There’s something particularly mesmerizing about myths of the sea. From Homer’s sirens and sea monsters in “The Odyssey” to the mermaids who sing as J. Alfred Prufrock walks along the beach, stories of mythological creatures inhabiting the ocean depths have enchanted we mere humans for centuries.
One endearing sea myth of our times is “The Little Mermaid,” a story first imagined by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen and turned into a modern cultural sensation by the Disney studios.
This is the mermaid who sang to Noelle GM Gibbs, artistic director of the Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory. And it’s the story she has chosen to tell as the theater company performs its first adult stage work in two years — the first such production since Ms. Gibbs assumed her role.
“The Little Mermaid” seems quite the contrast to the last PVTC show for adults: “Les Miserables,” staged in early 2015, directed by Ms. Gibbs’ predecessor (and mother), Cheryl Goodman-Morris. But Ms. Gibbs cautions against making a heavyweight vs. lightweight comparison between the two shows.
“For people who are familiar with the film ‘The Little Mermaid,’ the (PVTC) musical has all the familiar songs from the Disney show,” she says. But, she adds, “at the same time, we’re not trying to be Disney — we’re not copying Disney. … We’re looking at the story through our own lens.”
In this production, which opens on Feb. 23, “we’re focusing on the concept of voice: what it means to have a voice and what it means to have that voice taken away, which seems especially relevant in today’s world,” she explains.
The story is based on myth — a mermaid who wants to live in the world of humans so desperately that she bargains away her voice for a pair of legs — but “there’s a parallel between what’s happening in the world today and this stage work,” Ms. Gibbs says.
Storytelling through the enchantment of myth isn’t a new endeavor for Ms. Gibbs. In 2013, she directed the PVTC’s stage work “Persephone,” a retelling of the Greek myth about a girl abducted by Hades, and her mother’s raging sorrow, which led to the Earth’s changing seasons. Ms. Gibbs scripted the play, adapting the story to touch on concerns of young people embarking on a new life apart from their parents.
“The Little Mermaid” cast features actors young and not-so-young — from Portola Valley fifth-grader Liam Taffe as Flounder to Woodside community theater stalwart Darlene Batchelder as Chef Louise, among other roles.
Maria Ornes of Menlo Park takes the lead role of Ariel, the mermaid. Kim Selby, also of Menlo Park, is Grimsby.
Other principal players are Steven Ho as Prince Eric, Tess Middlebrook as Scuttle, and Don Gustafson as King Triton. Other local actors include Torrey Rothstein of Woodside as Sebastian, Corte Madera School music teacher Juliet Green as Ursula, and Fiona Ryan of Woodside as Flotsam. (Jetsam is played by Matt Waters, who also had a principal role in “Les Miserables.”)
The show, performed in the Lane Family Theatre at 945 Portola Road in Portola Valley, is appropriate for audiences from 6 years of age to adult, Ms. Gibbs says. The Feb. 23 opening is a preview performance, and the show closes March 5.
Tickets are $20 to $40, and can be purchased online at pvtc-ca.org, or by calling 851-8282, ext. 105.
If you go
“The Little Mermaid,” directed by Noelle GM Gibbs, at the Lane Family Theatre at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Performances: Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 23-March 5. Show time: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 3 p.m. Sundays. Information and tickets: pvtc-ca.org.
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