Family drama, set to music: CYT Spokane opens ‘The Little Mermaid’

Director AJ Sommerville had a few reasons for wanting to direct Christian Youth Theater – Spokane’s production of “The Little Mermaid.”

For starters, he so enjoyed directing “Seussical the Musical” for CYT Spokane last spring that he asked to once again direct the spring production.

Taking things a little deeper, Sommerville participated in CYT Spokane productions starting as a child and lasting until he graduated from high school, ending his time as a CYT performer playing Grimsby in a production of “The Little Mermaid.”

“The program means a lot to me, and the show specifically,” he said.

Sommerville’s production of “The Little Mermaid” opens Friday and runs through June 1 at the Bing Crosby Theater.

The musical opens with Prince Eric (Zach Hardy) and his adviser Grimsby (AJ Seidel) at sea, discussing merfolk that supposedly live under the sea. Grimsby tells Eric he should fulfill his birthright as king, but Eric instead is focused on following a beautiful singing voice he hears.

That voice turns out to be part of a concert on the ocean floor performed by the daughters of King Triton (Owen Baker) – Aquata (Ashlyn Barlow), Andrina (Milly Ward), Arista (Shaley Huth), Atina (Zoë Monroe), Adella (Camryn Davis) and Allana (Liesl Miller).

One daughter, Ariel (Harper Kalous) misses her solo, as she has forgotten about the concert and is swimming near the surface admiring a fork, the newest piece of the human world in her collection. She and her fishy friend Flounder (Amelie Miller) then chat with Scuttle the seagull (Nick Ewing), who tries to explain the human items to Ariel.

Ariel is eventually reprimanded by King Triton for venturing near the surface. Shortly after, she and Flounder meet up with Scuttle again to see Eric’s ship up close. A sudden storm causes Eric to fall overboard, and Ariel rushes to save him and bring him to shore, falling in love with him amid all the chaos.

Wanting to be with Eric, Ariel accepts an offer from Flotsam (Tatum Bilesky) and Jetsam (Kai Pritchard), the sea witch Ursula’s (Sarah Abshire) eel henchmen, to ask her for help. In exchange for her voice, Ursula grants Ariel the chance to be human for three days so she can try to make Eric fall in love with her.

Isla Fernandez, Elly Green, Ava Johnson, Mya Kenley, Madison Lenhartzen, Ellie Pooler, Brayden Shawver, Ava Solberg, Sadie Spear and Addie Thoburn are water dancers.

The troupe also includes Jonah Soderquist, Kyler Benton-Letson, Judah Pipkin, Jonah Huth, Chloe Anderson, Payge Barlow, Christine Bucy, Cora Darnell, Ayden Gilbreath, Violet Gilbreath, Joslynn Green, Cody Gunning, Cathleen Palmer, Jacob Perkins, Connor Robinson, Morgan Robinson, Max Schaefer, Driggs Toone, Adilyn Barrientos, Annabel Brown, Rowan Franklin, Evangeline Hall, Hope Mercer, Hunter Robinson, Scarlett Spear, Vesper Vierck, Lucy Wolfe, Lennox Miller, Addyson Barlow, Liliana Aldana, Logan Aldana, Aiden Barrientos, Malia Barrientos, Jovie Bilesky, Vivian Brill, Tyler Brown, Stella Everts, Danny Holder, Jasmine Lane, Lucy McGiffin, Harper Mercer, Mary Palmer, Elizabeth Perry, Grace Perry, Leo Pipkin, Kelen Pritchard, Anna Reddick, Savannah Sammons, Eisenhower Spear, Olivia Ticknor, Emery Winkle and Audrey Wolfe.

The show is music directed by Paige Hardy and choreographed by Megan Sok. The band features music director Paige Hardy, Jordan Hardy, Spencer Hardy, Eason Boyle, Jennifer Hardy, Cael Birch and Marsha Schlangen. The musical features a book by Doug Wright, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and is, of course, based on the 1989 Disney film and the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale of the same name.

