Go “Beyond Your Wildest Dreams” with The Little Mermaid at Moorestown Theatre Company

by Shannon Reed

From the time that I was a little girl, I have loved The Little Mermaid. A proud owner of an Ariel sheet set and a well loved cassette tape of the sound track, The Little Mermaid has stood as one of my favorite Disney movies. While in college I learned of the Broadway version and it only made my love grow. Based on the 1989 movie of the same name, Disney’s The Little Mermaid premiered on Broadway in 2008. With this deep love and nostalgia for this show coming with me, I was thrilled to see Disney’s The Little Mermaid performed. A double cast production (black and gold casts), I was lucky to see the black cast performance at the Moorestown Theatre Company on July 24th at 7pm. 

The Little Mermaid follows the story of Ariel and Prince Eric with themes of family, love, and finding your voice (both literally and figuratively). One of seven daughters of King Triton, Ariel is pre-destined to live a life under the sea with her mersisters. Ariel’s heart, however, is calling her to a life beyond the sea and she frequents the shore to see the humans. This is where we meet Prince Eric and his caretaker Lord Grimsby joined by his pilot and crew. Despite his destiny for a life of royalty, Prince Eric’s heart also longs for more time on the sea. With both of our protagonists longing for something more, their stories begin to entangle when a storm causes Prince Eric to wash ashore. Ariel saves him and sings to him and her love for Prince Eric and the human world can no longer be ignored by her friends, Flounder and Scuttle. In an attempt to keep his daughter safe, King Triton assigns Sebastian to watch out for her. Despite his best attempts to convince her of the joys of life under the sea, Ariel ends up in the clutches of the sea witch, Ursula. With cunning and deception, Ursula convinces Ariel to sign away her voice with the promise of legs and life in the human world. Although Ariel gives it her best efforts, her attempts for a fated kiss and love are thwarted by Ursula’s side kicks Flotsam and Jetsam. Ultimately, Ariel is swept beneath the sea to serve her voiceless fate as Ursula’s servant when King Triton rushes in to save her. Luckily Ariel’s quick thinking saves the day and Ursula is vanquished. This moment also serves as the push King Triton needs to let his daughter go to live the life she desires on land, happily ever after with Prince Eric. 

I was privileged to see the black cast of this production with Ariel played by Hannah Brodt and Prince Eric played by Ricky Conway. Both Brodt and Conway brought absolute starpower to these iconic roles. Brodt delivered “Part of Your World” with chill-inducing accuracy and clarity on each note. In songs unique to the Broadway show, Brodt delivered emotional depth in “Beyond Your Wildest Dreams” and “If Only” acting through each moment of the song to bring the audience into Ariel’s world and heart.  Unlike in the movie version of this show, the Broadway show gives more depth to Prince Eric’s character. Conway delivered the songs “Her Voice” and “One Step Closer” with emotion in acting and vocals that really showed the gentleness and kindness of Prince Eric’s personality. Ariel’s story is truly pushed along by the help of her friends and mentors Flounder played by Bobbie Weinand, Scuttle played by Dylan Wilson, and Sebastian played by Seth Pollock. Weinand did a great job bringing the childlike energy and nervousness to the role of Flounder. Despite being a younger member of the cast, they commanded the stage during their song “She’s in Love”,  and the audience was able to see their singing and dancing skills in action. Wilson’s impeccable comedic timing brought all the right moments of lightness to the show. Their showstopping number “Positoovity” showed off the confidence of Scuttle and their singing and dancing abilities, even adding in a cartwheel in the song.  This song also featured tap dancing seagulls played by Sage Diamond, Kayla Pates, Blake Sager, and Danielle Sager who showed off their fast footwork while fully committing to the character.  Pollock’s Sebastian was played to perfection with each movement on and leaving the stage being done in a scurry. Their lead of the full cast in “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl” were two of the most iconic moments of the show bringing full energy to the space. No Disney show is complete without a villain and Rebecca James played this iconic role incredibly.  Menacing and sinister, James nailed each of the notes to “Daddy’s Little Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. Their range was on full display as they projected the lower notes in each song while fully committing to the character role. This atmosphere was absolutely enhanced by their eel side kicks Flotsam played by Colin Cassidy and Jetsam played by Sophia Diamond whose mannerisms and dancing helped create the world of Ursula’s lair. 

