The Little Mermaid
at Anaheim High School

Reviewed on February 17, 2017

Cassidy McCleary
San Clemente High School
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts

Anaheim dives under the sea with ‘Little Mermaid'
written by Cassidy McCleary, a senior at San Clemente High School

Anaheim High School performs swimmingly in a high-energy production of Disney's "The Little Mermaid". The musical tells the classic "tail" of mermaid Ariel, who trades her voice to the sea witch, Ursula, for a chance to win the heart of a human prince, in spite of her family's fear of the barbarians on land.

Shining in the role of Ariel is Stephanie A. Chavez. Her youthful persona, evident in her ever-present smile and joyful giggles perfectly encompass the youthful naiveté of the young princess as she explores the world above. Her joie de vivre is matched by a delicate soprano that floats with a yearning to be "Part of your World". As well as adept vocals, Chavez possesses grace in all her movements as she transitions from swimming underwater to fleetly walking on land. When under the sea, Chavez consistently undulates her arms and body to mimic the flow of ocean waves, but on land she transitions her energy to expressive hand gestures in place of speech and effortless waltzes with her counterpart, Prince Eric, played by Lorenzo Belmontez.

A foil to Chavez's Ariel is Alexia Rosa, as the nefarious Ursula. Rosa embodies Ursula's conniving maliciousness as she belts out the iconic "Poor Unfortunate Souls" with a fiendish richness. Her seductive hip swivels and purposeful steps add to her persuasive nature as she entices Ariel into a binding contract with her soul as collateral.

Adding a moment of extreme levity to the unfolding story is Ashley Dorado, as the crazed Chef Louis. Her larger-than-life scowls and grins pair with a thick French accent and the requisite gravelly laugh to complete the picture of an eccentric chef obsessed with "Les Poisson."

Supporting the actors is a dedicated stage crew (Juan Munoz, Bianca Trujillo, Juliette Castro) guided by the stage manager, Julia Mora, whose quick movements produce efficient transitions and keep the show flowing smoothly.

Hair and makeup, by Alejandra Tafoya, Kaylee Rivera, Eva Villasenior, and Bianca Trujillo, adds color to the show and aids in differentiating between the people on land and the fish in the sea. Using bright, metallic hues, the designers highlight the unique undersea atmosphere to contrast the neutral palette in the palace.

Anaheim's heartwarming production is a buoyant nod to the age-old fairytale and its themes of love and determination resonate with all who listen.

Cassidy McCleary
San Clemente High School
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts

Anaheim dives under the sea with ‘Little Mermaid'
written by Cassidy McCleary, a senior at San Clemente High School

Anaheim High School performs swimmingly in a high-energy production of Disney's "The Little Mermaid". The musical tells the classic "tail" of mermaid Ariel, who trades her voice to the sea witch, Ursula, for a chance to win the heart of a human prince, in spite of her family's fear of the barbarians on land.

Shining in the role of Ariel is Stephanie A. Chavez. Her youthful persona, evident in her ever-present smile and joyful giggles perfectly encompass the youthful naiveté of the young princess as she explores the world above. Her joie de vivre is matched by a delicate soprano that floats with a yearning to be "Part of your World". As well as adept vocals, Chavez possesses grace in all her movements as she transitions from swimming underwater to fleetly walking on land. When under the sea, Chavez consistently undulates her arms and body to mimic the flow of ocean waves, but on land she transitions her energy to expressive hand gestures in place of speech and effortless waltzes with her counterpart, Prince Eric, played by Lorenzo Belmontez.

A foil to Chavez's Ariel is Alexia Rosa, as the nefarious Ursula. Rosa embodies Ursula's conniving maliciousness as she belts out the iconic "Poor Unfortunate Souls" with a fiendish richness. Her seductive hip swivels and purposeful steps add to her persuasive nature as she entices Ariel into a binding contract with her soul as collateral.

Adding a moment of extreme levity to the unfolding story is Ashley Dorado, as the crazed Chef Louis. Her larger-than-life scowls and grins pair with a thick French accent and the requisite gravelly laugh to complete the picture of an eccentric chef obsessed with "Les Poisson."

Supporting the actors is a dedicated stage crew (Juan Munoz, Bianca Trujillo, Juliette Castro) guided by the stage manager, Julia Mora, whose quick movements produce efficient transitions and keep the show flowing smoothly.

