There must be something in the water out there in Essex County. Not only is the area host to a fantastic performing arts venue in Kingsville, but it’s also home to one of the best youth theatre groups in the country – Leamington's Little Tomato Children’s Theatre.
The production of The Little Mermaid Jr., which was held at Migration Hall over the weekend, was exciting to watch and easily rivaled any production held in Southern Ontario that year.
Armed with stunning costumes, an incredible sound system and a small country’s worth of talented actors and actresses, the Little Mermaid Jr marvelously transported its audience to the world under the sea, complete with all of its magical creatures (including brief appearances by some slithering turtles and even a joyful group of jellyfish).
The Little Tomatoes didn’t disappoint with this production. It was delightfully over-the-top and felt like a much more seasoned show than just a one-off production from a local children’s troupe. In fact, many of the local adult productions could benefit from watching how the show was produced – the audio was so crisp and clear that every word of the script was heard (many producers seem to forget the importance of audio and how essential it is to hear the show as well as see it).
There really wasn’t a downside to the entire production. The cast was masterfully led by Emma McDonald, who was gorgeous as Princess Ariel. Along with the delightful Morgan DeYoung as Flounder and the super fun Malia Afonso as Sebastian, the trio took us on the underwater journey of a lifetime.
The classic Disney story is set in a magical underwater kingdom where a beautiful young mermaid, Ariel, longs to leave her ocean home – and her fins – behind and live in the world above. But first, she'll have to defy her father, King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, and convince the handsome Prince Eric that she's the girl whose enchanting voice he's been seeking.
Ryan Hallick played King Triton and brought the character to life with his surprisingly aged voice, while Larissa Porteous was radiantly evil as Ursula, and often accompanied by her two vicious moray eel companions (Rendel Arner as Flotsam and Lydia Shahmoradi as Jetsam).
The set was well made, with scene changes only taking brief moments to transition from water to land. The water scenes were enhanced even more with the use of several actors waving long sheets of blue material, creating a dancing sea of blue as needed.
Not only are little tomatoes a delicious and nutritious part of a balanced meal, they’re also an amazingly entertaining and talented theatre troupe of superstars in the making.
If you had never caught a Little Tomato Children’s Theatre production at the time, the reviewer urged readers to keep an eye out for when they announced ticket sales for their spring show Alice In Wonderland Jr., which was scheduled for the following year. The article guaranteed, once you had seen these talented little culinary vegetables in action, you would be hooked forever.
The Little Mermaid Jr. Cast:
Ariel/Mersister Allana – Emma McDonald
Flounder – Morgan DeYoung
Sebastian / Mersister Aquata – Malia Afonso
Scuttle/Gull – Dante Pannunzio
Prince Eric – David Sivak
Ursula / Flotsam – Larissa Porteous
Flotsam / U/S Ursula – Rendel Arner*
Jetsam - Lydia Shahmoradi
King Triton / Sailor / Chef – Ryan Hallick
Grimsby / Princess / Gull – Elise Holbrook
Seahorse – Ciarra Betlehem
Chef Louis / Carlotta – Olivia Todd Tracey
Carlotta / U/S Chef Louis – K.T. Hughes*
Pilot – Jude Mercer
Mersisters
Allana/ U/S Ariel – Emily Le Claire*
Aquata / U/S Sebastian – Melina Smiciklas*
Andrina – Patricia Arndt
Atina – Lauren DeYoung
Arista – Brooklyn Dobson
Adella – Emelia Santos
Princesses / Gulls
Reagan Chapman* U/S Grimsby
Olivia Derbyshire
Elise Holbrook
Hayley Romanyk
Semara Trealout
Madelyn Unger
Abigail Wearne
Gulls
Emma LeBrun* U/S Scuttle
Ryan Dierckens
Blain Dutot
Sailors/Chefs
Myles Perciballi* U/S King Triton
Tristan Braun
Dominik Jezierski
Ryan Hallick
Paul Jezierski
Brodie MacInnes
Dax Mercer
Jude Mercer
Logan Quiring
Breydan Quiring
Sea Chorus
Madeline Keirouz* U/S Flounder
Macy Bailey
Allie Barnewall
Victoria Braun
Kalysa Brum
Alyssa Caron
Morgan DeYong
Emma Dixon
Ardan Fischer
Caroline Giudice
Emry Murray
Michaela Porteous
Grace Sonoski
Hanley Williams
Sea Creature/Lagoon Animals
Emily Adjin
Ciarra Betlehem
Kia Brum
Kylar Brum
Cristina Cabrera
Madison Demant
Ashley Dutot
Abrial Gresser
K.T. Hughes
Emily Jackson
Mariah Jessee
Addison Klie
Natasha Macfarlane
Avery Neufeld
Chianna Rodgers
Ellie Smith
Dilaeny Thibert
Olivia Todd Tracey
Makenna Wall
Juliana Willemsma
Hanna Willemsma
Guppies and Fishies
Shaela Afonso
Brooklyn Ciliska
Emma Colenutt
Angela Derbyshire
Katherine Jezierska
Rhianyn Patterson
Alessia Perciballi
Colin Prior
Mathis Quiring
Brooklyn Wall
*Understudies performed the leads in the Saturday matinee show.
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