Interview: Peeling back Tentacles with THE LITTLE MERMAID's Jennifer Allen

We all had that movie we watched over and over again to the point of obsession as a kid. For me, THE LITTLE MERMAID was the VHS that got worn out. The classic animated film debuted in movie theaters in 1989 and quickly became a hit for its iconic music and story. Though a small stage snippet appears at the Disney theme parks, it wasn't until 2008 that the first full length Disney production debuted on Broadway. The original Broadway version never toured and since then there have been select regional productions. This week Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID sails into the Dr. Phillips Center as The 5th Avenue Theatre, based out of Seattle, brings the show to life. I had a chance to chat with Jennifer Allen who plays the best Disney villain, Ursula.

Jennifer has done a lot of work on Broadway including BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, SISTER ACT, MEMPHIS and so many more. Much of her past work are human-based characters (she appeared in CATS at one point in her career), I asked what is it like portraying humans versus a human/octopus hybrid.

"It's funny when I was doing SISTER ACT," she recalls. "I said, 'Gosh I'd really like to do a show with a lot of makeup.'" During SISTER ACT, Allen only had to wear her nun costume and as you can imagine, it's minimal makeup for nuns. "I really enjoy the art of makeup and it also helps take my nervousness away before a show."

Be careful what you wish for. Jennifer says it takes her anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour to complete her Ursula makeup from start to finish. "There's probably like 16 colors," she describes. "Two basic blues from the mid chest up and into my nose and ears. And it takes a long time to get off too. Even though I've scrubbed it out, it takes a while. It's also on the edges of my hair. It's part of the job. I love it."

Makeup is one thing, but to make the full transformation to sea witch, Allen has to strap into her tentacles. The costume weighs about 50-60 pounds. It's big and it's beautiful, but difficult to navigate in. "It takes a while to build the stamina up and muscles to sing the numbers and move around the stage," she says. "That builds up after about a week and as you go along it gets easier. It's certainly a new body awareness. I also have the two eels who manipulate the tentacles with me. It's all simultaneous and I think the effect is very authentically theatrical. It's all manual and it can change quite a bit every day depending on what kind of gestures I do."

At the end of Act I, Ursula sings "Poor Unfortunate Souls" as her big ballad. "It's like I run a marathon," she describes. "It's 10 minutes of hard driving work to build that scene and to transform Ariel. Once I'm finished with that number, the second act is not as hard. I use a whole bunch of personal connection for singing that song."

And when asked if she enjoys being a non-human: "I really do enjoy being a creature. We greet each other: 'Creature' before we begin the show. It allows for a lot of freedom and fun with movement. Partially being human adds to the variety of being an actor. It's quite a delight."

It's easy to write off THE LITTLE MERMAID as a simple fairy tale where the girl meets and prince and falls in love. But in discussing the story with Jennifer Allen, I've found that there is a lot more than just a mermaid's tale. Going down a level, Ariel's voice gets taken by the sea witch in exchange for her to live the life she wants. Ursula pitches this as, "there is no reason to have a voice on land."

"In a way it's sort of feminist message about girls being able to speak her mind," Jennifer says. "Ursula was always pushed down for being a non-mermaid in her family. She was intelligent in a different way than the rest of her sisters. Yes, she was volatile murderer, but certainly it was because of her childhood. She is also not the typical female in her group. Neither is Ariel. Ariel is a rebel as far as her sisters are concerns. She doesn't feel like she belongs under water."

There are lyrics where Ariel outright proclaims that she doesn't feel like she should be in the ocean and she feels wrong in her own body. Jennifer and I discussed how this is an interesting metaphor for transgender people.

"It's clear she thinks belongs on land and in the end she does. Also in the end her father agrees with her and lets her go. There's a lot of symbolic messages in the show like that, but it's still the fairytale that it is. There is a strong father/daughter relationship in this version that is very moving and that a lot of parents will love. Parents of teenagers will really understand."

The Broadway version of THE LITTLE MERMAID featured mermaids and sea creatures on skates. This production finds another way to convey the underwater movement. Without giving too much away, Jennifer describes the sets and theatrics as "pop up book like." She goes on to say, "it's much more effective in telling the difference between land world and underwater world."

Speaking of the story, the animated movie's run time is 82 minutes. To make THE LITTLE MERMAID a full length musical parts of the story needed to be elaborated. "The book for the show is excellent," Jennifer says. "[This version] explains why Ursula is the way she is and what her family background is. We explore Ariel as her aunt. The family dynamic and sibling rivalry is much more heightened. It's terrific to tell the story in this way."

"I did see it in the movie theater when it first came out," she described. "I've watched it a million time. I feel like the animated version is scary for different reasons. There is a lot of outward violence like Ursula getting impaled. I feel the intelligence, the wittiness of Ursula in the film is carried over and expanded in this version. Her sense of humor is escalated too."

No matter what city the tour travels, because it is THE LITTLE MERMAID audiences are generally more familiar with the show. That can make performing easier or harder. I asked Jennifer what it is like performing to an audience that already knows the plot.

"It's so funny," she says. "Children scream in horror if they've seen the film. I think the humor part is more for the moms and dads and older audience members. I can tell if it's predominately adult or kid audience. That's what terrific about Disney, there is a lot of sophisticated humor for adults."

One question that I always ask seasoned performers is, what advice do they have for less experienced performers who want to break into the business. It's always interesting to hear how similar, yet different their advice can be.

"Things have changed since when I was beginning," she says. "A lot of focus is getting really excellent training in college. There are a lot of musical theater schools that have selective programs. Where you have to go through rigorous prep and you have to have trained before. I think it's almost expected that you have the professional attitude, training and education."

"Casting directors know if you've gotten in those school that you've got the highest form of training and that they're going to get professional standards."

Jennifer goes on to say that being a good actor is key, but to be able to interpret a script is something that sets actors apart. "Dancing and singing is one thing, but if you can't convey the story with an organic connection then it's not effective."

"Be yourself," she advises. "Don't try to emulate. Explore yourself truthfully and authentically. You can't model your career after anyone else's. And always show your love of the craft and your pursuit of excellence. You have to say to yourself: 'This is the only thing I see myself doing.'"

THE LITTLE MERMAID runs until March 12th. For tickets and more information visit DrPhillipsCenter.org.

Photo Credits: Mark & Tracy Photography