The Little Mermaid as presented by Avonmore Musical Society

The Little Mermaid as presented by Avonmore Musical Society: 

Date of Adjudication: Friday, 5th April 2024. 

The Little Mermaid has become popular with Musical Societies around the country, not only because it has a great family audience appeal, but also it is musically beautiful, throws up a great range of principal roles, and there’s enough good chorus work to make it appealing to any company. With a Disney show, there is a certain expectation, particularly among children in the audience, that characters are presented in a very specific way, with specific character traits, and those kids will know the story better than most, which is why director, David Hennessy’s attention to detail pays dividends with a show like this. David has a very safe pair of hands when it comes to direction, showing good attention to detail and using the stage very well. With this Avonmore show, all was in good order and beautifully presented. 

Musical Director, Naoimh Penston, led a very accomplished band in providing a wonderful accompaniment to the show, which rattled along at a very pleasing pace. There were good swells in the music to enhance the moments of magic and spectacle, and great tenderness in the romantic pieces. Good tempi and precise rhythms would also have been a benefit to choreographer, Martina Lynch, who, on this occasion, had the added problem of coping with dancers on rollers in some of her routines, which she achieved very successfully. She did very good work with the mersisters throughout, and Under The Sea was the choreographic exhibition piece of the show. Elsewhere good movement and some lovely pictures were achieved, and I loved and appreciated the use of some of the youngest members of the cast alongside the adult chorus, as fish and jellyfish, etc. This was lovely work. 

The standard set of costumes for this show are well-designed and very spectacular, rich in variety and delightfully colourful. They were worn well by the cast, and everyone’s appearance was enhanced by very effective make-up and wigs when required. The work that must have gone into Sebastian alone must have taken considerable time. Visually, the whole show was quite beautiful. 

Helping to recreate the Disney magic of the movie, was the use of stunning projections on the full-screen background to the stage. These were combined with nicely painted stage flats and some excellent set pieces, particularly the thrones and the lovely arrangement for Ariel’s secret store of artefacts. Scene changes were carried out with minimum fuss, by cast members and/or rather fish-like stage crew, all under the watchful eye of Stage Manager, Barry Ryan. The spectacle of the scenery was enhanced by very good lighting that made use of well plotted moving heads, nice isolations, and excellent colour mixes. There were also many good visual effects, lightening, etc, that were all very nicely handled. Sound quality was good, barring a couple of late cues, but the balance between stage and orchestra was very good, and sound effects were well handled. 

From the youngest to the oldest, and in characters ranging from Sailors to all manner of fish and sea creatures, the chorus made a wonderful contribution to the overall production of this show, both from a physical point of view and as a vocal ensemble. Principally, the show was excellent. Ellie Willoughby made a very enchanting Ariel, with a great look and an even better voice, which is, of course, the main requirement for the role. She captured the innocence and 

the inquisitive mind of the dreamer, and brought it all beautifully to life, and although the romance of the show is pure, cheesy, Disney, she played it with great sincerity. Likewise, Kevin Macken as Eric, gave a spirited performance as the Prince in search of that someone special, full of dreams and expectations. His vocals were very secure and his nature always most pleasing. 

Amy Penston looked more stunning than evil as Ursula, but this was a dynamic performance, played with syrupy, pseudo-sweetness in the early scenes and transforming into a disturbingly dark and demonic fish-breath as the story unfolds. This was top-class character building, combined with an exceptional vocal power. 

There was an air of authority about Gavin Molony in the role of King Triton, vocally strong and secure, and robust, but ultimately fair and compassionate in his manner. Very well-attired, and very well-played. 

Paudie Breen was almost unrecognizable as the bright red crab, Sebastian, except that his talent and comedy shone through the awesome disguise. This was a performance of stature, delightfully silly, but also sentimental. His delivery of ‘Under The Sea’ was very strong. Tomás Byrne looked like a seagull who’d had a rough night on the tiles, creating an eccentric and unkempt Scuttle, who made the most of a nicely delivered ‘Positoovity.’ 

A most delightful 8-year-old star in the making, by the name of Eva Belle Bradshaw, took to the stage and wowed the audience as the adorable Flounder. With a smile that would melt the hardest heart, she acted beautifully and sang with confidence, and looked like she was born for the stage. Bravo, Eva. 

Not quite as young, and not nearly as beautiful, Robert Donnelly was nevertheless quite loveable as affable, old, Grimsby, looking after the welfare of the Kingdom and Prince Eric in particular. Rob gave a warm, sincere, and most pleasing interpretation of the role. Izabella Wong and Patrick Bracken teamed up to play Flotsam and Jetsam, the slithery servants of Ursula, and did so with sleazy success and comical codology. 

As Chef Louis, Aaron Tierney started out like Gino D’Acampo, and ended up as venomous as Gordon Ramsay, in his quest to serve up a tasty plate of Crab. A very nicely presented character, with good vocals in Les Poisson. 

Connie Tobin as Aquata, Anna Kenny as Atina, Olivia Connell as Andrina, Leah Byrne a Allana, Holly Prestage as Arista and Róisín Vigors as Adella, jointly known as The Mersisters, kind of like an underwater Delta Nu sorority, performed very well together as a team, while still achieving good individuality, all of them being extremely good actors, singers, and dancers. 

Avonmore seem to have a very good sense of their strengths and a very ambitious and challenging attitude to their shows, which is why the standard of their productions never fails to impress. In thanking you for a wonderful night of entertainment, I wish you continued growth and success in the future. It is always a pleasure to visit. 

Peter Kennedy

Gilbert Adjudicator 23/24

Photos by Lawrence Timmins