The Little Mermaid
at Academy of the New Church

Reviewed on April 23, 2022

Audrey McCollum
Upper Merion Area High School
Submitted for publication to WordPress Site and Cappies Page

I can say with "Positoovity" that the Academy of the New Church's production of The Little Mermaid was truly "Beyond My Wildest Dreams!"

The show follows Ariel, a mermaid princess who rebels against her father's hateful view of humans and dreams to leave the ocean. When she eventually saves the man of her dreams from drowning, she decides she must make her way to land, even if that means making a deal with the abhorred sea witch, Ursula. Unfortunately, the deal takes away her beautiful voice, and she falls head-over-fins into trouble. But, even in the most dire of times, her devotion to her prince carries her on in this tale of forbidden love.

The ensemble was always ready to jump into action, dancing along to an oceanic rhythm in "Under the Sea" and following quick comedic timing in "Les Poissons (Reprise)."

Captivating the audience with her angelic voice during "Part of Your World" was Anya Durand as Ariel. Perfecting Ariel's childlike infatuation with the human world, Durand's portrayal of the yearning, ambitious mermaid had the entire audience just as entranced by her as Prince Eric was. Alongside Ariel was Evan Buss, who portrayed Prince Eric. With Buss's gentle demeanor and a strong performance during "Her Voice," it was easy for the audience to understand why Ariel gave up her voice for the man.

The Little Mermaid wouldn't have been complete with Ariel's anxious and neurotic companion Sebastian, played by Christopher Fox. Fox's accented and unique voice shined in "Kiss the Girl," and he was consistently hilarious in his attempts to not become the next meal prepared by the eccentric Chef Louis (Ainsley Odhner). Terrifying not only Ariel but everyone watching was Maggie Stine as Ursula, who ensured that her every word, whether it was lamenting her life story or performing "Poor Unfortunate Souls," was dripping with malice. Ursula wouldn't have been complete without her companions, Flotsam (Ainsley Odhner) and Jetsam (Meg Matsukawa), who were entrancing during numbers such as "Sweet Child."

Constructing the "Fathoms Below" was the talented ANC Stagecraft, who made the production beautiful to watch. However, the pretty sets wouldn't have been complete without ANC Costuming Class's stunning costumes. Ursula's tentacles and Flounder's shimmering fins ensured that the show was impossible to look away from.

"If Only" I could see Academy of the New Church's Little Mermaid again and again!

Evelyn Walker
Conestoga High School
Submitted for publication to WordPress Site and Cappies Page

Academy of the New Church made a splash with their first musical since 2018, "The Little Mermaid". Impressive technical elements, character voices, and fast-moving dialogue brought new life to the classic show.

"The Little Mermaid" premiered on Broadway in 2008 and is closely based on Disney's 1989 film of the same name. It tells the story of a young mermaid, Ariel, who is fascinated by the human world. When she trades her voice to a sea witch for legs in the hopes of wooing a human prince, Ariel discovers not only a new world but the power of home and family.

The students displayed proficiency in character building along with set and costume production. Many scenes involved a flying system through which cast members were suspended above the stage. This system added to the performance and allowed the students to display their acrobatic abilities. Overall, the show was impressive in both technology and performance.

Anya Durand shone as Ariel, having perfected the character's voice and giving the audience a sense of nostalgia. Her vocal control was impressive, especially during the classic song "Part of Your World", during which she swam above the stage on the flying system while belting, a feat which requires both core strength and incredible breath control. Durand was also a strong physical actor, especially when her character was trying to walk on human legs for the first time. Durand worked across from Evan Buss, who received the phone call that he would be playing Prince Eric just days before the show opened after the original actor could no longer go on. Not only did Buss have his lines and blocking fully memorized, but he also performed with emotion and a strong voice.

Tara Pitcairn, who played Scuttle the seagull, flew onstage at the beginning of the show and had impressive physical acting throughout. She displayed strong dancing ability during the upbeat tap number "Positoovity" and kept the audience laughing. Christopher Fox's Sebastian was consistently high-energy and fun to watch. Fox had a beautiful voice, which especially shone during "Kiss the Girl". Working alongside Ainsley Odhner's Chef Louis, Fox performed a hysterical chase scene following the raucous number "Les Poissons".

The technical elements were especially difficult for this show, with the flying system, a motorized boat, and even an explosion onstage. The crew handled all these elements well and carried out difficult scene changes with ease.

The cast of "The Little Mermaid" at the Academy of the New Church made audiences "part of their world" and brought them on an exciting adventure both on land and under the sea.

