Displaying items by tag: Sawyer Smith

I thoroughly enjoyed Drury Lane's enchanting stage production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid from start to finish. While few are overly familiar with Hans Christian Andersen’s original, darker tale of ill-fated romance, the Disney animated film and this stage adaptation, with a book by Doug Wright and music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, beautifully transform the fairytale into a heartwarming story of love and triumph for the heroine, Princess Ariel.

The mermaid Ariel, portrayed with sunny enthusiasm and skillful vocal stylings by Sarah Kay, is a Princess and the beloved daughter of King Triton, convincingly played by Anand Nagraj. Ariel is captivated by the world above the waves, yearning to experience the sunshine and the joy of walking through green fields. Her fascination with the human world deepens when she falls in love from afar with a human prince.

During a fierce storm, Ariel saves the Prince from drowning, and in that moment, she finds herself falling for him. The Prince, portrayed with sensitivity and earnestness by Patrick Johnson, is captivated by the voice of his rescuer, though he never sees her face as Ariel swiftly returns to the sea, hiding her mermaid identity.

The chemistry between Kay and Johnson enriches their characters, making their blossoming romance both believable and heartfelt. Kay's Ariel exudes innocence and curiosity, while Johnson's Prince captures sincerity and a deep longing to find the mysterious singer who saved his life.

King Triton, wary of humans and deeming them dangerous, has commanded his daughters to stay away from them. This forces Ariel to make a desperate deal with Ursula—her powerful, estranged, octopus-like aunt, who was once banished by King Triton, her brother.

Anand Nagraj as King Titan and Michael Earvin Martin as Sebastian. 

Ursula, portrayed by Sawyer Smith, casts a spell on Ariel, compelling her to give up her extraordinarily beautiful voice in exchange for a chance at love. Ariel must win the heart of the Prince, who must love her so deeply that he is compelled to kiss her. Only True Love's kiss can break Ursula's twisted spell. If Ariel fails to find true love and receive the Prince's kiss, she will be banished to the underworld, and Ursula will claim her soul. Sawyer Smith, as Ursula, is a showstopper! Smith's costumes, makeup and movements are menacing, powerful, yet glamorous all at the same time. Smith’s talent is fully on display during a commanding rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”

The cast delivers uniformly strong performances throughout. Matt Edmonds also stands out with his impeccable comic timing as Chef Louis, eliciting plenty of hearty laughs with his hilarious solo number “Les Poissons.” 

I valued the emphasis placed on the power of a single woman’s voice and the profound impact of a young woman losing her voice, especially in today’s context. It was heartwarming to see so many young girls in the audience, their faces glowing with delight. They were captivated by the show's humor and romance, yet also deeply moved to tears by the poignant theme of Ariel sacrificing her voice to win the love of a man.

This production, under the skillful direction of Scott Weinstein, with choreography by Kasey Alfonso and a vibrant set designed by Tijana Bjelajac, excels in providing delightful musical theater entertainment for both children and adults. It is truly a pleasure to watch.

Patrick Johnson as Prince Eric and Sarah Kay as Ariel.

The puppetry in this production was extraordinary, among the finest I've seen on a Chicago stage. For instance, the two eels, Ursula’s sinister accomplices, glide gracefully through the audience and across the stage with glittering lights encased in sheer black chiffon, creating an absolutely magical effect. The puppet characters were all exceptionally well played and designed. Notable performances include Sebastian (Michael Earvin Martin), Scuttle (Landree Fleming), Flounder (Maya Lou Hlava), Jetsam (Ryan Michael Hamman) and Flotsam (Leah Morrow). The impressive puppet design was crafted by Chicago Puppet Studio, Caitlin McLeod, and Zachary Sun. 

The set design, featuring the imaginative light projections by Anthony Churchill and the atmospheric lighting by Ryan O’Gara, brilliantly conveyed the sensation of being under the ocean. Their work uniquely and creatively transported the audience to an enchanting underwater world, making the experience both magical and mesmerizing.

The Little Mermaid is a fantastic ensemble piece, and the entire cast brings the house down with their rousing, colorful, and energetic group number in “Under The Sea.” This performance beautifully captures the splendor of the mermaid's underwater home and castle, making it a mesmerizing highlight.

I highly recommend this colorful, ingenious, and lively production for audiences of all ages who wish to experience one of their favorite Disney fairytales come to life! 

Disney’s The Little Mermaid is being performed at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook through January 12th. For tickets and/or more show information, visit https://drurylanetheatre.com/the-little-mermaid/.