Hair and makeup, by Alejandra Tafoya, Kaylee Rivera, Eva Villasenior, and Bianca Trujillo, adds color to the show and aids in differentiating between the people on land and the fish in the sea. Using bright, metallic hues, the designers highlight the unique undersea atmosphere to contrast the neutral palette in the palace.

Anaheim's heartwarming production is a buoyant nod to the age-old fairytale and its themes of love and determination resonate with all who listen.

Jana Phillips
St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts

Anaheim's ‘The Little Mermaid' journeys ‘Under the Sea'
written by Jana Phillips, a senior at St. Margeret's Episcopal School

Equal parts enchanting and enthralling, Anaheim High School's production of ‘The Little Mermaid' captivates with a highly energetic cast and a commitment to character that transforms the stage.

In ‘The Little Mermaid' Ariel (Stephanie A. Chavez) is fascinated with the world of humans, longing to be a part of their world. So when her aunt Ursula asks for her voice in exchange for a chance to join that world, Ariel agrees and embarks on a journey to win her true love.

Chavez is thoroughly enchanting as she conveys her character's youthful persona through animated expressions of awe and child-like giggles. She emphasizes the switch when scenes take place underwater by making her movements more fluid, moving her tail and gliding across the stage.

Alexia Rosa plays the role of the seductive, evil sea-witch Ursula through the tone of her voice and the way she twists her arms and smirks. Her minions, Flotsam (Teffanie Amador) and Jetsam (Fernando Calvillo), portray their snake-like personas with slithering movements.

In a show where a large portion of the characters are creatures of some sort, makeup (Julia Mora, Bianca Trujillo, Juan Munoz) effectively transform the actors. For Scuttle (Victoria Ahuatzi) a white painted face and colored orange colored nose brings to life the figure of a bird, while Sebastian's (Emiliano Torres) bright-red makeup enhances his crustacean character.

The actors themselves do much to convey their animalistic characters as well. Ahuatzi as Scuttle is energetic and animated in the way she cocks her head to the side and bounds about the stage in a state of quirkiness that befits her character. While Torres as Sebastian waddles in a sort of crab-like manner to and fro as he chases after Ariel.

The head chef at the castle, Ashley Dorado as Chef Louis, is a highlight of the show. The little flourishes in her body movements and her crazed expressions punctuate her lines and adds to the comedic nature of her character.

Throughout the show, stage management (Julia Mora) and crew keep the production moving flawlessly. Quick and smooth transitions with such a large set is no small feat, and the crew executes this very well.

Anaheim's production of ‘The Little Mermaid' tells a story relatable to all generations: the feeling of not fitting in and of wanting to strike out in the world – to find where you belong.

Jana Phillips
St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts

Anaheim's ‘The Little Mermaid' journeys ‘Under the Sea'
written by Jana Phillips, a senior at St. Margeret's Episcopal School

Equal parts enchanting and enthralling, Anaheim High School's production of ‘The Little Mermaid' captivates with a highly energetic cast and a commitment to character that transforms the stage.

In ‘The Little Mermaid' Ariel (Stephanie A. Chavez) is fascinated with the world of humans, longing to be a part of their world. So when her aunt Ursula asks for her voice in exchange for a chance to join that world, Ariel agrees and embarks on a journey to win her true love.

Chavez is thoroughly enchanting as she conveys her character's youthful persona through animated expressions of awe and child-like giggles. She emphasizes the switch when scenes take place underwater by making her movements more fluid, moving her tail and gliding across the stage.

Alexia Rosa plays the role of the seductive, evil sea-witch Ursula through the tone of her voice and the way she twists her arms and smirks. Her minions, Flotsam (Teffanie Amador) and Jetsam (Fernando Calvillo), portray their snake-like personas with slithering movements.

In a show where a large portion of the characters are creatures of some sort, makeup (Julia Mora, Bianca Trujillo, Juan Munoz) effectively transform the actors. For Scuttle (Victoria Ahuatzi) a white painted face and colored orange colored nose brings to life the figure of a bird, while Sebastian's (Emiliano Torres) bright-red makeup enhances his crustacean character.

The actors themselves do much to convey their animalistic characters as well. Ahuatzi as Scuttle is energetic and animated in the way she cocks her head to the side and bounds about the stage in a state of quirkiness that befits her character. While Torres as Sebastian waddles in a sort of crab-like manner to and fro as he chases after Ariel.

The head chef at the castle, Ashley Dorado as Chef Louis, is a highlight of the show. The little flourishes in her body movements and her crazed expressions punctuate her lines and adds to the comedic nature of her character.

