It’s December 1989; I’m about to turn 4 years old, and my mom and I are out on a girls’ night at the movies. 

We are sitting in the middle of the theater. The lights go dark, and a little red-haired mermaid swims onto the screen. I am mesmerized. I go home singing Ariel’s familiar ascending vocal motif, and don’t stop. I think I may have gone through two copies of that soundtrack on cassette after I got it for Christmas because I wore it out.

Thirty-four years later, there’s a new mermaid on screen and a theatrical production of the beloved film on stage at the Wagon Wheel Theatre in Warsaw. Now, I have a 6-year-old daughter to accompany me to the theater. 

I was not alone in taking my child to see Disney’s The Little Mermaid, playing at The Wagon Wheel through June 10. I would estimate that at least 25 percent of the audience was under age 10, and the princess and mermaid costumes were out in full force.

But why does it matter that there were children present? Because experiencing this show through the eyes of the young audience members was truly magical, much like the production. The Wagon Wheel pulled out all the stops on this production, and you could tell, even before the first chord, that it was going to be an amazing experience. 

Setting the scene

For any who have not been to The Wagon Wheel, it is an arena style, circular stage in the center with four aisles used for entrances and exits. When we entered the theater my daughter exclaimed, “Mommy, it looks like an aquarium!” and she wasn’t wrong. 

Ray Zupp’s scenic design is very reminiscent of the reef tanks that you would see in the Living Seas at Epcot. There is color and movement, as well as ruins to allude to both the pillars of the world above and King Triton’s undersea palace below. 

Actors get lost in roles

When the lights went down, in the dim, aqua light coming from the stage, my daughter spotted something in the aisle beside us. It was Ariel (Jessica Chunta in her Wagon Wheel debut). Then, suddenly, Ariel lifted off and swam, really swam, through the air, eliciting audible excited gasps from the very young members of the audience. 

Chunta’s Ariel is flawless, bubbly and sweet but full of attitude and, at the appropriate times, longing. Chunta shines through the whole show, embracing her physicality in Act 2 when she has no voice and vocally soaring through each of her songs when she does. Her performance of “Part of Your World” easily rivals Jodie Benson’s or Halle Bailey’s. It was so good that even my daughter’s Ariel doll clapped. Incredibly, it was performed predominantly in the air, which is a real accomplishment given the difficulty of the vocals required for the piece. 

And what is a princess without her prince? From the moment Prince Eric takes the stage, Brooks Andrew (returning for his second season at The Wagon Wheel) exudes charm and royal bearing. His velvety voice oozes with longing in “Her Voice,” and the chemistry that Andrew and Chunta share is marvelous. “One Step Closer” in Act 2 sees the two ballroom dancing while Ariel is unable to speak. There’s such a beautiful connection between the characters in this moment as Andrew’s gentle manner and charm really shine.

Fabulous airborne antics are also provided by Caleb McArthur as the bird Scuttle. His takeoffs and landings and zany characterization were spot on. McArthur does an excellent job channeling the physicality of Scuttle, embracing the big belly and feet and using his costume pieces to great comic effect. His tapping in “Positoovity” to kick off Act 2 is spectacular.

The familiar ensemble numbers “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl” from the movie are energetically lead by Jamal Stone as Sebastian and feature many colorful creature costumes. What I find particularly remarkable about the ensemble is the way they physicalize being under the water, even while performing in big musical numbers. Each creature finds ways to move as their creature would if it were weightless under the water. For the mermaids, this almost appeared as belly dancing, but Flotsam and Jetsam (Brady Foley and Ari Barmour) moved in a fluid but occasionally whip-like manner, much as an actual eel does.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the excellent performances by Marcus A. Brooks as a doting, overprotective King Triton, and Abby Menocal as his wicked, power-hungry sister Ursula. Menocal’s performance was saucy and flippant, and her interactions with Chunta were prickly in the best way. Brooks performs passionately when portraying both fury and desolation. His heartfelt performances in “If Only (Triton’s Lament)” and the “If Only (Quartet)” really tug at the heartstrings of the audience.

Amazing effects

The flying system, provided by ZFX, is an amazing asset to the show and is not abused but carefully placed to enhance the performance. 

Prince Eric being thrown overboard during the shipwreck is staged with spectacular effect: the ship literally breaks apart beneath Eric’s feet as he is lifted and tumbles in the air in slow motion. Ariel’s transformation is also performed airborne while the tiny eyes of young audience members look on in awe.

My daughter loved the show much as I did the animated movie so many years ago. 

When I asked her what the best part was, she replied, “I loved the new music, there were so many new things and new songs that aren’t in the movie.” 

And very much like I did all those years ago she rode much of the way home singing that familiar vocalise. 

Parents, take your children to see live theater. Let them be awestruck by seeing the characters they love brought to life before their eyes. Help your little ones to embrace performances that aren’t on a screen. 

Disney’s The Little Mermaid at The Wagon Wheel in Warsaw is the perfect way to start.