The highly anticipated performance of FHC’s The Little Mermaid has finally made its opening night debut, stunning the audience with its phenomenal costumes, sets, and an undoubtedly talented cast.

When walking into the theatre, the stage was brightly lit up, the orchestra was rehearsing, and every seat in the auditorium was filled with an eager-faced audience member. After finding my seat, I anxiously awaited for the notorious show to begin, and after hearing the immense promotions for the show, I was expecting a top notch performance. It’s safe to say that the production of The Little Mermaid exceeded everything that I thought it would be and left the audience on their feet, feeling astounded and amazed.

The first of many astounding cast members was senior Maura Gill, who played the role of Ariel. After her first singing solo, her prodigious talent was apparent to everyone. Her stunning performance of “Part of Your World” literally gave me the chills and left the entire audience in awe. Playing Prince Eric, Brad Benstein also gave a beguiling performance. His convincing love for a mysterious girl left not only me, but also everyone else in the audience, on the edge of their seats, awaiting the couple’s first encounter. Both Maura and Brad were cast perfectly for their roles as prince and princess, and each received a thundering round of applause at the end of the performance.

Another talented performer was freshman Nathan Jenkins, who played the role of Flounder. His innocent and bashful personality fit perfectly with the role, and his not-so-secret crush on Ariel got many laughs from the audience. He also did great with the singing and dancing of each song. His voice was pure and crisp and throughout the show, he never failed to make me smile. Along with Nathan, Jack Boezwinkle playing Scuttle, and Darrien Knuff playing Sebastian, gave impressive performances. These actors played their parts remarkably, and there was never a dull moment throughout the whole musical.

And although the two main leads were phenomenal, the star of the show was definitely Ursula, played by counseling office secretary Kathy Nibbelink. Ursula’s tremendous voice carried throughout the theatre and she played her part with excellence and supremacy. Personally, I don’t think that anyone else could have done such an amazing job. The two eels, played by Ashlyn Fitch and Sophie Bolen, were also exceptional. Their voices sounded complete and natural, and without them, the musical would have not been such a success.

One of the most exciting parts of the show had to be the sets and costumes. Each cast member had a pair of wheelies and some of them even learned how to tap dance for the seagull dance. The colorful sets were intriguing and appealing to the audience, while each song and dance number was brilliantly choreographed.

The show ended with with a thundering standing ovation and as the curtain went down, you could see the looks of joy and happiness on each of the cast members’ faces.

If you don’t have plans to see The Little Mermaid, I suggest you change your mind. It was an amazing show, full of crazy costumes, beautiful sets, and talented performers.