Disney's Little Mermaid
at Strathcona Christian Academy

Reviewed on February 10, 2016

David Selwood
Louis St. Laurent
Submitted for publication to Edmonton Journal 1

A childhood classic that came to life on Wednesday night quickly became a new and exhilarating adventure under the sea. Strathcona Christian Academy fished their way into the audience's hearts through powerful voices and intense choreography, which left the audience craving for more "Disney Magic".

The nostalgic love story between a mermaid and a sailor, first written by Hans Christian Andersen and later popularized under the same name by the 1989 Walt Disney Film, "The Little Mermaid", follows a determined girl, Ariel, who seeks true love above the world she knows. Giving up her voice and seeking for true love, she embarks on an adventure with the help of her crustacean companion and her fishy friend, to only find that this love cannot be replaced with anything: not even a voice.

Dazzling makeup and shimmering costumes were not to be overlooked, as the creativity of over 100 costumes were formed and brought to life by the wonderful design team. Simon Grycan, Taylor Bartlett, Nancy Skorobohach, Naomi Jutras, and team bewildered the audience with their astonishing costume designs of the ever-so-quickly changing ensemble members. In combination with the sensational makeup design, led by Kaylin Schenk, Mia Holowaychuk, Vanessa Rukiidi, and team, the technical elements created a world underwater, without having to swim underneath it.

As the easily recognizable red-haired mermaid, Ariel, Kaylin Schenk was powerful and unforgettable. The vocal support and confidence that was portrayed allowed the audience to feel the strong sense of emotion and connection to the sometimes frantic personality. With persuasive character choices and determination, Schenk's bubbly charisma maintained onstage for the entire performance, leaving the audience in awe.

Love interest to Ariel, Thomas Oldreive's portrayal of Prince Eric was outstanding and very determined. The handsome, fun-loving prince stole the hearts of many in the packed auditorium, and his voice was not far behind. Grasping onto the love of Ariel, Oldreive was not shy to show his emotion, and flaunt his creative and original take on the well-known prince.

Never crabby but always the crab, Zachary Vander Heide's comedic portrayal of Sebastian was not an easy role. Through the vigorous accent and the recognizable songs, his performance left many in admiration. Another character that took not only physical strength but vocal training, was Ursula, played by Shelby Turk. The sinister and evil antagonist to this story was conceived and made authentic by Turk, who's energy never faltered.

Four shows in four days but the cast maintained their energy and charisma to the child-filled audience, who sat in amazement of the real-life fantasy they were experiencing. Bringing the youngest and the oldest together in the over 1000 seat auditorium, Strathcona Christian Academy's cast and crew sparked magic within the audience's eyes, all to be sealed with a kiss.

Mira Spearey
Ross Sheppard High School
Submitted for publication to Edmonton Journal 2

Travel deep underneath the ocean's surface and, if you're lucky, you'll find a land of singing fish, dancing jellyfish, crazed crustaceans and a familiar red-headed mermaid who dreams of walking on her own two feet. Strathcona Christian Academy's production of The Little Mermaid dug up all this and more, telling the jovial, loving story of everyone's favourite mermaid.

Premiering on Broadway in 2008, the stage adaptation of the classic 1989 Disney film The Little Mermaid features all the songs we know and love from the original Disney film, plus a few new numbers written for the production. The show was a roaring success: after it was nominated for two Tonies, The Little Mermaid hit the road, traveling across the United States, and then around the world.

The story is the comfortably familiar: Ariel, winsome daughter of the king of the ocean, exchanges her voice for a pair legs, hoping that she can get Prince Eric to kiss her before her time runs out. And of course, Ariel has her sidekicks Flounder and Sebastian, ready to clumsily point her in the right direction.

Little girls in princess dresses scooted to edge of their seats to watch Kaylin Schenk dance and swirl and sing as Ariel. Schenk shone on stage, channeling her character, her energy, and her voice into a warm, heartening performance. Her chemistry with her fellow actors was natural, never forced; the adoration Schenk's character felt towards Prince Eric, played by Thomas Oldreive, felt authentic and absolute.

No story is complete without a villain: Shelby Turk commanded the stage as Ursula with her commendable vocals and immediate stage presence. Ursula's eel minions, Jetsam and Flotsam as portrayed by Jerusa Lamoureux and Kate Tambasco were appropriately slippery and slimey. Their physicality and chemistry added an extra air of maliciousness to Ursula's lair.

