Was Shanklin Theatre ready for a take over like this? Thrusting the theatre ‘Under the Sea’ for their Autumn show Shoreline Productions ‘The Little Mermaid’ delivered an outstanding piece of theatre. They made a name for themselves with Phantom of the Opera but they truly made ‘waves’ with their latest show.

Leading the cast in the titular role, Ariel, we have the powerhouse Ava Cowan. Her performance of ‘Part of your World’ was utterly breathtaking. Her grace, poise, charm and excellent vocals truly shone as she swam through the show. Her effortless ability allowed the audience to feel like we were part of her treasure trove, immersed in her world and enjoying the journey. A standout performance if ever there was one!

Directed by Verity McCormack, the production left nothing to the imagination. The show was brought to life in true technicolour in the simplest of ways. A raised platform, lights and fringe hanging over the stage to create the feeling of under water, limited props (most brought on by the cast) BUT full use of the stage having a HUGE impact on the audience. This was a masterclass in direction, creativity and delivering wonderful a family show with everything you wanted and more.

The show was filled with so many great performances but the stand outs for this reviewer were, alongside Ava, Holly Gardiner as Ursula and Bertie Everson as Sebastian. Bertie delivered such a high energy and captivating performance. His energy and stage presence was something I have come to expect from Bertie but what I didn’t expect were his vocals. Just when I thought I’d seen all of his talents he wows me more! Bertie rose to the occasion while delivering a stellar performance with ‘Under the Sea’ and ‘Kiss the Girl’ which remained stuck in my head as I left the theatre.

Holly was every inch the sea witch Ursula. Holly was able to dig deep, or did she, to channel the dark and disturbing essence of her character while remaining loveable at the same time. That is pure talent! Her aerial work was great and she seemed to be in her element while being suspended many feet in the air, above the stage. ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ was a spellbinding performance and one that will be incredibly difficult to forget. Holly was supported by Katherine Burton & Livie-Mai as the troublesome pair Flotsam & Jestsam. They added great support to Holly and delivered carnage under the waves in a very entertaining way.

Karl Whitmore delivered a wonderful performance as the clumsy yet loyal butler to the Prince. Karl is certainly someone to watch on the stage as he always invests 110% into everything he does. Chef Louis was so funny and the whole routine was bonkers. Brought to life by Callum Davies, Chef Louis really gave us some much needed, high energy, drama. His comedic timing and stage presence was wonderful to watch. Sadly let down by his microphone, which took away some focus from his performance (not Callum’s fault), but Callum is clearly no stranger to the stage and he delivered regardless.

Other mentions are Ariel’s Mer-family. King Triton, played by Andy Kay, delivered a strong and confident performance. Andy showed a wide range of emotions throughout his performance which were delivered perfectly. His daughters – Adella (Cally Parry), Arista (Carolyn Herbert), Allana (Charlotte Jenkins), Andrina (Alexis Mackness), Atina (Rachel Dangerfield) and Aquata (Verity Foster) were simply glorious. Their presence on stage was entertaining and their vocal harmonies were utterly divine! They all delivered a polished and well rounded performance. Flounder, played by Leonie Page, delivered a strong and loveable performance. Scuttle, played by Meg West, had lots of energy but I found it was a little too ‘screechy’. Some lines felt rushed, to me, which together meant there was a loss in diction at points. It can’t be ignored that the energy Meg used was incredibly exhausting to watch, in an entertaining way.

The simple staging, light effects, aerial work and cast made for a truly stunning visual show. The music, lead by Donna Brihmani, was stunning. The balance and blend of the orchestra was spell binding and added, to the production, a whole new level of excitement when they played, however, a couple of times I did feel the orchestra were a little too loud, while playing the underscore to a couple of scenes, but for the most part it was balanced perfectly with the vocals.

Choreography was led by Amy Anderson and it was executed beautifully. I truly felt like we were ‘Under the Sea’ with the simple movements made. The actors on stage looked weightless (especially when suspended in the air) and like they were floating just from simple movements. For this reviewer though I did feel that the solo dance, behind Ariel in ‘Part of your World’ took focus from Ariel. As beautiful as the dance was, (and it truly was a stunning piece of movement) I felt it wasn’t needed. ‘Under the Sea’ was colourful and vibrant but seemed a little chaotic to me. There was so much going on for a split second I forgot this was Sebastian’s big number but the boatsinking scene was a superb piece of choreography.

Life under sea was truly better than anything ‘they had up there’ and filled my heart with seawater and love for the cast of The Little Mermaid. Verity showcased a truly remarkable piece of theatre and she, and her team, should be thrilled with the show they produced.

BRAVO!