Disney's The Little Mermaid to hit the stage in new year
Production will see actors 'flying' and singing with live music by Tutta Musica Orchestra
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Emma Rudy, who has played the iconic roles of Belle, Dorothy, Anne and Tinker Bell, will return to Moncton’s Capitol Theatre in 2024 to play the lead role of Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
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“It’s been a dream for me to do this part,” Rudy said in a telephone interview from Ontario. “There’s something about Ariel and the songs she sings. She’s the princess I always wanted to pretend to be on the school yard. I’ve always loved the beach and water.”
This will be Rudy’s fourth production at the Capitol.
“She’s one of those people who seems like she was born to play the lead role in shows like this,” says director Marshall Button. “The first time she came here for Beauty and the Beast, she said to me if we ever did the Little Mermaid, it was the role she was born to play.”
Rudy has previously played the roles of Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Maria in The Sound of Music in Moncton. She’s also played the iconic Anne of Green Gables in Charlottetown and recently donned the green costume to play Tinker Bell in a production of Peter Pan in Ontario.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be staged at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton Feb. 23 to March 3. Tickets are now on sale and Button suggests they make great Christmas gifts as they’ll be on sale at the early bird rates until Dec. 22.
“We’re not going to fill the stage with water, but I did have that thought at one point,” he says. There might not be real water, but actors will be “flying” around the stage as they sing and dance.
The production has hired a company from Kentucky to provide special effects services. They’ve also hired a couple of former Monctonians to return home for production design work.
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This will be the seventh professional musical theatre production from the Capitol Theatre and Tutta Musica Orchestra. It will feature many New Brunswick actors and singers under Marshall’s direction, performing to live music by the members of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, directed by Maestro Antonio Delgado. Since 2016, this group has presented The Sound of Music (twice), Oliver!, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast and The Wizard of Oz.
Button said the show is based on the Broadway musical and includes many of the same songs that made the animated Disney version.
Based on the original story by Hans Christian Andersen and the 1989 animated film, Disney’s The Little Mermaid tells the story of Ariel, King Triton’s youngest daughter, who falls in love with human Prince Eric. She makes a deal with Ursula, the evil sea witch, trading her tail for legs. But Ariel needs the help of her colourful friends, Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull and Sebastian the crab to restore order under the sea.
“It has always been a goal of this partnership to shine a light on what our region has to offer,” Kim Rayworth, managing director of the Capitol Theatre, said in a news release. “Our production team is already discussing ways to surprise audiences, while creating a sense of pride in our local area.”
The Capitol said a professional rigging company from Kentucky has been hired to provide the specialized equipment to “fly” cast members during the performance. The theatre also used funding from the federal and provincial governments to purchase new LED video panels, which are used for rear screen animation. This can be used to create computerized images of scenery that appear to be three-dimensional.
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Approximately 35 cast members will be on stage for this production, along with 40 theatre professionals working behind the scenes, in addition to the 15 musicians forming the orchestra.
The cast of Disney’s The Little Mermaid 2024:
• Ariel – Emma Rudy
• Prince Eric – Émilien Cormier
• Grimsby – Jamie Cordes
• Flounder – Molly Nelson / Olivier Émond
• Scuttle – CJ Norris
• King Triton – Curtis Sullivan
• Sebastian – Travae Williams
• Flotsam – Gabriella Castro-Levesque
• Jetsam – Matt Kinney
• Ursula – Kaitlyn Post
• Chef Louis – JB Vanier
• The Capitol Theatre will present Disney’s The Little Mermaid from Feb. 23 through March 3. Early bird tickets are priced at $39, $49 and $69, until Dec. 22. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 506-856-4379 or 1-800-567-1922 or online, at www.capitol.nb.ca.
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