Sunday’s full dress rehearsal was wet and wild, but even a blackout didn’t dampen the spirits of the Little Mermaid Junior cast.
With the Milton Follies’ production of the Disney hit musical set to open at the Milton Theatre on Friday night, the show had to go on, with the entire cast and crew braving storms, flood and power outages for a full day of rehearsals.
The hit song Under the Sea took on a new meaning as the rain pelted down, while the sea witch felt right at home amid flashes of lightning on and off the stage.
Little Mermaid Junior director Lloyd McDonald and his crew also experienced hiccups during Saturday’s technical light and sound rehearsal, with a blackout again cutting the day short, however, he said the show will go on.
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do before Friday, but everyone is doing a fabulous job,” he said.
“Sunday’s rehearsal is usually such an important day spent getting everything just right, so to have it cut short will mean everyone’s going to have to work even harder this week.”
Lloyd said the colourful musical will showcase many young talented performers including Brea Holland who plays Ariel, alongside Prince Eric played by Rocco Forrester-Sach.
“Brea and Rocco are sure to wow the audiences in this classic love story,” Lloyd said.
“Alannah-Grace Henkel is absolutely outstanding as the evil Ursula the Sea Witch – she is lapping up the role and will be a crowd-pleaser for sure.
“Poppy Gillespie is energetic and funny as Flounder, while Erin Tebbutt as Scuttle will bring plenty of laughs with her crazy – and noisy - antics.”
Lloyd said the Mersisters would delight with their colourful costumes and stunning harmonies, while the comical chefs and serious sailors will ensure plenty of action on the sea and in the kitchen.
Tilly Gravenor as the court announcer and Lucas McDonald as Chef Louis show that even the youngest cast members can bring some big personality to the stage.
As Ariel sings and dances her way through the sea, she is assisted by her friend Sebastian played by Duncan McDonald who belts out the popular tunes Kiss the Girl and Under the Sea.
Lloyd said tickets were selling fast for the production, with six shows over the next two weekends.
“It’s a stunning show, with great songs, beautiful costumes and a cast that has put in so much effort since February,” he said.
Tickets for the shows are available via miltonfollies.org or from Splatters of Milton.
