Curtain Call Kids' 'The Little Mermaid, Jr.' - My Review

I enjoyed the Curtain Call Kids' production of The Wizard of Oz that I attended at the Thomaston Opera House last August, but I was disappointed to miss their March production of Seussical Jr. So when I was invited by the musical director to attend the final dress rehearsal of The Little Mermaid Jr. at the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre in Torrington, how could I refuse?

Curtain Call Kids is a children's community theater group serving Western CT that offers its programs through Middlebury Parks and recreation. It is led by the marvelous Richard McKenna who serves as the director and producer Deb McKenna.

Their mission is "to provide an educational theater arts program for children of all abilities in a safe environment that enhances participants theatre skills, builds self-confidence and camaraderie, and delivers a high-quality children's community theater experience."

Parents give them high marks for user-friendliness and I have to admire the clear goals of the program and the caring manner in which it is carried out. Every child is required to audition and everyone gets a part. What I saw was that every member of the ensemble is a serious performer having a great time on the stage.

The musical is based on the 1989 Disney film of the same name and follows our heroine Ariel and her pals as she matches wits with the villainous Ursula in order to be with her true love Prince Eric. Despite the fact that I had enjoyed another young actors' version of the show this summer, in addition to a couple of recent viewings at Disneyworld, I loved it. The characters are all well-defined, the songs are adorable, and the costumes in this production especially were magical.

Some of my favorite undersea ensemble members included Naugatuck resident Christopher Bierly in his theatrical debut, Lily Thompson as the sax fish and Amanda Hackney, Julia Maisano and Allison VanDerlyn as the gulls. All of the performers who played sailors, sea creatures, unfortunate souls, chefs and princesses sang and danced really well.

The mostly older "veteran" actors took the lead roles. Caleigh Dodge had a great voice as the pilot of the prince's ship. Stephanie McCaffrey was the supportive member of his household and Brendon Vejseli was a riot as his chef. The mersisters were played by a group of lovely teenaged ladies decked out in sparkly jewel-toned costumes. Courtney Savino, Katherine Ross, Kathryn O'Donnell, Colleen Flanagan, Jillian Buckley, and Miss McCaffrey all sang beautifully.

Oxford resident Molly Connor as Flotsam and Claire Niesobecki as Jetsam slithered through their roles of the sea witch's "hencheels" wearing some great make-up. Alison Hudson, 17, used a British accent as Grimsby and had some great lines.

Naugatuck High School junior and Chamber Singer Michael Newman played the handsome Prince Eric and sang so well. King Triton was played by Brandon Arnold; his deep voice worked perfectly for the role of Ariel's dad. Nolan Cummings, a Wolcott resident and a sophomore at the Waterbury Arts Magnet School (WAMS,) was outstanding in the role of Sebastian the crab. He carried off the bright red ensemble, complete with a sequined "S" on the back of the jacket, he sang with a strong voice and he displayed perfect comic timing.

The impossibly talented Kennedy Morris sparkled in the role of the little fish Flounder. This young lady has the perfect speaking voice for the role and can sing with the best of them. Middlebury resident Marley Thompson was impressive in the evil role of Ursula. This 13 year old young lady is another strong  singer and she definitely had the best hair of the cast.

In the role of Scuttle the seagull, Middlebury resident Lauren Stango was a natural. This eighth grader had already appeared in 13 productions and clearly is a chip off the old block of her father Chuck Stango. Thomaston resident Veronica Johnson was a beautiful Ariel and is a 13 year old who can belt when a song requires it.

The adults who worked with this talent group of 56 actors ages six to 18 did an amazing job. Richard McKenna directed with a strong vision. His mom Mrs. McKenna covered the producing duties and Bill McKenna designed the simple set. T.J. Thompson, the father of a couple of the actresses, was Musical Director and played the keyboard as only he can. Will McKenna was in charge of the sound and Jameson Willey and Emily Seibert worked the lights. The extensive program, compiled by "the Neon Green Squid's mom, included a blurb on each and every member of the cast as well as a thank you to the team of "fabulous family volunteers" for all their hard work in helping to get this show on the Nancy Marine stage.