Actors playing two of the main roles in Wagon Wheel Center for the Art’s production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” weren’t born when the animated movie was released in 1989. But they grew up loving it all the same. Audrey Kennedy plays Ariel, the title character, and Angel Lozada is Prince Eric. Both are making their debuts on the Wagon Wheel stage with the musical. The run began Wednesday and goes through June 13. In an interview Monday morning, Kennedy, from Birmingham, Mich., said, “I don’t exactly remember the first time because I watched it so often when I was younger, but I do just remember, especially the mermaids, how they swam in the water, and then I would go and swim in the pool just like them. So that’s my big memory of it. And all the magic under the sea.” Lozada, from Orlando, Fla., said, “I think, for me, I wasn’t born in the ’80s, but it was still a big part of my childhood; and I think what made it more interesting for me was that it was under the water and this was the first princess that was under the water. And it was just a lot different from the other princesses so I think this was my favorite one honestly.” In “The Little Mermaid,” Ariel dreams of a life on land, but her father forbids her from any contact with the human world. The young heroine decides to go against her father’s wishes and meets with the evil Ursula. Ariel agrees to a deal with Ursula, and gives up her beautiful voice for a life on land. But Ursula is plotting to destroy her, her father King Triton and her chance at true love with Prince Eric. Many of the scenes in the film take place under the water. To do those scenes on stage, Kennedy said, “We have very beautiful, beautiful costumes. The mermaids are all sequined and gorgeous. And our costume designer is brilliant. But for the flying and swimming – we have Scuttle (a seagull) – we have a flying system rigged up, we don’t want to reveal too much. But Scuttle will be flying in and out of his entrances. And then Ariel will occasionally be swimming around, so you’ll get to see some of that magic.” She said the mermaids’ feet will be completely hidden. As a human in the show, Lozada said he doesn’t have to worry about that. Playing Eric is his first time at playing a prince. “It’s my first prince and I’m super excited,” he said. “This is my first prince.” In the story, Ariel is willing to give up her life under the sea as well as her voice for love with Prince Eric. “It’s a very romantic story,” she said. “It’s actually kind of funny to talk about. She does change herself to be with him, but it’s because they’re from two separate worlds and there’s no way a human and a mermaid would end up together, but thanks to some magic – it’s possible! Disney magic!” “What I love about Prince Eric is that he’s not your typical prince. He doesn’t really want to be a prince, and he is willing to sacrifice all of that – his throne, everything – for this voice, this girl he hasn’t even seen yet but he’s fallen in love with,” Lozada said. The Disney classic featured an Academy Award-winning score with songs such as “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.” Kennedy and Lozada said they’re all in the stage production and more. “They added a lot more,” Kennedy said. “All the loved Disney songs are in the musical, and they’re just as amazing as they were in the movie. Then we also have an incredible new selection of songs.” “Both of the songs I sing are not in the movie,” Lozada said. “... They used some of the melodies from the movie to create the extra songs we have.” He estimated there are about 22 songs in the stage production. “There’s a lot more than in the movie,” he said. For his favorite song from the musical, Lozada picked “Her Voice.” “It’s that moment that I have hope for something else and I don’t have to necessarily become a king. It’s an outlet and maybe I can find her. I think that’s like maybe my favorite song,” he said. Kennedy said, “My favorite is in Act II, ‘Beyond My Wildest Dreams,’ because she’s just in this human world for the first time and she’s just like, ‘What! This is crazy! I can’t believe I’m here!’ Because she’s a mermaid. She’s just walking around now and she never thought it would be possible. It’s so fun. But then I think my favorite group number is ‘Under the Sea.’” “I agree,” Lozada said of the group song. “So much going on. A close second for me would be ‘Kiss the Girl.’ His numbers are great. Sebastian’s numbers are awesome!” The villainous Ursula gets her backstory fleshed out a little more for the stage production, too, Kennedy said. “You can see why Ursula is the way she is and why she’s evil. And it actually makes her more terrifying than she was in the movie,” she said. One thing that audiences may notice that is different between the source material and the stage production is the ending, Kennedy said. “That’s a little different,” Lozada agreed. “But it’s only because in the movie she goes out to a ship in the water and we can’t – it’s theater, there’s only so much we can do,” Kennedy said. Lozada interjected, “But there is magic here!” “It is magical!” Kennedy agreed. “I think it’s more fun. You’ll see. The scene is great.” Even before they took the stage, the two actors said their Wagon Wheel experience has been great so far. “It’s so much work, so much fun. We love the theater so being here every day is a dream come true. This is our summer job so it’s like, ‘We get to play!’” Kennedy said. Lozada added, “We get paid to play dress up and have fun. But it’s so professional here. They work so fast.” “And they hold you to a really high standard,” Kennedy said. Kennedy will be at the Wagon Wheel through “The Addams Family,” while Lozada will remain until “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Tickets for Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” are on sale at Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts or can be purchased online at wagonwheelcenter.org The cost of admission is $34 for adults, $26 for seniors, $20 for students and $16 for children up to age 12. Call the box office at 574-267-8041 with any questions. For a free video of the complete interview with Kennedy and Lozada, visit the Times-Union website at www.timesuniononline.com
