanni Pillitu and Claire Brewin as Flotsam and Jetsom, clearly relishing their deliciously evil roles, and imbuing them with some tremendous physicality. The other villain (of a sort) was Chef Louis, played by Stephen Mitchell who clearly took great enjoyment from this excellent, scenery chewing cameo.

The septet of Mersisters were extremely well cast, with each taking on a personality that went above and beyond the script. They also demonstrated some impressive dancing on roller-skates, which can’t have been easy. Prince Eric’s potential suitors provided some lovely vocal moments, and the featured sailors, seagulls and housemaids all got some great moments to shine. Overall, this was a cast giving excellent individual performances, although there were moments where it felt that a greater emphasis on the development of a more cohesive ensemble may have pushed the show to even greater heights.

Special mention must be made of the team of puppeteers who spent a lot of the show making the magic happen anonymously. The individual puppets were charming and the coordination of Ursula’s tentacles was intricate and effective.

Production

It’s difficult to know where to start in singing the praises of such an extraordinary achievement. Producer Giles Burden has truly outdone himself in bringing together a team of very talented people and coordinating their efforts to create what was clearly an enormous labour of love. Care and attention was put into every detail, and the gasps from the audience at many moments were thoroughly earned. The fact that everything was made in-house would have been a tremendous surprise to anyone seeing the show without that knowledge.

Costumes

This huge undertaking by Santiago Liendo and Annie Houseago must have been a constant exercise in troubleshooting, as they found so many ways to address the challenges posed in portraying the vast range of characters in the script. This more than paid off, though, with an endless parade of instantly recognisable creatures and fabulously decked out humans on display.

Set & Props

No credit is given for the set design in the programme, but again the team responsible its creation are to be commended for many months of tireless effort. Using the columned archways at the back for the setting of both palaces was inspired, and these were augmented by various rocks, staircases and other set pieces to add texture and specificity of location. In all its grandeur, though, this was a deceptively simple design, which left plenty of performance space and made room for all the other technical elements.

On top of this were some fantastic magical elements, including flying, transformations, pyrotechnics, and so much more. To attempt to list them all here would be to risk missing something important, but recognition does need to go to Daniel Penfold and his team of puppet creators, who designed and built some memorable, spectacular characters that worked in so well with the cast performances.

The concept of the two-dimensional props worked well and served as a lovely nod to the story’s animated origins. There were a few moments when unpainted backs of props briefly faced the audience, but fortunately these were rare.

Stage Management

This was a very slick performance, led by Stage Manager Adam Coppard and Deputy Stage Manager Jon Haines. The sheer number of moving pieces was daunting, but the pieces of the puzzle fit into place and each element was very precisely and deftly put into action. There were a couple of moments where the audience may have felt nervous, though. One was when part of the ship wasn’t locked correctly and it slid unexpectedly as a character stepped off it. The other was when a group of cast got tangled up in rogue fabric, which almost led to several performers on roller-skates tripping over and looked as if it would have benefited from additional rehearsal. Normally these would be too much detail for this report, but it’s important to highlight and learn from any safety issues.

Sound

This was an excellent sound mix created by Henry Whittaker. The orchestra sounded superb and for the most part the cast were clearly heard over the top. There were a few key performers who either needed their levels raised or coaching on projection, but its fair to assume in this instance that these wrinkles were ironed out as the week progressed.

Lighting

Martin Walton’s lighting design deftly captured the cartoon nature of the source material as well as the depth of the layers that have been added to the stage show. There were moments where, by necessity, the stage was very dark in order to allow for some other technical elements to take place or to best represent the “Burtonian darkness” of the director’s vision, and this made it difficult at times to see facial expressions clearly. But overall this was an atmospheric, moody design that gave good balance to the show.

Programme & Publicity

The programme, designed by Juan Carlos Perez, was very well laid out and clear to follow. The notes from the President, Director and Producer were well-written and provided some nice insight into the process. The uniform headshots by Andras Vismeg were particularly striking. The inclusion of the About Noda section makes it eligible for the Noda programme award, which should be considered.

The social media campaign, led by Gia Benjamin, was excellent for this production. Plenty of insight was given into the rehearsal room while still managing to avoid any spoilers for audience that attended on the night. Cast takeovers were effective without getting self-indulgent.

Front of House

The front of house team, managed by Debs Stanton, was friendly and welcoming, and knew which direction to point people in for the most part. There was some confusion with the correct toilets to use, and signs to the correct bathrooms outside the building would have been very welcome. It is questionable as to whether the theatre was hired to Centre Stage in a fit state for an audience in that regard, but that’s a separate conversation and didn’t detract from the evening’s enjoyment too much.

Summary

This was an extraordinary achievement and the enormous team, from creatives and cast to builders and crew should be immensely proud of their accomplishments here. At times it felt as if the tension between the storytelling and the production elements was a little unbalanced, but that shouldn’t detract from some amazing performances, a mammoth production and an outstanding vision from the entire team.

Matt Bentley

NODA London Regional Representative & Associate Representative District 1

City & Central London