The creation of an enchanting underwater world was aided by the production's ensemble. The group of talented students worked as one to bring the ocean into the theater, constantly upping their energy and enthusiasm to the next level.

Kaylin Schenk and Melissa Doberstein worked as student choreographers to create a few of the numbers, shaping one of the most important aspects of the show. Their choreography helped tremendously to define the underwater aspect of the production. Costumes, a number of which were designed, compiled, and built by Simon Grycan, Nancy Skorobohach, Taylor Bartlett and Naomi Jutras — were essential in adding that final touch to Ariel's world.

With constant energy and passion, Strathcona Christian Academy's production of The Little Mermaid took the audience under the sea for a heartwarming rendition of a well-loved story.

Ashlyn Osborne
Harry Ainlay
Submitted for publication to Edmonton Journal 3

A classic Disney fairy tale brought to life with high energy, sparkling smiles and beautiful rendition of all the well-known songs. It's the perfect description for Strathcona Christian Academy's production of The Little Mermaid – a show that was first seen on Broadway in 2007. The story follows a curious red-headed mermaid, Ariel, who yearns to be part of our world after she falls in love with a human prince named Eric. However, upon hearing the disastrous news, her father King Triton makes his disapproving opinion of the humans known. Desperate, Ariel seeks the help of her evil aunt Ursula who takes pity on her poor, unfortunate soul and gives her legs. The catch? Not only must she get the Prince to kiss her by sunset of the third day, she must also give up her voice. Her journey on land proves to be quite a challenge, but with the help of her friends she is able to create peace between the two worlds.

Throughout the whole performance, Ariel (Kaylin Schenk) captivated the audience with her graceful voice and her perfect Disney smile. From her wobbly legs when she first tried to stand, to the look of sheer terror when her lobster friend Sebastian (Zachary Vander Heide) was almost served as the main course at the palace, she kept the audience entranced with her incredible body language after the evil sea witch, Ursula (Shelby Turk), had taken her voice. Just when the audience thought it couldn't get any better, Ariel and Prince Eric (Thomas Oldreive) showed us their undeniable chemistry that shone during their dance to One Step Closer in the second act.

Ariel's fish friend Flounder (Ashlyn Ganske) displayed amazing and consistent characterization as did Sebastian (Zachary Vander Heide) who accurately portrayed his character while maintaining a wonderful accent throughout the entire musical.

Another notable performance was that of Ursula (Shelby Turk) and her evil eel minions, Flotsam (Kate Tambasco) and Jetsam (Jerusa Lamoureux). While Urusla demonstrated her sinister qualities through the well-done execution of her song, Poor Unfortunate Soul, her sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam completely transformed the performance with their incredibly fluid and exaggerated movements creating the perfect illusion of eels.

Along with the remarkable performance of each actor, the technical aspects were also quite astonishing. The colourful lights that set the scene and the beautiful makeup (Kaylin Schenk, Mia Holowaychuk, Vanessa Rukiidi and team) of each character created a fantastic atmosphere for the entire show.

Actors of the Strathcona Christian Academy's production of The Little Mermaid brought us into the wonderful land of Disney for an amazing family fun performance.

Kayla Warkentin
Millwoods Christian School
Submitted for publication to Edmonton Journal 4

With tales of true love and magic, fairytales influence lives in a way little else can. In their production of Disney's The Little Mermaid, Strathcona Christian Academy beautifully captured this magic, allowing the audience to, once again, experience the enchantment and whimsy of this classic story. The performance stunningly illustrated the quandary of a young mermaid willing to sacrifice everything she knows for true love. Every aspect of the production brought the characteristic Disney quality to the stage, and it transported the audience to a time in their childhood when magic was real.

Performances of well-known songs, such as Under the Sea and Kiss the Girl, as well as Broadway additions like Positoovity, incorporated mesmerizing choreography that was very well-executed. The presentation of Under the Sea was wonderfully chaotic with a stunning use of lighting that illuminated the whole auditorium. The ever-synchronized ship crew was impressive, as they cleverly moved in time to the background set. Everyone on stage was animated, and had fantastic energy. Josh Park clearly enjoyed portraying Chef Louis, which translated into a highly comedic, very animated piece of the musical. The actors developed a tangible chemistry between their characters, which allowed for great overall stage energy.

