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Faith Prince (Nefarious) & Drew Seeley (Romantic) Star in Disney's The Little Mermaid


A Saturday matinee at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre featuring a pre-show flurry that is pretty much what you’d expect -- only better: Kids sauntering or scampering down aisles, up stairs and around corners with mom and/or dad in tow. Giggling, gazing, and, in the case of more than one dressed-to-impress young lady, glittering (sparkly shoes and tulle still rule). All the while, good-natured ushers sidestep shopping bags and happy feet to deliver massive seat cushions to the wee-est of the wee.

The girls are particularly primed, of course, knowing that they’re only minutes from seeing their red-haired idol, Princess Ariel (Chelsea Morgan Stock), “swim” across the stage in all her mermaid splendor. But then everyone in the audience is totally ready to dive headfirst into Disney’s most recent Broadway hit.  

Actual cheers as the lights go down and the overture begins; gasps as the curtain rises on a moving ship bearing sailors and Prince Eric (Drew Seeley). The overall effect? Dramatic, theatrical -- awesome!

Seeley, the teen heartthrob who joined the cast on June 9th, is best known for his performance as pop star Joey Parker opposite Selena Gomez in the hit film Another Cinderella Story. But if you check out www.drewseeley.net, you’ll discover just how psyched he is to be making his Broadway debut as Eric, the dashing prince who finds himself head-over-heels in love with Ariel.  

But you’ll soon find that he isn’t the only prince in the house: Broadway favorite Faith Prince plays the fabulously evil sea witch Ursula, a role she took on just last May. “And I’m so glad I did. It turns out the character is delicious -- Cruella De Vil mixed with Judy Dench!” she says.

Watching what Prince refers to as her “bi-polar good-girl-gone-bad” persona come to multi-tentacled life, it’s clear she’s enjoying every second onstage -- despite the tricky learning curve required to master her over-the-top, frequently shape-shifting costume. “It’s very heavy due to all its components,” she admits. “In fact, they prefaced my taking on the role with warnings about the tentacles, which really do have a mind of their own.” 


Indeed, during Prince’s first few performances the potential for costume or scenery catastrophes were never far from her mind. She credits Ursula’s eel henchmen -- Tyler Maynard (Flotsam) and Eric LaJuan Summers (Jetsam) -- with helping her circumnavigate the hidden hazards of the pseudo-deep. “They are really good at looking out for me,” she says.  

A gifted comedienne of the first tier, Prince’s extensive Broadway credits speak for themselves -- last season’s A Catered Affair and her Tony-winning turn as Miss Adelaide in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls, e.g. But, she admits, it was a couple of guest spots on TV playing murderous wives (Remington Steele; Monk) that honed the “baddie” gene she tapped into for Ursula.  

“You can’t play all evil; there are shadings and you need to understand the nuances,” she observes, adding, “She’s got some delicious lines, and because she is a very colorful character, I can deliver them in a variety of ways. As a result, I’m constantly surprising the cast.”

The show takes place in an underwater kingdom and centers around Ariel, a teenage mermaid obsessed with the world above. She’s the youngest daughter of Triton, the King of the Sea (Norm Lewis) and Ursula is his banished sister who feigns kindness to Ariel while plotting to undermine her brother and everything Ariel desires: to be human and to marry the handsome prince.

Naturally, this being Disney -- and spun off from the acclaimed 1989 animated film -- the show overflows with appealing secondary characters like young Flounder (Trevor Braun at the performance I attended), Sebastian the worry-wart Crab (Rogelio Douglas, Jr.), and Scuttle, the hyper-loony head seagull (Eddie Korbich).  

“I think Disney really understands how important it is to show young audiences all sides of the story, including the darkness, which in this case includes me,” notes, Prince.  Still, when the curtain call rolls around, Ursula gets a huge round of applause. Obviously, kids know talent -- and a nice person -- even when she’s got eight arms, surreal makeup and a deliciously maniacal laugh.

The Little Mermaid is playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St. For reservations, call 212-307-4747 or click here.

About the Author

City Guide Theatre Editor Griffin Miller moved to New York to pursue an acting/writing career in the 1980s after graduating magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Since then, she has written for The New York Times, For the Bride, Hotels, and a number of other publications, mostly in the areas of travel and performance arts. An active member of The New York Travel Writers Association, she is also a playwright and award-winning collage artist. In addition, she sits on the board of The Lewis Carroll Society of North America. Griffin is married to Richard Sandomir, a reporter for The New York Times.

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