Nordonia Drama presents “The Little Mermaid”

by Laura Bednar

The Nordonia High School Drama Club is diving into this year’s spring musical, Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”

The musical follows Ariel, a mermaid who dreams of visiting land. After making a deal with sea witch Ursula, she visits dry land, falling in love with a human prince along the way. Plans for Ariel and Prince Eric go awry and Ariel’s father, King Triton, must step in. Will Ariel’s dream come true, or will Ursula and her evil plot prevail?

The Disney musical is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale and brings the classic animated movie to the stage with familiar songs like “Part of Your World,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Kiss the Girl.”

Nordonia Drama Director Chris Simmons said the plot follows the movie, but audiences will hear an additional dozen or so songs that were written just for the stage.

The cast is led by Ella Bozan as Ariel and Richie Nyce as Eric. Ezekiel Rayle will take the role of Sebastian and Claire Marchant will portray witch Ursula, with Caeden Bolling and Grace York playing Scuttle and Flounder.

Bozan is a sophomore who has performed with the Phoenix Performing Arts, Rubber City Theater and Rising Star Center for the Arts. She was also part of last year’s Nordonia musical, “Once Upon a Mattress.”

“The community in Nordonia High School’s theater program is incredibly close knit,’’ Bozan said. “By the end of a production it feels more like you’re with family than friends.”

Nyce is a senior who has participated in drama club since eighth grade, performing as a munchkin in “The Wizard of Oz.” He later had roles in “Seussical,” “Once Upon a Mattress” and oversaw the technical crew for “No Day but Today” as a sophomore. He said having a lead role can be crazy but is a fun experience.

“’The Little Mermaid’ is a big family-friendly show,” said Simmons, adding that because it is a large show, there were more opportunities for students on stage and off.

This will be the drama club’s second full musical following the pandemic. Simmons said “The Little Mermaid” generated a lot of interest with 42 in the cast and 55 students running crews and playing in the orchestra.

The drama club will also participate in Playhouse Square’s “Dazzle Awards,” in which a panel of judges views a production and provides feedback and scores to determine award nominations. This is Nordonia’s eighth year participating.

“What is remarkable about having a lead role is you can audition for the Best Actor Award through Playhouse Square’s ‘Dazzle Awards,’” said Richie.

Performances will be April 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and April 23 at 3 p.m. Tickets will be sold online through HomeTown Ticketing starting at the end of March. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $15 for reserved seating. Visit nordoniadrama.com for more information. ∞