A Big Reaction to The Little Mermaid!

    “It was the best musical I’ve seen at the Poplar Pike Playhouse,” says Martha Morris, “I enjoyed it so much I was dancing along in my seat.”

    People are raving about the regional premiere of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, which opened recently at the Poplar Pike Playhouse. The beautifully crafted stage production takes audience members, both young and old, on a journey under the sea and beyond.

     Based off Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved novel, The Little Mermaid tells the age-old fish tale of a young mermaid, Ariel, who falls in love with a human prince. Forbidden from the surface world, Ariel must make a deal with the sea witch Ursula for a pair of human legs. In exchange, Ariel must give up her voice and possibly her soul if she cannot get the human prince to kiss her in three days.

    Every night the actors and backstage crew work together to bring the audience “under the sea” on this funny and entertaining family show.

    “I was thoroughly impressed,” says Kim Douglas, “My son and I loved this show; It’s an incredible show for anyone to come watch.”

    But the actors and backstage crew aren’t the only ones who worked hard to create Disney magic. The underwater sounds and lighting brings the stage to life, and the beautiful costumes catch the eyes of everyone watching.

    “The hair, makeup, and dress were incredible; you could tell that a lot went into it to make it look realistic,” says Douglas.

    Children who saw the show had plenty to say about the performance as well.

    “I thought the show was more than just good, it was great,” says Addison Douglas, “I loved the big costumes and the actors were always smiling, I felt like I was really in the movie.”

    As much as the kids loved the show, there were some differing opinions. When asked about the kiss between Prince Eric and Ariel, Walker Odom and Ella Frazier had opposite views.

    “I loved the kiss,” says Frazier, “it means they are getting married.” Odom on the other hand replied: “Gross!”. 

    The Little Mermaid runs through March 12th. For more information or to reserve and buy tickets, call the Poplar Pike Playhouse Box Office at (901) 755-7775 or visit PPP.org. To keep up with the latest news, follow the Playhouse on Facebook, Instagram (poplarpikeplayhouse), or Twitter (@ppptheatre).

Opening Night Excitement for The Little Mermaid!

The Poplar Pike Playhouse goes “under the sea” February 25th with The Little Mermaid and the cast and crew members can’t contain their excitement. From costumes and props to set construction and lighting, this show is sure to transport audiences into a magical crustacean wonderland. 

“I’m most excited to see how all the costumes look on stage!” exclaims junior Dinah Mitchell. She transferred to Germantown High School last semester and already calls the Poplar Pike Playhouse her home. Although she plays the comical role of Scuttle in the show, her talents stretch beyond the theatre. “Everyday after school, I work on costumes for the show alongside my costume crew peers,” Mitchell says. “Nothing will compare to the feeling of watching all our hard work in the costume room being displayed on the stage!” 

The costume crew also is receiving some outside help from a student on a different crew. Backstage worker and set builder, Naya Foster is stringing together one of the most sensational pieces in the show. “I’m crocheting together scalemaille charms for King Triton’s tunic,” Foster says. The Little Mermaid is allowing Foster to challenge herself: “I’ve definitely broadened my horizons by working on a costume and building the set for the show.” Stage manager, Damaris Diaz, also shared her excitement for her senior show. “This is my last show here at the Poplar Pike Playhouse and I’m anxious about the feeling of stage managing for the last time,” she explained. “We’re definitely working hard to make this musical magical!” 

Audiences are sure to recognize some of the iconic tunes from the show such as “Part of Your World”, “Under the Sea”, and “Kiss the Girl”. However, the Broadway musical has added more catchy classics that will leave the audience members singing. The characters from the movie that had no solos have their own songs! One of the most entertaining songs in the show is Scuttle’s “Positoovity”. It’s a vibrant tap number that sets a positive tone for the beginning of the second act. Besides Scuttle, Prince Eric also gets his own solos including the love ballad “Her Voice”. One of the most sincere newly added songs is “If Only”, a beautiful quartet sung by Ariel, Prince Eric, Sebastian, and King Triton. These are just three of many other new songs that audiences should anticipate hearing. 

The students at Germantown High School are more ready than ever to open the show next week! Are you ready to see the Regional Premiere of The Little Mermaid? Call the PPP Box Office at (901) 755-7775 or log on to ppp.org to reserve your seats today!

Behind the Scenes of the PPP's "The Little Mermaid"

       The Poplar Pike Playhouse is getting ready to bring some of Disney’s most iconic characters to life in the regional premiere of The Little Mermaid. While the audience gets to see the hard work of the actors every night, it’s the dedication of the technical crews that truly creates Disney magic. When the cast prepares for their roles, the technical crews are hard at work building the set, creating costumes, etc.

       Based on one of Hans Christian Anderson’s most beloved stories, The Little Mermaid tells the story of Ariel, daughter of Triton King of the Sea, who falls in love with a human prince. Like any Poplar Pike Playhouse performance, The Little Mermaid not only dazzles the audience with its deep story; it dazzles its viewers with a beautiful set, incredible costumes, eccentric props, professional quality lighting, and amazing sound.

       Before the actors began getting into character, the construction crew at the PPP begins working on bringing the stage under the sea. With almost every set piece being made from scratch, the crew has to work every day to make the story of The Little Mermaid come to life on stage.