Throughout the show, stage management (Julia Mora) and crew keep the production moving flawlessly. Quick and smooth transitions with such a large set is no small feat, and the crew executes this very well.

Anaheim's production of ‘The Little Mermaid' tells a story relatable to all generations: the feeling of not fitting in and of wanting to strike out in the world – to find where you belong.

Annie Reyland
San Clemente High School
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook Page

Anaheim High School's "The Little Mermaid" is dazzling
written by Annie Reyland, a senior at San Clemente High School

Anaheim High School presents "The Little Mermaid", a lively and fun musical about friendships and love under the sea. When Ariel falls in love with a human prince named Eric, she will do anything to be part of human world. With upbeat songs, fantastic dancing, and emotional storytelling, Anaheim presents this stunning show.

Stephanie A. Chavez gracefully portrays the young, energetic Ariel. Chavez employs youthful smiles and giggles to bring across Ariel's fun and curious nature. Contrastingly, Chavez belts out beautiful songs about Ariel's longing to be human and be with Eric. A stand out song is definitely "Part of Your World", where Chavez employs her intense emotional connection to her human dream. Chavez successfully portrays the character when she can no longer speak with her "in love" physicality. She successfully plays the lovable mermaid who follows her dreams.

Playing the antagonist of the musical, Ursula, Alexia Rosa, embodies the persona of an evil sea witch. Impressing us with her dark character voice and rich body movements, Rosa is as evil as evil can be. Rosa captures Ursula's seductive body language and pulls Ariel into a sick trap. With her booming and impressive vocals, Alexia Rosa is a show stealer.

A standout part of the show is the ensemble in the upbeat number, "Under the Sea". The ensemble entertains with high energy dancing as well as flips and jumps. Overall, the ensemble is a high point of this show and does not disappoint.

The makeup, by Julia Mora, Bianca Trujillo, and Juan Munoz, adds a seemingly professional element to the show as a whole. The makeup impressively transforms the actors into fish and mermaids. The makeup for the under the sea actors is metallic and bright, as opposed to neutral for the humans. This contrast adds a new layer to the show and makes the under the sea moments even more magical.

The stage manager, Julia Mora, successfully ran a great show from top to bottom. Mora's stage-managing was both efficient and smooth and the set changes were called wonderfully.

The actors and the crew bring a magical Disney tale to life and thoroughly entertain. Overall, Anaheim High School impresses with its rendition of "The Little Mermaid".

Annie Reyland
San Clemente High School
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook Page

Anaheim High School's "The Little Mermaid" is dazzling
written by Annie Reyland, a senior at San Clemente High School

Anaheim High School presents "The Little Mermaid", a lively and fun musical about friendships and love under the sea. When Ariel falls in love with a human prince named Eric, she will do anything to be part of human world. With upbeat songs, fantastic dancing, and emotional storytelling, Anaheim presents this stunning show.

Stephanie A. Chavez gracefully portrays the young, energetic Ariel. Chavez employs youthful smiles and giggles to bring across Ariel's fun and curious nature. Contrastingly, Chavez belts out beautiful songs about Ariel's longing to be human and be with Eric. A stand out song is definitely "Part of Your World", where Chavez employs her intense emotional connection to her human dream. Chavez successfully portrays the character when she can no longer speak with her "in love" physicality. She successfully plays the lovable mermaid who follows her dreams.

Playing the antagonist of the musical, Ursula, Alexia Rosa, embodies the persona of an evil sea witch. Impressing us with her dark character voice and rich body movements, Rosa is as evil as evil can be. Rosa captures Ursula's seductive body language and pulls Ariel into a sick trap. With her booming and impressive vocals, Alexia Rosa is a show stealer.

A standout part of the show is the ensemble in the upbeat number, "Under the Sea". The ensemble entertains with high energy dancing as well as flips and jumps. Overall, the ensemble is a high point of this show and does not disappoint.

The makeup, by Julia Mora, Bianca Trujillo, and Juan Munoz, adds a seemingly professional element to the show as a whole. The makeup impressively transforms the actors into fish and mermaids. The makeup for the under the sea actors is metallic and bright, as opposed to neutral for the humans. This contrast adds a new layer to the show and makes the under the sea moments even more magical.

The stage manager, Julia Mora, successfully ran a great show from top to bottom. Mora's stage-managing was both efficient and smooth and the set changes were called wonderfully.

The actors and the crew bring a magical Disney tale to life and thoroughly entertain. Overall, Anaheim High School impresses with its rendition of "The Little Mermaid".