Mersisters played by Raegan Lane, Giovanna Barcia, Maya Toeppner, Cathy Tetreault, Selena Do, and Katherine Gorodenchuk, King Triton played by Chris Brodt, Windward and Leeward played by Anjee Bruna Picard and Vanessa Barcia respectively, as well as ensemble members Daniel Bruna, Bob Toeppner, Brayden VanArsdalen, Bryce Van Arsdalen, Nicole Broadwater, Madeline Broadwater, Amanda Fletcher, Barb Fletcher, Melissa Patterson, Savannah Patterson, Sophia Pollock, Vaness Ramalho, Talia Rodriguez, Madelyn Savidge, Evelyn Schmidt, and Brooke VanArsdalen brought the under sea world to life with their full energy performances and commitment to acting throughout the whole scenes. Brodt showcased true fatherly love in the final moments of the show when he sent Ariel off to live the life that she wanted. The ensemble number of “Under the Sea” was a true highlight of the show. A fun moment for all, the whole cast came onto the stage and into the audience to perform this well choreographed and performed high energy number. 

The formal world of the shore was created in direct contrast to that of the sea by Lord Grimsby played by Mark Morgan, Pilot played by John Wiener, Chef Louise played by Stefani Vajapey, maids played by Jillie Staffiera, Tracy Brobyn, Andrea Drechsler, and Kristin Harp. Each of these performers created the world of the shore well, showing us the distinct contrast with life under the sea. Morgan brought a fatherly energy to the role of Lord Grimsby showcasing the emotional contrast of encouraging Prince Eric to take on his responsibility as a king with following his heart. Vajapey did a fantastic job bringing humor to the second act in “Les Poisson”. Acting out each moment with perfect comedic timing and vocal accuracy, this number was a true highlight of the second act. Contest Princesses played by Vanessa Ramalho, Melissa Patterson, Aurelia Harp, Madeline Broadwater, Sophia Pollock, and Evelyn Schmidt absolutely nailed the personalities of six different princesses vying for Prince Eric’s affection. Each one comedically portrayed the quirk of their princess that made it clear they were not the match. 

Directed by Mark Morgan, vocal director Mark Pinzur, music arranger Carol Ann Murray, and choreographer Anastasia Korbel, this production contained a large cast of 54 people ranging in ages from 7-77. This spirit of inclusion in the cast was something that truly made this production so unique and enjoyable to watch. Despite only one stage base to create many scenes and locations, properties designer Amy Evangelisto and assistant properties designer Stefani Vajapey used props and digital backdrops to seamlessly shift from place to place within the plot of the show. This seamless process was expertly created and managed by production stage manager Gia Ioele and back stage manager Joe Barcia. This team clearly helped manage the quick set changes executed by stage crew members Andre Alkiewicz, Mark Alkiewicz ,Matt Brobyn, Aiden Brown, Steve Gionta, Jeff Price, and Chris Smith. The technical side was managed by technical director, lighting sound designer, and QLab operator Harrison Kutalek with assistance from spotlight operators Andrew Romero and Katherine Romero.  Costumes for this show were absolutely stunning with each one capturing the essences of the scene they were set in. With the mix of some of the iconic colors that people have come to know and love and bright colors and fun elements, the costumes were an absolute hit. . Designed by costume designer and director Thom Sirkot and costume manager Carol Ann Murray the costumes including translucent and moveable fins for the mersisters and full body puppets during “Kiss the Girl” were a large highlight of this production. Each costume was enhanced by the work of hair, wigs, and make-up designer Bridget Gionta. Face makeup for under the sea characters perfectly complemented their outfits and wigs to add just an extra touch to each look. 

The audience of this production was largely families and small children. It was sweet to see kids interacting with the world of The Little Mermaid throughout the show and questioning what was going to happen to the characters next. With several matinee performances, this show provides a great chance to enjoy as a whole family without any impact on bedtime for little audience members. Concessions also included some themed treats which were a crowd pleaser. 

The heart and enthusiasm of this iconic show is truly brought to life by the cast at The Moorestown Theatre Company. With alternating performances of the black and gold cast, both casts are sure to take you "Beyond Your Wildest Dreams” when you head “Under the Sea”. 

The Little Mermaid runs through July 30, 2026 and tickets can be found at https://www.moorestowntheatercompany.org/newevents .