Under the direction of Hannah Krueger, a large cast of young performers reeled us in with Star Repertory’s dazzling production of "The Little Mermaid Jr," performed Sept. 27th - 29th 2012 at the California Center for the Arts Escondido. 

In this authentic Disney musical, a beautiful mermaid named Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live with the people of the surface world. Directly disobeying her father, King Triton, she swims to the surface where she encounters the dashing human Prince Eric. Forced to choose between the love of her family and the love of the prince, Ariel makes a dangerous pact with the evil sea witch, Ursula. As things go awry and the young mermaid's future is threatened, King Triton and Prince Eric must come to the rescue, proving that love triumphs over all.

In a role any young actress would dream about, Jordan Gray is well cast as the charismatic and amiable mermaid Ariel. She delivers her character's rebellious independence along with a sweet sincerity of her own. Although we didn't hear much of her "voice" in the second act due to Ursula's spell, Jordan's "Part of Your World" was beautifully done and clearly won the hearts of the audience. 

But the talent in the sea doesn't end there. Anna Warrick did an outstanding job in the demanding role of Ursula the evil sea witch, with an impressive rendition of "Poor Unfortunate Souls", aided by her darling "mini Ursula" (Sarah Brown). Justin Martin as Prince Eric fit nicely as the swashbuckling heart throb and was accompanied by a hilariously manly (yet nicely goofy) troupe of fellow sailors.

Ariel's best fish friend Flounder, played by Audrey Deubig, showed great comedic timing as did the charming Bridget Stephenson in her role as the often confused Seagull Scuttle. Sarah Martin was delightful as Sebastian, the faithful Jamaican crab entrusted by King Triton (Christopher Petty) to protect Ariel. Other terrific performances include Kylie Buckland as Carlotta, Bobby Villegas as Grimsby, and Lorren Carter as Chef Louis. 

In her debut as director, Hannah Krueger filled the stage with a large energetic ensemble consisting of almost every sea creature imaginable “swimming” throughout scenes on roller blades in a moving ocean, creating a great visual effect. Choreographer Ashley Stringfield did a fine job using every inch of the stage, and it was evident a lot of time and work was spent perfecting the performance. Enhancing the actors fine performances were what only could be described as amazing costumes constructed by the “costume clan” under the direction of Scott and Meredith Kolod. Ursula’s shining tentacles, Ariel’s nicely scaled mermaid dress, Scuttle and his flock of feathered seagulls are just a few examples of the eye-popping costumes that clearly raised this show to a much higher level.

Overall, Star Rep’s “Mermaid” was a refreshing, amusing and visually delightful rendition of this classic. The characters were cast perfectly, the music lively and on tune, and it was clear all of the actors were having an immensely good time. 

Terrance Blessing
National Youth Arts

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