Laila Hatcher
Jenkintown MS/HS
Submitted for publication to Cappies Page

With the help of ANC's mer-magic, our souls were not poor or unfortunate on Saturday night.

Starting with Ariel played by Anya Durand, the audience truly felt a part of her world. Anya very elegantly sang her way through the show just as a mermaid should. Anya gave flair to Ariel's character and convincingly helped us see why she collected her whosits and whatsits. Starring alongside Anya was Prince Eric played by Evan Buss. Evan only found out that he would be playing the role of Prince Eric on Tuesday night and very quickly got to work. Evan did a terrific job of playing Eric and as the show progressed the audience saw Evan get more comfortable in his role.

Based on the classic story written by Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid follows the story of Ariel. Ariel is a curious mermaid who wants to be where the people are but her father has forbidden her from swimming up to the surface. When Ariel falls in love with a man she saved from drowning, she sells her voice to Ursula for a pair of legs. The Little Mermaid musical with a book by Doug Wright, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman quickly became a crowd favorite after first opening on Broadway in 2008.

Throughout the show, Ariel changed into different dresses. These dresses included a purple wedding dress, blue nightgown, and a pink dining dress. All of the costumes were made by students including Ursula's fabulous black tentacle outfit. The makeup and hair was also executed by students which included gills and a fish tail for Flounder. Ursula was also shining in glitter. The hair and makeup was very impressive and added elements to each specific character.


Every character added their own flair to the show. Notably, Sebastian, played by Christopher Fox, had stunning vocals. In big numbers such as "Kiss the Girl" and "Under the Sea", the audience got all of the excitement and umph that was expected and so much more. In songs that were not well known such as "Daddy's Little Girl" sung by Ursula played by Maggie Stine, the audience was completely captivated by Ursula's wickedness and her enchanting vocals.

The technical aspects of the show were absolutely astonishing. From characters swimming up in the air and doing backflips to King Triton's flash of lightning, the audience never knew what was going to come next and were completely engaged in everything happening on stage.

Oh what would I give to watch Academy of the New Church's production of The Little Mermaid once more?

Larissa Heather
PA Leadership Charter School: Center for Performing & Fine Arts
Submitted for publication to Cappies Page

The Academy of the New Church Secondary School's splash performance of The Little Mermaid taught the audience what it feels like to be in love.

The Little Mermaid is a classic tale of a mermaid who falls in love with a human prince. She defies her father's wishes, and attempts to meet the boy she fell in love with. Trading her voice for legs, she goes onto the land and has to kiss Prince Eric before the sunset of the third day. Ariel, with the help of her friends, goes through a magical journey of rebellion, adventure, and love.

Anya Durand was the obvious choice to play Ariel. Her magical, soft voice fit the princess role perfectly. Anya studied her body language, making sure the audience knew when she was underwater, and when she was on the surface. Durand did an incredible job of putting her all into the famous character, making Ariel her own.

Evan Buss, (Prince Eric), was called into the part only four days prior, thus having little time to rehearse the part of Prince Eric. The obvious nerves of Buss were undeniably there, but it was lovely seeing Buss slowly become more and more comfortable each minute that he was on the stage. Buss did an incredible job of learning the parts and stepping into the shoes of Ian Kistner. Buss' performance of Prince Eric was admirable.

Ainsley Odhner is an obvious audience favourite with her portrayal of Chef Louis. Odhner stole the show, comedically, and vocally. Odhner's voice filled the theatre much better than the others had. Odhner's diction was outstanding, even with the accent. Odhner played Flotsam, next to Meg Matsukawa's Jetsam, who also deserved an honourable mention for her vocals as well. Their short song, "Sweet Child," showcased their abilities to sing, and captivated the audience.

The technical elements of the show really provided a safety net that the cast, especially the ensemble, seemed to rely on perhaps too much. There was a lack of energy from many of the ensemble members that could not go unnoticed. The Sea Gulls ensemble was one of the few ensembles that seemed to be excited to be involved, and awake.

Technically, the show was outstanding. New Church had many additional hours to make sure that the cast looked good due to the school's costume class. The help of teachers must have been inevitable since it was a class, but the costumes nonetheless were beautifully made and suited each cast member perfectly.

Grace Childs and Rona McMackin did a great job at conducting such a technical musical.

The Academy of the New Church Secondary School's performance of The Little Mermaid was a very good attempt at The Little Mermaid, and was a great show back after the school's 4-year-musical-hiatus.