Not only have the 29 cast members of Paramount Theatre’s production of “Disney’s The Little Mermaid” been rehearsing musical scales, but also they have learned about fish scales and other aspects regarding creatures of the sea.
“We added some large-scale puppetry to the show,” said director and choreographer Amber Mak about the 27 sea-creature puppets featured in the production. “Underwater creatures do not move in a linear fashion. They go up and down and left and right. You will always see the puppeteer. The puppeteer is dressed as the character in the show. As far as I know, this is the first time this show is being done this way with puppetry.”
Puppet designer Jesse Mooney-Bullock, who is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, designed and built all the show’s puppets.
“We had a two-week workshop with just the puppets and the actors,” he said. “There was no fabric on the puppets at that time. They were just functional, so we could see if we needed to simplify them to make them easier to hold when they spun around, or change the headband or allow the actors to do the choreography. The goal was making them usable with all the other elements.”
“Disney’s The Little Mermaid” will be presented Nov. 23 through Jan. 8 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. Show times are: 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday; 7 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday; and noon and 5 p.m. Dec. 24. No shows will be presented Nov. 24 and Dec. 25.
The run has been extended to Jan. 15 with a week of new shows and times: 10 a.m. Jan. 12; 8 p.m. Jan. 13; 3 and 8 p.m. Jan. 14; and 1 and 5:30 p.m. Jan. 15.
“The Little Mermaid” tells the story of a young mermaid, Ariel, and her fascination with the human world. One day, while sneaking to the sea’s surface, Ariel witnesses a shipwreck and rescues Prince Eric, with whom she becomes instantly smitten. For a chance at true happiness, Ariel makes a deal with Ursula, the sea witch, who transforms the mermaid into a human. As part of the deal, while on land, Ariel will not have the ability to make a sound. If she fails, her soul and her voice become the property of Ursula.
“The Little Mermaid” is based on the animated 1989 Disney film of the same name and the classic story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The show features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and book by Doug Wright.
Songs in the show include “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl,” “Part of Your World” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”
In addition to finding actors well-trained in musical theater, Mak had the performers undergo a unique audition.
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“I had inanimate objects and had them act a scene with it,” she said. “I had a broomstick, a milk jug and some stuffed animals. This told me if they watched the object and paid attention to how it moves or if they ignored it.”
Two types of puppets are used in the production.
“We have the character puppets, like Sebastian, the crab, and the environmental puppets that swim around and give the show its visual energy,” Mooney-Bullock said. “Of the 27 puppets in the show, 12 are characters, eight are sea turtles, four are dolphins and three are birds.”
For a character puppet, it takes about two weeks to carve a wood face and make its moving parts.
“Then I spend a week or two adjusting, changing, and adjusting again, so about a total of three weeks,” Mooney-Bullock said. “The simple ones, like dolphins, take about two days.”
The puppet creator said that the designs are always changing.
“There is a lot of trial and error,” he said. “You try it, it does not work quite right. Sometimes the materials are not right and we have to respond with different materials. We have a lot of fabric that is shiny and metallic. It needs to have a reflective, shimmery aspect. Then that material change influences other decisions.”
But for Mooney-Bullock, the extra attention to detail is worth it.
“We are creating a magical world onstage,” he said. “I hope that kids who see the show will want to sing, dance, or create puppets and get involved in theater.”
Randall G. Mielke is a freelance writer.
‘Disney’s The Little Mermaid’
When: Nov. 23-Jan. 15
Where: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora
Tickets: $44-$59
Information: 630-896-6666 or www.paramountaurora.com