Sommerville estimates around 140 kids auditioned for this production. He worked with his creative team, all CYT Spokane alum, to narrow the group down to the final cast but went into auditions knowing he had to choose an actor to play Ariel who could be especially expressive for the scenes after which Ariel trades her voice for legs.

“Another huge thing for me is hearing those iconic songs,” he said. “Hearing Ariel sing ‘Part of Your World,’ that’s what really sells that for me.”

Sommerville is also excited for audiences to hear Ursula performer Abshire since “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” saying the final note always gives him goosebumps.

Rather than refer only to the musical’s book, Sommerville revisited the animated Disney film and the live action adaptation, which was released in 2023, as well as productions of the musical, looking for elements he could add to his production that “give people a reason to come and see it.”

“For me, it was the more the merrier because there’s so many different creative decisions that I can pull from and that I can reference,” he said.

The musical ending, Sommerville said, is different from the movie ending many are likely more familiar with. As such, CYT Spokane audiences might be surprised by one of the final beats of the show involving Ursula. But, like Ariel, my lips are sealed beyond that tidbit.

To costume the merfolk, sea creatures and humans alike, Somerville turned to the wardrobe committee, composed of, like all committees for CYT Spokane productions, the parents of children performing in the show.

With each performer having at least one costume change, the committee had about 150 costumes to create.

“My goal for costumes was to be larger than life, colorful, overall create that whimsical sense of under the sea,” Sommerville said.

To achieve the “under the sea” look, Sommerville will use LED lights to give the set a blue tint. There are also water dancers that help convey the flow of the ocean. When the story moves on land, a grand staircase will appear that takes Ariel into Prince Eric’s castle.

Sommerville and choreographer Sok didn’t limit certain styles of dance to scenes happening under the sea or on land but rather paired songs with the dance styles they thought would fit best. The upbeat “Under the Sea,” for example, features samba moves, cool tricks and cartwheels, while “Kiss the Girl” is more of a rhumba feel, with a slower, more intimate style of dance.

Sommerville said when starting work on a production, he tries to get to the core of the show. Yes, “The Little Mermaid” features bright colors and lively characters and songs, but it also deals with familial relationships that aren’t always happy and cheery.

King Triton wants to do what’s best for Ariel, while Ariel wants more than her current life has to offer. Ursula, meanwhile, wants, well, everything and sees herself as the future ruler of the sea.

“Honestly, the whole show would be a lot shorter if they just talked to each other,” Sommerville said. “Ariel making that decision and coming back and facing those consequences, but then her father saves her from it. One of his lines is ‘I forgive you, Ariel. It was my fault.’ It’s him taking ownership. Then also Ariel can be like ‘I can make decisions on my own.’ And by the end of the show, we see them come together in harmony.”

During the show, Sommerville anticipates dancing and singing from the littlest members of the audience, especially during matinee productions.

“That’s something we prepare for in advance,” he said. “We let them know we might have some 5-year-olds singing and dancing their hearts out.”

Sommerville is excited knowing young children will be in the audience, as he said CYT Spokane seeks to teach children and teens not only theatrical arts like acting, singing and dancing but also tools like confidence and how to make friends.

CYT Spokane offers classes that focus on theatrical and social skills during the week that Sommerville likens to an after-school activity. From those classes, students have the opportunity to audition for season productions.

The education doesn’t stop when rehearsals start, of course, especially as older actors take those new to the stage under their wings.

“It’s insane only because some of these kids I’ve known since they were 9 and now they’re 16, 17 and the growth from being too shy to audition to playing leads, it’s amazing,” he said.

The supportive environment that has kept Sommerville and the creative team, as well as their students, coming back to CYT Spokane year after year, production after production, is the same environment he hopes aspiring performers, or those simply looking to build their confidence, find once they walk through the theater program’s doors.

“Regardless of your religion, gender, any of that, we welcome you in our community,” he said.