By Nevada L

A full house went under the sea on Friday, the opening night of WLC’s production of The Little Mermaid. Saying the show was good, is an understatement- the show was spectacular.

After a technical delay, that caused the show to begin forty-five minutes later than expected, the show went on smoothly.

The talent on that stage was truly shocking. Senior Emma Erfourth did an amazing job as Ariel sounding just like the Disney movie, and junior Allie Claybaugh did an excellent job as Ursula, just to name a few. “It was really cool, because I expected to show up and be able to tell that it was my friends singing,” said senior Maddy Kemme, “but after the opening number, I couldn’t tell the difference between the actors in the movie and the actors on stage,”

Not only was the talent breathtaking, but the set, costuming, and makeup was as well. Trying to make a high school stage look like it’s underwater has to be a hard job, but the stagecraft class did an amazing job. “ It truly looked as though they were underwater,” said senior Aria Spence. “The designer and the stagecraft class have to be extremely talent to make that happen. I especially love the border of the stage that is constantly changing colors.”

And something even more shocking was that Scuttle and other characters truly flew. In preparation of the musical, equipment was added to the stage that made it possible for the cast to fly. Kemme went to the opening night performance and the flying was her favorite part; it was “so cool” in her words. “It’s basically just a system of levy and pulls,” said senior flight crew member Matt Ford, “but you have to make sure that the flight lines are always clear, which was an issues in Saturday’s performance.”

Along with making the stage look underwater, talented people had to make those who stand on the stage dress like and look like sea creatures. The parents who created the costumes and seniors Maddy Summerfield and Mandy Ta did a terrific job with transforming humans into mermaids, fishes, and many other creatures that live under the sea. “The makeup is really elaborate, Ursula has to show up an hour before everyone else because of the detail. And throughout the entire musical, makeup is being changed and retouched,” said Summerfield.

Even though many can tell you the story of The Little Mermaid, the musical includes songs and scenes not from the movie. Spence saw the performance and she loved how the musical not only stayed true to the movie, but also “had its own flair”.

Anyone and everyone should go and see The Little Mermaid if they have a chance. The show is perfect for all ages. Three-year old Evie Leslie went to opening night and enjoyed the performance so much at the end she stated she wanted to “go see Ariel again tomorrow”.

The show has three more performances- March 24, 25, and 26. Tickets can be bought online at wlcstickets.com.