| The Little Mermaid – presented by Canal Walk Theatre Where: Canal Walk Shopping Mall When: June 15 – July 7, 2024 at 11 am, 12.30 pm, 2pm. Closed Mondays Bookings: Webtickets, click here to buy or the box office on site at the event Percentage of profits will be donated to CHOC. Please note: No prams or trolleys allowed in the theatre. A pram and trolley park is available. Under 2’s, sitting on laps do not require a ticket Info: Amandam@canalwalk.co.za |
Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer’s staging of The Little Mermaid is shimmering and glittering on stage at Canal Walk Theatre winter 2024. This musical play, based on the fairytale of Hans Christian Andersen stars a stunning ensemble cast of eight: Zoë Gray (The Little Mermaid), Marcel Meyer (King Neptune), Jeani Heyns (The Sea Witch), Thinus Viljoen (Prince Frederick), Edith Plaatjies (The Queen Mother), Rebeca Hartle (Danny the Dolphin), Brandon Jones (Schoolmaster and Thomas Turtle) and Shakir Bester (puppeteer and assistant stage manager).
The company is a joy in rendering this much loved fairytale and making it accessible and relevant for young audiences. It is not scary and it ends well. The Little Mermaid finds happiness with her prince on land and doesn’t disintegrate into foam to freak out the small fry. The songs and quirky dialogue is hugely entertaining and keeps one focused to see how it ends – and yes, it ends happily.
The voices and characterisations are fabulous. Zoë Gray, Jeani Heyns, Marcel Meyer and Thinus Viljoen were in the recent acclaimed production pf Sweeney Todd at the Olympia Bakery, staged by Abrahamse & Meyer Productions and it is great to see them in theatre for children, giving their all for a young audience It has been a while since I saw Fleur du Cap Theatre Award Winning musical theatre star, Edith Plaatjies on stage and she nails it as the Queen Mother. In addition to their principal roles, Meyer and Plaatjies also take on the roles of puppets – deep water fish in service of the Sea Witch.
Meyer’s ocean chic costumes brings glam to the Little Mermaid and to The Sea Queen who look like they are going to a red carpet event in glimmering gowns. As in previous Canal Walk productions of The Little Mermaid, by Abrahamse and Meyer, the ocean is cleverly and magically simulated by Lycra which is stretched across the stage to evoke the gentle swell of waves. It is a womb like space in which the protagonists bob along and duck and dive playfully in the “waves”. Iridescent lighting by JP Wilson illuminates the stage area beautifully.
A new innovation in this production is that the stage is stage flanked by an oceanic wonderland beamed onto screens, imaging the magic and of the ocean; that it is a precious resource and we need to urgently make sure that we are not throwing away plastic and trash to clog it up. The beautiful projection design is by Kirsti Cumming and it becomes an immersive experience as the ocean wraps itself around the story.
As a prologue to the musical play, the young audience are invited to become activists and to avoid ocean pollution, by learning a song. The take-home is that beyond the fairytale, we should focus on our reality of our own city and its ocean. I loved this. The Little Mermaid is fun, entertaining, with a fabulous soundtrack, sumptuous costumes and a script which holds the attention of the older folk as well as the little ones. Do not miss this quality production for children and their accompanying adults.
✳ Zoë Gray as the Little Mermaid in The Little Mermaid, presented by Canal Walk Theatre, Cape Town, winter 2024, staging by Fred Abrhamse and Marcel Meyer. Pic: Fiona MacPherson. Supplied.
