[NEohioPAL] unsolicited opinions-Little mermaid at Canton Players Guild

[Melissa Miller via NEohioPAL]

Note: This show has already closed but due to my email being hacked this was not shared until now. Please feel free to read but note that you are now unable to actually see this production.
Melissa


Unsolicited opinion-Little Mermaid Canton Players Guild

I am one hundred percent tired of theaters who can't seem to find new shows to do. And yet, I sat through the 67th production of The Little Mermaid that Ohio has seen this year.
And I was not disappointed.
For the second time in a few months the Players Guild in Canton has managed to impress the hell out of me. The bright, overly-cute, Disney-powered, and often predictable production was NOT what I witnessed at all. And I was THRILLED.
Instead of bright, Disney-centric colors, this production stayed focused on the story, bringing you in with creative staging, wonderful acting and a GORGEOUS set design with beautiful costumes!
First and foremost, the orchestra was incredible. Professional, skilled and somehow magical, this orchestra sounded like the whole Cleveland Symphony was playing. This must be credited to the exceptionally talented Steve Parsons, who knows how to put together the necessary players to complete this full and powerful sound. 
The choreography, while not incredibly showy, was creative and fresh-which seems to be a trademark of Players Guild's resident choreographer, Michael Akers (with one number choreographed by Mersister, Molly Weidig). My one disappointment is seeing a few ensemble who didn't quite match the level of energy brought to the table by stand-out multi-players Brittany Racano, Molly Weidig, Jake Sustersic and Matthew Heppe.
Speaking of stand outs, holy cow Matthew Horning! Not only can the man SING, but his accent, his acting, and his puppetry skills are all TOP NOTCH.  Equally skilled and quite mesmerizing was LoraLee Myers as Ursula. Hands down the most menacing onstage villain I have ever seen. She is a presence with a killer voice and I wouldn't be surprised if the other 400 theaters doing this show in the area were knocking down her door to get her to reprise this role. Wow. Wow wow wow. As her sidekicks, Flotsam and Jetsam, Matti-Lynn Chrisman and Justin Ollis were the perfect complement to each other. Their characters and chemistry were well developed and an absolute joy to watch.
As Eric, Zach Stark is surprisingly humble and underwhelming in the terms of "princely". This is meant to be a compliment as Stark played the role so sincerely and so down to earth. It's always silly to see shows where your main characters fall in love at first sight, but in this case, how could they NOT be in love with each other. While vocally, he was nothing spectacular, the rest of his performance more than made up for it. In contrast, Kaelin Curran has a lovely voice, though she tends to push her belt and some notes went flat. She is lovely as Ariel, embracing the wonder and curiosity of the young princess without making her into a caricature of a Disney princess.
Wonderful work overall and kudos, of course, to director Jon Tisevich, for his vision. I came back to the Guild because I knew the production would be wonderful despite the number of other Little Mermaids being produced-but again, you wowed me with your creative directing and exceptional casting. I will look forward to the next.
Unfortunately, I saw this show too late in the run to tell anyone to go see it. So, if you did see it, you know what I'm talking about. And if you didn't, well, I'm sure the other dozen theaters doing this show will put on a great performance as well...but you sure missed a fantastic one!
Melissa Miller
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