Worthington Christian Theatre Presents The Little Mermaid
Sellout expected of the popular musical.
february 7 update
We are thrilled about the incredible excitement around this performance and that tickets have been selling quickly! As of this post, here are the remaining seats for each performance.
Thursday: SOLD OUT
Friday: SOLD OUT
Saturday 2 PM: SOLD OUT
Saturday 7 PM: SOLD OUT
Sunday 7 PM: New Showtime Added!
Performance time for The Little Mermaid is approximately two hours, with general admission tickets costing $12; staff members receive two free tickets, with a $1 per ticket convenience fee coverage.
Don’t get lost at sea! Weigh anchor at WC, February 25, for this fabulous upcoming production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid!
original january 17 post
If cabin fever is setting in, here is the perfect solution for Worthington Christian families and friends: Worthington Christian School’s upcoming production of The Little Mermaid. Mark your calendars and reserve your tickets for any of these performance dates: February 22, 23, and 24. Performance time is 7 PM each evening, with an additional 2 PM performance on the 24th. Tickets are now on sale!
The Little Mermaid features a thirty-five-member cast and is directed and produced by David O’Roark.
O’Roark is enthusiastic about the show’s talented cast, which includes seniors Sabina Niehoff as Ariel and Rachel Hooley as Ursula, whom he believes will “blow the audience away.” When asked what he finds most rewarding, O’Roark responds, “Standing in the back and watching the audiences enjoy themselves. . .watching them laugh and react to the show feels like a great gift that we, as a theatre community, get to give to people.” O’Roark shares that the greatest challenge in producing this show has been that of costuming and creating colorful pieces to represent “fish and mer-people and crabs and eels while remembering that most people have seen the movie and have an idea of what these things should look like…[and] allow for movement.” Debbie’s Costume Shop has masterfully accomplished this tall order.
Niehoff (Ariel) has been involved in nine previous productions since her freshman year and states, “I’ve always loved singing, so it’s such a joy to be able to sing these wonderful songs in this part.” She has found it to be very rewarding to be onstage with all of the other cast members: “To me, one of the most important parts of theatre is the people I’m with, and that’s what makes it so enjoyable.” This is Hooley’s (Ursula) seventh production at WC. Her recent roles include Frog in A Year With Frog and Toad, a role for which she was nominated as a semifinalist in the CAPA Marquee Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role. Hooley is “excited for people to see a different side of me and embrace the spotlight and show-stopping factors of Ursula’s character.
In addition to Niefhoff and Hooley, the show features Andrew Myhal as Eric; Ben Hartman as King Triton; as well as Anjali Paul, Caroline Dean, Annah Niehoff, Emily Graham, MacKensie Barns as the Sisters; Jack Nicodemus as Scuttle; Eli Belcher as Sebastian; Angelo Lutz as Flounder; Jan Sattler as Chef Louis; Sara Kovich as Flotsam; Paisley O’Roark as Jetsam; and John Bauman as Grimsby.
Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney’s The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. With music by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, and a compelling book by Doug Wright, this fishy fable will capture your heart with its irresistible songs, including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.”
Ariel, King Triton’s youngest daughter, wishes to pursue the human Prince Eric in the world above, bargaining with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to trade her tail for legs. But the bargain is not what it seems, and Ariel needs the help of her colorful friends, Flounder, the fish, Scuttle, the seagull, and Sebastian, the crab, to restore order under the sea.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid offers a fantastic creative opportunity for rich costumes and sets and the chance to perform some of the best-known songs from the past 30 years.
As director for the past twenty-two years at WC, O’Roark designs and builds the set and lighting, makes costume decisions, coordinates the sound, and directs the actors. In addition, a ten-member student tech crew sets and resets the stage and runs the light and sound tech. Like any well-done theatre production, the cast invests many hours over many weeks to prepare for the performances. O’Roark shares that students invest ten to twelve hours per week in rehearsal. O’Roark oversees the production of four productions each year and is the recipient of the CAPA Marquee Awards for Best Director in a previous performance of Spongebob the Musical.
We look forward to the result of the creativity that has been poured into the sets and costuming. O’Roark describes the set as “massive” and includes many special effects. Professionally recorded music provides the soundtrack for the musical, which will be performed in the AC Auditorium, with sets that represent several locations, created by students and some “very gifted artists.”