Northbrook's "Little Mermaid" Opens March 9

Take the plunge, and journey under the sea to discover a magical underwater kingdomin Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr., opening at the Northbrook Theatre on Saturday, March 9. The award-winning Northbrook Theater Children’s Company will present the musical over two weekends, with three separatecasts of characters.

“The excitement level of the kids is very high,” said Gregg Dennhardt, Performing Arts Manager for the Northbrook Park District. “They’ve seen the movie and the musical, and they’ve been asking to do this."

Adapted from Disney’s Broadway production, the musical tells the story of the beautiful mermaid Ariel, who wants to leave her underwater home. In order to do that, she must defy her father, King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula and convince Prince Eric that she’s the girl with the enchanting voice.

The actors in The Little Mermaid are students in grades 6-10, residents and non-residents. Because of the large cast, some of the students play two or three parts, so they have to find different voices and different ways of walking.

“It’s a challenge, because these kids only rehearse once a week,” Dennhardt said, “But we’ve always been blessed with good talent. Some of the kids have been in the theatre program with us since kindergarten, and some think they want to be professional actors. I’ll be happy if they develop communication skills, teamwork and a love of the theatre.”

Performances of The Little Mermaid are on Saturday, March 9 and 16 at 12:30 and 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 17 at 12:30 and 4:00 p.m. at the Northbrook Theatre, 3323 Walters Avenue in Northbrook. Tickets range from $8 to $10 and are expected to sell out.

A grant from the Illinois Arts Council provides partial funding for the production. For tickets or more information, call the Performing Arts Office at (847) 291-2367 or visit northbrooktheatre.org.

The Northbrook Theatre Children’s Company has presented theatre by youth for youth for more than 30 years.

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