Theatre review: Shorecrest's production of The Little Mermaid was truly fantastic

Ariel's sisters making fun of her
Lara Grauer Photography

Disney's The Little Mermaid

Thursday - Sunday May 15-18

Shorecrest Performing Arts Center

15343 25th Ave NE, Shoreline, WA 98155

Tickets 

Director: Andy Kidd

Choreographer: Jenny McMurry

Music Director: Chris DiStefano

Assistant Director: Brian Lange

Costume Design: Arianna Moore

Lighting Design: Marc McCartney

Projection Design: Tyler Born

Theatre review by Kindle Carpp

The Little Mermaid musical is based on the 1989 film by Disney and the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a mermaid who dreams of the human world and gives up her voice to find true love. 

I'm so pleased to say that the Shorerest's production of The Little Mermaid was one of the best productions I've seen. It was truly fantastic!

It's hard to single out one person from the incredible cast. Ariel played by Olive Ziliak and Prince Eric by Mateo Stevens both enchanted the audience.

Ariel sits on the beach, surrounded by a flock of seagulls
Lara Grauer Photography

If Shorecrest ever had a real-life Disney princess, it would be Olive. Her voice captivated and her acting was terrific. She played her part beautifully and was the perfect Ariel.

Mateo was equally accomplished, with his larger than life stage presence and professional vocals. He is an accomplished actor and has outstanding stage presence. He's also an actor good under pressure. During the performance I viewed there was a minor prop malfunction, which he handled like a professional, correcting the malfunction and not allowing it to affect his performance.

The main supporting cast: Ursula played by Mia Habermann, King Triton by Camron Catt, Sebastian by Max Ferrer, Scuttles by Abigail Poor, and Flounder by Leo Konichek, also seemed to steal the show whenever they made their way on stage.

Mia (Ursula) is the most spectacular villain, playing an extremely campy villain to perfection. Mia also has incredible stage presence and the ability to capture and command the attention of an audience. She was an audience favorite.

Camron (King Triton) is a marvelous actor. I was exceedingly impressed with his ability to convincingly play the anguished and enraged father.

Max (Sebastian) was a stand out performer, managing the classic Sebastian accent whether in speech or song. Max never once dropped it throughout the whole musical. He provided the perfect comedic foil for the others to play against. And when called for, he has fabulous physical comedy chops!

Abigail (Scuttles) was the perfect amount of energetic camp throughout the performance. She has great comedic timing. She also managed to stay upright on skates for the entire performance.

Leo Konichek (Flounder) and Olive Ziliak (Ariel)
Lara Grauer Photography

Leo, though only in 5th grade, held his own on a stage of high school actors. Leo (Flounder) had a poised and professional demeanor, finding a good balance between adorable and confident.

Finally I do want to mention the ensemble cast who were not only versatile playing multiple parts but also accomplished actors, dancers and singers.

You will also hear those famous Little Mermaid songs: Part of Your World, Poor Unfortunate Souls, Under The Sea, and Kiss The Girls, performed to perfection by the cast. 

This young cast was both professional and polished. They demonstrated high levels of skill in their singing performances. It didn’t feel like I was watching a high-school production, but instead something straight from Broadway.

The choreography was above and beyond. There were several scenes that really stood out. The tap dance number performed by Scuttles and his seagull pals was perfectly in sync. Sebastian's fight with the chefs was so fun. The Under the Sea number was a visual cacophony that included props from the ceiling, bubbles and balloons, not to mention what looked like the entire cast on stage dancing and singing.

The use of the whole theater was enjoyable and unexpected. Actors appeared in balconies, in the audience stairways, entered and exited through the wings as well as through doors in the stage paneling. The turntable in the center of the stage was utilized in many scenes in a way which allowed the actors to stand still and move at the same time and added to the theatricality.

Tyler Born with one of the scenes he created for the production
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

It's also important to mention the clever use of projection on the back screen creating amazing visual dynamics. The background projections were student-created by Shorecrest senior Tyler Born, who painstakingly crafted a 2,500-acre digital world including custom coral reefs, handcrafted waves that shimmered in the setting sun, and thousands of details. The projections, along with the turntable stage, offered an immersive visual experience for audiences.

Shorecrest's The Little Mermaid is the theatrical gem that is engaging enough for children but has the quality production that adults get to enjoy. This production has that Disney magic that brings the child out of us all.

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The Little Mermaid will run from Thursday, May 15 through Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 7:30pm; matinees at 2:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Advance ticket prices are $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12/students with ASB card. Tickets purchased at the door on the day of performance are $20. 

Purchase advance tickets here

See a related story about two of the cast: Olive Ziliak and Camron Catt