ORANGE — The Kermit Cook Auditorium will be under the sea this weekend for the Mahar Theater Department’s rendition of “The Little Mermaid Jr.”
Director Julie Capone-Bouchard said the children have been hard at work rehearsing throughout the week — and even weekends — since February. Around 70 people, from the cast to the lighting and tech crews, are helping to get the production up and running this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, said Capone-Bouchard.
Last year the department performed “Grease,” but Capone-Bouchard said this year’s production will be much more intricate. The sets are more elaborate and the characters are, too.
“This year it is really all about character costume and character acting … it is about adapting to different characters,” she said. “When you play a character like King Triton or Sebastian the crab, which has an accent, it is more complex and less comfortable as far as the physical part.”
When deciding on the play for this year’s spring performance, Capone-Bouchard knew she had to focus on a family-friendly show, and immediately thought a Disney production would be perfect.
“Disney always wins — classic musicals like ‘Annie’ and ‘Grease,’ you can repeat those every three or four years — but Disney is always huge for us,” she said.
Tickets are $5 each. Opening night is Friday at 7:30 p.m. Capone-Bouchard said the Mahar Key Club will host a spaghetti dinner in the cafeteria starting at 5:30 p.m., before the show. There will also be two showings on Saturday, one at 1 p.m. and the other 7 p.m., with a closing matinee performance Sunday at 2 p.m.
Unlike previous years, Capone-Bouchard said they are reserving front row seats for $10 each. Though opening night is sold out, community members can still reserve tickets for Saturday and Sunday by calling 978-503-9040. According to Capone-Bouchard, half of the reserved ticket funds will go to the Kyle G. Flood Theater Scholarship.
There will also be a bake sale, T-shirts, cotton candy and flowers available for purchase at the show. All proceeds will also go to the scholarship.