Last week, Providence School’s theater department presented Disney’s The Little Mermaid directed by Mr. Scott Giddens. After months of hard work, late nights, and long hours, the cast finally took to the stage to rave reviews. “Absolutely amazing performances from the entire cast. These kids are simply amazing and the talent is superb!! Kudos to everyone involved in this production!” – Dawn Steger Long
Everyone loved this musical! The costumes, songs, presentation, characters, and voices were absolutely incredible. The set was incredible! It looked like a beautiful storybook and seamlessly transitioned from a trip under the sea to an adventure on land. There was never a dull moment and the audience was kept laughing throughout the show.
Ariel was played by Sofia Smith (’24) and Prince Eric by Trey Murphy (’26). Sofia’s voice projected across the stage and echoed in the auditorium. She played her part beautifully and made the perfect Ariel. Trey also did a stellar job, with his solos and facial expressions. Since Sofia and Trey have both performed professionally, it did not feel like a high-school production, but instead something straight from Broadway.
Some of the supporting characters such as Flounder, Andy Simonsen (’29), Sebastian played by Merrick Evans (’25), and Scuttle played by Audrey Rivera (’26), also seemed to steal the show whenever they made their way on stage. Andrew managed to play a perfect jealous fish role; the expressions and inflections in his voice matched exactly how you would imagine a jealous friend to be. Merrick also had an incredible performance with his depiction of Sebastian and adopting the classic Sebastian accent. Finally, Audrey in her role of Scuttle also did amazing, adding in the occasional seagull squawk.
The choreography, which was directed by Ellie Potts-Barrett, also went above and beyond. Under The Sea was perfectly in sync with expressions and moves and they took this number to the next level. Ariel and Eric also had an amazing scene where they used a lift that allowed them to seemingly “swim” across the stage. This created a cool effect as it helped the audience imagine themselves underwater.
Ariel’s sisters were also played incredibly well. The six sisters were played by Missy Soud (’26), Sophie Ratliff (’25), Ella Olsen (’26), Rileyy Dixon (’24), Ellie McGlohorn (’25), and Isabella Tuttle (‘26). Ursula’s eel minions were played by Aubri Morgan (’26) and Leeza Loftin (’28). All of these characters sang beautifully. While the eels did their slithering act superbly.
Spencer Maerkl played the hilarious Chef Louis and stole the show! When he sang Les Poissons, it was laugh-out-loud funny and had the entire audience giggling. The villainous Ursala was played by Katie Holsenbeck (’25) who had a huge role in this musical. Her energy and spunk kept everyone in suspense.
And lastly, King Triton played by Ben Zelenka (’25), who convincingly portrayed a father whose genuine love for his daughter could not be refuted. How often are we tempted to give up who we are because we think there is a better way? In the end, King Triton’s immeasurable love for his daughter is revealed as he steps in to pay the price for Ariel’s bad decisions. Isn’t this similar to what Jesus did for us? Ursula tempted Ariel, just as Satan tempts us, yet we are assured from the Bible that Jesus will one day, once and for all banish Satan.
This was one of the best musicals produced has ever produced. The entire Fine Arts Department would like to thank everyone who helped make this production possible including our sponsor Anchored Real Estate Group. Make sure to support Providence School’s Fine Arts department by attending their productions and concerts!
There are two photo galleries. The Flickr gallery is free to our parents. We also had a professional photographer, John Fountain Photography, who took over 1,000 beautiful photos for this production. These may be purchased on the link below or you can purchase the entire gallery at a discount by emailing johnfountainphoto@gmail.com.
