With the kids out of school and temperatures rising, North Texas stages are heating up with a trio of family-friendly musicals. Two Disney titles, The Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins, hit the boards this month along with Shrek the Musical out of the DreamWorks factory.
Dallas Theater Center’s production of Mermaid is part of the company’s Public Works initiative, in which 150 amateurs perform alongside 15 pros. Meanwhile, Addison’s WaterTower Theatre is mounting the hit stage version of Mary Poppins written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, and the AT&T Performing Arts Center is hosting the latest Shrek tour, described in reviews as a modest effort.
Here’s the inside-skinny.
The Little Mermaid
Public Works started in 2013 at the Public Theater in New York and has spread to cities all over the world. Dallas, Seattle and London were the first to sign on, producing their first pageants, as the shows are called, four years later. The Dallas version got off the ground when Southern Methodist University awarded the Meadows Prize to Public Works founder Lear deBessonet.
The idea is that theater is the birthright of everyone in a democracy. What’s impressive is that the Theater Center backs up that lofty proposition with a thorough process so that what ends up on stage is not a recital only family and friends would sit through.
The nonprofessionals, ages 8 to 80, are recruited through social service agencies and community centers. They take acting classes, attend performances of other shows and win their spots through auditions. Beyond the on-stage amateurs, others help create the sets and costumes after training in arts and crafts workshops.
“By the end of the production, I hope that everyone — not just the cast, but the audience as well — is swept up in the joy of the show and is on their feet singing and dancing together,” says Theater Center honcho Kevin Moriarty, who is directing.
Moriarty is a huge fan of the 1989 animated Little Mermaid film, based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairytale that nicely mirrors the Public Works program’s mission. “This particular production is inspired by the dichotomy between the characters who live on the land and those who live under the sea,” he explains.
“For each community in the story, the other seems impossible to understand. Sea creatures and mermaids can’t live on the land, and the humans can’t live in the ocean. Both perceive the others as threats. The young mermaid and the human prince are warned of the dangers the other presents for them, and their love seems impossible,” he says. “And yet, by the end of the production, the sea creatures and humans have discovered mutual respect and a shared experience, rooted in their belief in family, community and love. Also, and this is not insignificant, the songs are incredible. For most of my life, I’ve dreamed of seeing a room full of strangers come together to dance and sing the song, ‘Under the Sea.’”
Theater Center resident company members Christina Austin Lopez as Ariel and Liz Mikel as Ursula lead the professional cast, which also includes Zachary J. Willis as Sebastian, Bob Hess as King Triton and Kevin Solis as Prince Eric. The choreography is by Tiana Kaye Blair, with musical direction by Vicky Nooe.
Mary Poppins
Fusing the 1964 Disney film that starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke with the original P.L. Travers children’s books, producer Cameron Mackintosh brought a new version to the stage in the early oughts, the nonsung dialogue by British TV writer Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age).
New songs were written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe to supplement the original music and lyrics by the Sherman Brothers. The show became a huge success, running for four years in the West End and almost seven on Broadway. It continues to tour today.
WaterTower is closing its 28th season with a production directed by John de los Santos, calling it “an enchanting mixture of irresistible story, unforgettable songs, breathtaking dance numbers and astonishing stagecraft with flying effects.” It’s built around the title character’s advice that “anything can happen if you let it.”
Jocelyn Hansen stars as the magical nanny who turns a household and a town upside down. Jon J. Peterson plays Bert, with Tim Brawner and Olivia Cartwright as Mr. and Mrs. Banks. The show will be performed to live music by an 11-piece orchestra conduced by Cody Dry.
Shrek the Musical
This non-Equity tour of Shrek has been racing across the country since February, sometimes for one night only and never running for more than a few performances in any city. Composer Jeanine Tesori and book writer David Lindsay-Abaire revisited their first collaboration to create a leaner, less mean show.
Based on the 2001 DreamWorks animated film and its sequels, the stage version debuted on Broadway in 2008 and ran for just a year, losing money. The first tour opened in 2010.
Shrek tells the story of a green ogre (played by Nicholas Hambruch on this tour) who goes on a journey to earn title to his swamp. Along the way, he meets a wisecracking Donkey (Naphtali Yaakov Curry). Together they try to free a Princess (Cecily Dionne Davis) held captive by a dragon. She’s not sure she wanted to be rescued.
Mixed reviews of the tour point out that the show is a satire filled with references to other Broadway productions, with songs in a variety of musical styles. Some work, some don’t. It’s over two hours long, so it may not be best for younger children. For adults, there are jokes that will go over the kids’ heads.
Details
The Little Mermaid runs July 12-Aug. 4 at Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora St. $49.50-$150. Free tickets to the first four performances have all been given away. There is a standby list. dallastheatercenter.org.
Mary Poppins runs July 17-28 at WaterTower Theatre, 15650 Addison Road, Addison. $49. watertowertheatre.org .
Shrek the Musical runs July 18-20 at Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St. $25-$130. attpac.org.
