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IVINS, UT -- In the famous red rock country of Southern Utah, a mermaid named Ariel is attracting record-breaking crowds at Tuacahn Amphitheatre.
Everyone's favorite mermaid Ariel is singing at sell-out performances as residents come to see Disney's "The Little Mermaid" in Southern Utah.
"I had understudied it on Broadway, so to actually have the opportunity to do the role and play it for such an extended period of time outside of New York, which is very rare unless you're touring … I just had to jump at it," said Michelle Pruiett, who plays Ariel.
Pruiett remembers being awestruck at the beautiful scenery of the red rock amphitheater when artistic director Scott Anderson gave her a tour.
"We were driving up and my mouth started to drop open," Pruiett said. "I was like, this place is amazing. He took me up to the top of the theater where the steps are and just showed me this incredible view. I couldn't believe how amazing it was.And then I got excited about the multitude of things they'd be able to do here that you couldn't do in a traditional theater."
The important thing is, we try to keep it centered around the family as much as we can. I think people come out here knowing they're not going to be offended, and I think that helps. But we also do something you're not going to see in other productions.
–Scott Anderson
Pruiett said she loves the interaction with audience members. "You hear little girls singing along and yelling out your name, well, your character name," she said. "The joy that you see when their faces light up -- it's amazing to see the love that you're getting from so many people -- such a blessing."
Disney producers gave three regional American theaters the okay to do "The Little Mermaid," with Tuacahn as one of them.
"Disney didn't know who we were," Anderson said. "We kept knocking on their door -- they were nervous about letting ‘Tarzan' out -- and finally, after the whole thing happened, they came out and saw (the amphitheater). We begged them for ‘The Little Mermaid,' and they said alright, go ahead."
The casting crew started early in the year, holding auditions around the country.
"We start out in Los Angeles for a week and then we'll do Salt Lake City and Provo for four or five days, and then we'll go to New York for seven or eight days," Anderson said. "We've got people from each of those areas in the shows this year."
Anderson is currently in his seventh year with Tuacahn, with each season bigger than the last. In his first season with Tuacahn, there would be about 400 people a night. But now, the amphitheater is averaging nearly two-thousand people a night in the middle of the desert.
"The important thing is, we try to keep it centered around the family as much as we can," Anderson said. "I think people come out here knowing they're not going to be offended, and I think that helps. But we also do something you're not going to see in other productions."
For the Little Mermaid, crews installed an 80 foot by 30 foot water curtain, which gives the audience the feeling of being under water, Anderson said. Most theaters are 45 to 60 feet long, but Tuacahn's is 90 feet long to accommodate the huge set pieces, like a ship.
"I played Tarzan here last year, and in 12 years of doing theater full time, (Tuacahn) was my favorite show," said James Royce Edwards, who plays Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid. "So when I had the opportunity to do another show here, I jumped at it in a heartbeat."
If you like the Disney film, Edwards says you'll like this musical. "It sticks pretty closely with what the movie is, and all the characters that you love are there." The musical, however, adds a little more character development and songs.
Prince Eric has two or three awesome songs that he doesn't have in the movie, so that's pretty cool," Edwards said. "It has some twists at the end that are different, so I think people who love the movie, will get everything, but they'll be surprised by the ending of it."
Following the performance each night, guests of the show have the opportunity to meet the cast, which has some of the characters visiting with guests for about an hour after the show.
Temperatures may reach triple digit in Ivins, but on stage, everything is cool, especially in the big production number "Under the Sea."
Performances of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" and "Grease" run through October 21. For more information, visit www.tuacahn.org/.
Email: cmikita@ksl.com
