Diving into the deep with ‘Under the Sea’
Dive into the depths of the sea and immerse yourself in the stories and music of the mermaid kingdom in the musical ‘Under the Sea’ by the middle school students of Ladies’ College, on Oct 11 and 12 at the Ladies’ College Hall at 7.30pm.
The story of the little mermaid Ariel who defied the odds and her father to fulfil her dream of love and life on land takes a turn when she makes a deal with a sea witch. The well-loved story will be reprised on stage once more with music from the Broadway musical and together with more in-depth rewrites with the help of Neranjan De Silva.
The production has come with its challenges, Director Kshama Kapukotuwa and Co-Director Amandhi Caldera tells us. Getting the set design together, managing timings in between the students’ other activities and studies were among the many contributing factors. However, the most stressful part of it all was the Easter attacks, which led to rehearsals having to be cancelled and a drastic drop in cast numbers.
But at the end of the day the show must go on, they tell us. The cast that did stick around learnt that they had to commit to the show and put in a lot of dedication, and they did just that says Kshama who believes that the level of commitment shown by the girls goes beyond just having a fantastic show at the end.
Amandhi adds that the show has also been a “good distraction for the kids, to help them get back into the groove of things because they enjoy coming for rehearsals.”
That enjoyment was evident from the noise and buzz of excitement at the rehearsals, as the young actresses rush to and from their designated spots.
Amidst the excitement in the hall, we spoke to a few cast members.
Joanna
Sarah
Rayeka
First up, 12 year old Sarah Perinpanayagam plays the singing, dancing crab Sebastian, King Triton’s royal advisor. She describes ‘Sebastian’ to be “loyal to the king and very protective of Ariel” and a good musician. “So I’m trying my hardest to be like that too!” she laughs.
It is clear the role suits Sarah well as she loves music, drama, and playing musical instruments. Sarah tells us she is happy and grateful to be a part of the production, because she has learned so much and also made new friends along the way.
While Joanna Jayalakkshman Mohan plays chief villain ‘Ursula’ the sea witch, the 13 year old is quite unlike her character off set, preferring to read books and try her best to be a nice person. Interestingly, she also describes ‘Ursula’ as a “strong, independent business woman” who was wronged by her peers, as opposed to the villain she is known to be. This thought process motivates Joanna to get into character comfortably.
Joanna also admires Ursula’s self-confidence, and uses it as an inspiration for herself. “Everyone needs to love themselves!” she says, though she adds that “sometimes when your (inner] monsters come out, it’s not for the best.”
As an easy going athlete herself, Amya Abhayaratne embodies the role of Prince Eric with relative ease. According to Amya, Eric’s heart is more set on exploring the ocean and less on marriage and governing a kingdom, until he meets the one person who changes his mind. She relishes the chance to put a lot of herself in playing this character, in being free and breaking rules, and hopes that comes across on stage.
Pix by Amila Gamage
Rayeka Sellamuttu tells us that “one of the necessities in life is to have friends around who love and support you” which is something she has in common with her character Ariel, the main lead in “Under The Sea”. She describes her character as “fun, bold, strong” while also being “hard to please and misbehaving” which hints at a complex character.
Rayeka believes that Ariel is a great example of a strong, independent woman for a young audience. For an older audience, she thinks it will show that the grass is not always greener on the other side, as Ariel finds out going from sea to land with high expectations.
“Under the sea” is shaping up to be an exciting performance that is definitely not one to be missed.
Tickets for “Under the Sea” are priced at Rs. 3000, 2500, 2000, 1500 and Rs.1000. Tickets will be available at the Ladies’ College office from 8.30am to 2.00 pm