Go under the sea in Seaford
Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” comes to life on the Seaford High School stage this weekend, with three performances.
Students have been rehearsing since December for the show, which has a cast of about 45. Senior Shannon Assenza plays Ariel, the mermaid princess who wants to become human after meeting Prince Eric.
“It’s amazing because Ariel is my favorite Disney princess,” Assenza said of being cast in the lead role. “I want to do her justice.”
Assenza said that rehearsing for the show has been easy in the sense that she has known many of the songs since she was a little kid. However, since Seaford’s production is based on the Broadway adaptation of the 1989 Disney animated film, there are some extra songs that the audience might not know, she explained.
Junior Christopher Ho stars as Prince Eric. While celebrating his birthday on a ship, a violent storm tosses Eric overboard and is saved by Ariel, who leaves before he discovers she is a mermaid.
“I think it’s my favorite role so far,” Ho said, adding that it is fun to play “royalty.”
Rounding out the lead cast are Lauren DiPreta, who plays the evil sea witch Ursula, Alyssa Castro who will be Ariel’s crab friend Sebastian, Matthew Nill as Flounder the fish, Daniel Weber at King Triton and Kelly Wolfson as Scuttle the seagull.
Castro said she was excited when it was announced that “The Little Mermaid” was chosen as this year’s musical production. She likes that her character is in several of the big numbers such as “Kiss the Girl” and “Under the Sea.”
“I think it was a good choice,” she said. “It’s such a well-known show.”
Ho said that when he first heard this was the show, he was a little reluctant, but upon listening to the Broadway soundtrack and hearing the “great songs” that Prince Eric has, he was convinced “The Little Mermaid” was the right choice.
Directing the show are Kerry Prep and Samantha Gates. “Everyone knows this movie,” said Gates, who was the one who selected the show. “It’s a classic.”
She added that the actors fit their roles very well, and are passionate about producing a quality show for the Seaford community.