Who's doesn’t remember The Brady Bunch? Mike Brady who has three sons, marries Carol, who has three daughters, they bring in a live in housekeeper, Alice, and they quickly become one of America’s most beloved families of the 1970’s. We basically watch the kids grow up, getting into all kinds of hijinks along the way, before they finally do what makes the most sense - form a family band. Sure, they're creating a musical unit may have not come from an organic source, rather coming with the task to make a few bucks to replace the silver platter than Jan messed up. Still, the Gang was groovy enough to not only win first prize in the talent contest with their song and dance routine, but their brief musical career gave them a new identity to the show’s viewers that stuck. Oldest brother Greg even attempts a solo career in music as Johnny Bravo after being “recruited” by a record company, only to find out that he wasn’t very good and was only selected because the “jacket fit”, literally. 

Enter The Partridge Family, who debuted in homes shortly after The Brady Bunch. A widowed mother along with her five children tour both locally and nationally as a jammin’ rock band - and, yes, they all “play” their own instruments unlike the Brady’s. Leaving us a song per episode, The Partridge Family revolves around sappy love songs whereas the Brady’s dive into the music world is originated most certainly out of necessity and lasts but a couple random episodes. 

There is little doubt, The Partridge Family wins the cool prize of the two families. Led by mom on keyboards, Shirley Partridge is an attractive musician who like to wear her shorts high while son Keith is a teenage heartthrob and daughter Laurie is dreamt about by teenage boys all across America. Then there was Danny, a mischievous redhead who badly faked his way up and down the neck of a bass. The family could be found playing music to raise attention to just causes or simply getting their groove on rehearing in the garage.

So here’s the question - Brady’s or Partridges? You know it’s come up at one time or another.

In “The Bardy Bunch” we get a riotous clash of the two families who step outside of our TV sets to settle this dispute once and for all on the stage. Written by Stephen Garvey, we get a glimpse of the two families as the show begins, just before the Brady kids jump into a lively version of “Keep On” complete with the same cheesy dance moves performed on the TV show. Immediately we get a sense that Olivia Rentaria as Marcia Brady and Sawyer Smith as Greg are going to be entertaining as hell to watch. 

Though the story proves to be on the herky-jerky side where ghosts and murders are featured in rapid succession, it doesn’t really detract from the fact that audience members are in for an hour and forty-five minutes of campy fun, similar to The Brady Bunch movies that spoofed the family in the 1990’s. The fun to this show lies in the brilliant character lampooning done by this ultra-talented cast. This, in itself, makes the show a success. However, Garvey doesn’t want to live on camp alone, adding a plethora of Shakespeare references throughout the play, including the forbidden love of Keith, a Partridge, and Marsha, a hated Brady ala Romeo and Juliet. Of course, unlike the young Capulet and Montague, they are first obsessed with each other’s hair. 

While Skyler Adams as a hokey, exaggerated Keith Partridge draws continuous laughs throughout the play as the largest player involved, he is joined by a stellar ensemble, each one taking advantage of their ample opportunities. Erin McGrath is well cast as Laurie Partridge, perfectly capturing the blasé nature of the former teen model, while Carol and Mike Brady are wonderfully played by seasoned veterans Cory Goodrich and Stef Tovar, two true talents. Brianna Borger takes on the other head of the household as Shirley Partridge and does a bang up job, bobbing head and all.

The play revisits many humorous episode scenarios from both shows and plants a dismissiveness for Jan Brady as the middle child who never seems to get any attention while also portraying Danny Partridge as the calculating business man in a thirteen-year-old body. “The Bardy Bunch” also dishes out a boatload of seventies lingo from calling someone a “real crumb” to Greg calling Laurie a “real groovy chick”. This play is undoubtedly a feast of nostalgia down to its groovy threads. 

And with the humor comes the music, which if unfamiliar, is really good! Partridge hits dominate the show (obviously) with a nice selection including “I Woke Up in Love”, “I Can Feel Your Heartbeat”, “I Think I Love You” and the feel good, stand up singalong finale number, “Together We’re Better”.

“The Bardy Bunch” is jam-packed with laughs and fun memories for those who grew up watching the two families in action. With so much ugliness going on in the world today, we are given a wonderful escape to kick back and enjoy ourselves if just for an evening.

“The Bardy Bunch”, winner of the Overall Excellence Award for Outstanding Ensemble at the 2011 New York International Fringe Festival, is currently being performed at Mercury Theater through November, and hopefully longer. For tickets and/or more show information visit www.MercuryTheater.com or www.TheBardyBunch.com.   

Super-duper recommended!