Kaylin Schenk's portrayal of Ariel was magnificent. Her movements were purposeful, graceful, and seemingly effortless. Beautiful vocals, paired with an excellent depiction of Ariel's innocence, made for a memorable performance. Shelby Turk, as Ursula, had fantastic vocals, energy, and enunciation. Prince Eric (Thomas Oldreive) was well characterized, and performed the choreography capably.

Zachary Vander Heide's characterization of Sebastian was impressive, and he managed to maintain a difficult accent while singing, which was highly admirable. Ashlyn Ganske, as Flounder, had fantastic energy throughout the performance. The audience fell in love with the character from the moment that she glided onto the stage in Heelys, and her portrayal of Flounder was consistently believable and engaging.

The design of the costumes greatly contributed to the underwater setting, and bright colour choices really brought the characters to life. The mermaid costumes were intricate, beautiful, and unique to each character and personality. The makeup was also very impressive, especially for the characters of Ursula, Flotsam (Kate Tambasco), and Jetsam (Jerusa Lamoureux). It spectacularly developed the ominous nature of these antagonists. The use of lighting was remarkable, and it set the mood and settings beautifully. There were a few moments in which the sound cut out, but the cast made up for these with strong projections and smooth, consistent acting. Also smooth and consistent were the set changes. The cast seamlessly and efficiently moved very large set pieces around the stage, and successfully created consistency among the scenes. The base set was incredibly versatile, and there was an excellent use of space with the mobile sets. A smoke machine was used in multiple scenes, and it was timed and executed very well.

This light-hearted, energetic performance positoovely captivated the audience, and was made very memorable by the incredible talents of everyone involved.

Xu Hong Chen
Harry Ainlay
Submitted for publication to Edmonton Journal 5

Strathcona Christian Academy's production of Disney's The Little Mermaid had the audience on the edge of their seats as they urged Prince Eric to kiss Ariel. With their enthusiastic singing, the cast truly became the simple, powerful characters in their spectacular rendition of the children's fairy tale.

Following the success of its predecessors, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, the spirited musical The Little Mermaid is an adaptation of the 1989 classic children's film. After a sold out pre-Broadway tryout in 2007, the production went on to Broadway where 50 previews and 685 performances were held before it closed on August 30, 2009. Director Glenn Casale then reimagined the musical, most notably introducing the song Daddy's Little Angel.

In an enchanting underwater kingdom, the mermaid Ariel longs to explore the human world. Opposing her father's wishes, she makes trips to the surface with her friend, the tropical fish Flounder. In one of these trips, she saves the handsome Prince Eric from a storm and falls in love with him. To reunite with Eric and obtain his love, Ariel makes a contract with the evil witch Ursula: in exchange for her beautiful voice, Ariel will become human for three days. In order to remain human, she must receive a kiss from Eric within that time, or her soul will belong to Ursula.

In Strathcona Christian Academy's well-rehearsed performance of The Little Mermaid, the lively cast shone through the remarkable natural harmony amid the complex choreography and the marvellous, melodious singing.

Immediately on taking the stage, Ariel (Kaylin Schenk) delighted the audience with her alluring voice and her powerful portrayal of a dreamy girl in love. Her yearning for the world above pleasantly complemented Prince Eric's (Thomas Oldreive) desire to fathom life in the ocean below. Their stunning chemistry in both song and dance was displayed through their graceful performance of One Step Closer. Sebastian the crab, played by Zachary Vander Heide, adeptly maintained his lighthearted accent and added a lovely touch of comedy and cheer throughout his performance, especially in songs Under the Sea and Positoovity. In contrast, the wicked Ursula (Shelby Turk) brought out a chilling malice with her masterful control of both high and low tones, and her synchronization with the slippery smooth body movements of Jetsam (Jerusa Lamoureux) and Flotsam's (Kate Tambasco) made the audience go wild.

Assisted by huge community support, Strathcona Christian Academy provided students with the opportunity to work with professionals in technical theatre. The beautiful animated backdrops accompanied by the exquisitely painted sets created a beautiful Disney atmosphere for the cast. While the cast danced in these stunning environments, the ingenious costume design (Naomi Jutras and Fashion Studies students) and intricate choreography (Melissa Doberstein, Kaylin Schenk for Daughters of Triton and Positoovity) dazzled the audience. Fish scales glimmered all around the stage under colourful underwater lighting, harmonizing with student voices and the professional orchestra.

Fueled by Strathcona Christian Academy's passion for Disney and theatre, their performance of The Little Mermaid exuded a beautiful, majestic aura that brought the original fairy tale to life.