     “It’s really exciting being able to build a set,” says student builder Taylor Corpier “You start from nothing, then you build on that nothing and you make it something amazing.”

     But the construction crew isn’t the only one hard at work at the PPP. The costume crew started cutting fabric and sewing outfits the moment the cast was announced. With 29 actors, the costume crew spends almost every day in the Poplar Pike Playhouse costume room making beautiful sea creature costumes by hand for each and every performer in the musical.

     “It’s an amazing experience being able to make costumes,” says costume crew chairman Jasmine Saulsberry, “The actors can only portray their characters so much, the costumes let you physically see the character and make the show come to life.”

     There are some students at the Poplar Pike Playhouse, that work as a member of the cast and a member of a technical crew. Sara Mayers plays the role of Ursula in the show, but she also a member of the costume crew. Sara not only holds both positions with dedication and hard work, she has the opportunity to create her own costume for Ursula.

     “I love getting to make my character’s costume,” says Mayers, “It helps me get into character both mentally and physically and makes me appreciate the show and the work that goes into it even more.”

     As busy as the costume crew is, they aren’t the only crew at the PPP creating magic from scratch day after day. Prop Chairman Latavia Williams and the rest of her crew have been working since day one, handcrafting prop pieces to create the depth the musical demands.

     “You have to think outside of the box to make props,” says Williams, “Some props are made from scratch, and others are made from other props so you have to get creative, but the end result creates this essence of realism that the actors can’t create on their own.”

     However, all the creativity that goes into the show doesn’t just come from the props crew. The lighting crew has to work with the cast and other crews to do what they do best. Lighting Director Connor Sackett and his lighting crew have been constantly planning and testing lights since the musical was announced.

     “Each show is unique with its own lighting,” says Sackett, “So there is no real set way to do lighting and we have to creative; and from that creativity we can make the stage come to life.”

     Every crew gets to showcase their efforts to the eyes of the public except for one. The sound crew at the Poplar Pike Playhouse has been working hard to make The Little Mermaid the best it can be.

     “Sound is the one thing you don’t get to see, but without it the show feels empty” says Sound Director Hayley Walsh, “Our job is to create the realism the show requires without the audience even realizing.”

The Little Mermaid opens February 25th and runs through March 12th. For more information or to reserve and buy tickets, call the Poplar Pike Playhouse Box Office at (901) 755-7775 or visit PPP.org. To keep up with the latest news, follow the Playhouse on Facebook, Instagram (poplarpikeplayhouse), or Twitter (@ppptheatre).

Go Under The Sea With the PPP!

The Poplar Pike Playhouse is going under the sea with its new musical Disney’s The Little Mermaid. The Broadway show will make its regional debut this spring at Germantown High School after a successful international run.

Based on one of Hans Christian Anderson’s most beloved stories, The Little Mermaid tells the story of Ariel, daughter of Triton King of the Sea, who falls in love with a human prince. To achieve her dream of being on land with him, she goes to the evil sea witch Ursula who transforms Ariel’s fins into legs in exchange for her voice. The catch, Ariel only has three days to seal the spell with a kiss from her prince. If she can’t, she becomes Ursula’s slave for eternity.

The classic fish tale comes to life on stage, but with a twist. We find out Ursula and Triton’s relationship goes deeper than in the Disney movie, but that’s not the only change. All of your favorite numbers such as Under the Sea, Part of Your World, and Poor Unfortunate Souls are in the show, as well as new songs like Positoovity, She’s In Love, and Daddy’s Little Angel. The new elements alongside the classics make for a brand new experience that is fun for the whole audience.

“Even though The Little Mermaid has been around for years, the Broadway production was just released,” said The Little Mermaid director Ashleigh Siegfried Williams. “I knew I had the perfect group of students to bring this classic Disney show to life.” Be there when the Poplar Pike Playhouse becomes the first theatre in our region to bring The Little Mermaid to life February 25th through March 12th. For more information, call the Poplar Pike Playhouse Box Office at (901) 755-7775 or visit PPP.org. To keep up with the latest news, follow the Playhouse on Facebook, Instagram (poplarpikeplayhouse), or Twitter (@ppptheatre).

The cast of The Little Mermaid includes: Raneem Imam, Evan Hoover, Sara Mayers, Alan Toney, Fred Garner, Dinah Mitchell, Caleb Suggs, Bryan Scott, Amber Allen, Kyle Bowers, Jaleyn Pearson, Jackie Kamin, Elijah Bienz, Dylan Armstrong, Summer Eggert, Kassie Kimble, Elana Leav, Keyna Crawford, Abigail Davis, Hannah Everhart, Mackenzie Kuykendoll, Scarlett Simpson, Rhomel Brown, Trevor Hardin, Rodney Mckinner, Gabriel Portillo, Christian Powell, Lundell Simmons, and Vontrell Thomas. 

The Little Mermaid is directed by Ashleigh Siegried Williams. Associate director is Kirie Taylor Walz. Steve Danielson is the music director. John Hagan is the conductor. The Poplar Pike Playhouse is the theatre complex located on the campus of Germantown High School. The corporate sponsor is Landmark Community Bank.