THE LITTLE MERMAID Offers A Fun, Family-Friendly Disney Musical At CSUF

The Broadway blockbuster, "Disney's The Little Mermaid," opens March 23 for Orange County audiences with family-friendly ticket prices ranging from $22-24. The Disney hit features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and book by Doug Wright. The production is directed by Eve Himmelheber with choreography by Karl Warden and musical direction by Corey Hirsch, and runs March 23-April 15, 2018 in the Little Theatre on campus. Mermaid princess Ariel is fascinated by the world and lives of people on land and longs to join them. However, her father, King Triton, forbids contact. When she falls in love with the human Prince Eric from afar, she makes a deal with the evil Ursula to win his heart.

Alan Menken is a Tony award-winning composer best known for his scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, many of which have been translated to stage musicals featuring new music by Menken himself. Lyricists Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater are both avid collaborators with Menken, with Ashman on "Beauty and the Beast" and Slater on "Tangled." Playwright Doug Wright is an award-winning playwright, whose credits include "The Stonewater Rapture," "Grey Gardens" and "I Am My Own Wife," the final of which garnered Wright a Pulitzer Prize in 2004 and a Tony for Best Play.

Eve Himmelheber has performed, directed, choreographed, and voice/dialect coached in diverse professional settings. As a performer, she has performed among Broadway stars and originated roles at the Greek Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, regional theatres and CSUF. Ms. Himmelheber grew up in Orange County and received her MFA from CSUF.

The cast of "Disney's The Little Mermaid" includes Sean Altman, Sidney Aptaker, Michelle Bachman, Sarah Bloom, Evan Borboa, Brianna Clark, Yadira Del Rincon, Nolan Dunahoo, Jeff Garrido, Colby Hamann, Kiana King, Dillon Klena, Timothy H. Lee, Megan McCarthy, Carly McLaurin, Christopher Mosley, Matthew Ollson, Olivia Pence, Kelly Rosales, Beth Roy, Steven Ruvalcaba, Nathan Shube, Anthony Vacio, Jacob Wayne and Samantha Wojtaszek.

Scenic design is by Todd Faux, lighting design by Conner Purzycki, costume design by Chloe Cadarette, sound design by Felix Vasquez and hair/makeup design is by Alejandro Bermudez and Kate Galleran.

"Disney's The Little Mermaid" plays at 8pm on March 23, 24, April 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14 and at 2pm on March 25, April 7, 8, 14, 15. General admission tickets are $24 ($22 with advance Titan Discount purchase for students, seniors or with a CSUF ID). All tickets are $24 at the door. Tickets are available by calling (657) 278-3371, 11am-5pm, Monday through Friday and online.

Soon to follow in the CSUF season is "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde, directed by the award-winning James R. Taulli, that runs April 20-May 6, 2018 in the Young Theatre on campus. Jack and Algernon each "reinvent the truth" to woo the women who have captured their hearts. When the gentlemen are coerced to reveal their web of lies and reveal themselves to their ladies, being "earnest" takes new meaning.