Actress is in the swim as the 'Little Mermaid' at Manatee Players

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Savannah Sinclair is getting animated, to a degree, about her latest role. She’s playing Ariel, the title character in “The Little Mermaid,” a stage adaptation of the hit Disney cartoon musical featuring a score of hit songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.

Savannah Sinclair plays Ariel, a mermaid who dreams of experiencing life on land in "The Little Mermaid" at Manatee Players. Photo provided by Manatee Performing Arts Center

Savannah Sinclair plays Ariel, a mermaid who dreams of experiencing life on land in "The Little Mermaid" at Manatee Players. Photo provided by Manatee Performing Arts Center

The musical has its area debut at the Manatee Players.

The Booker High School VPA student, who recently was named best actress at the Florida Theatre Conference high school competition, gets to pretend that she’s swimming by flying around in a show that is partially set underwater, where she is friends with a variety of sea life.

But Sinclair plays a mermaid who has long dreamed of being human, or at least experiencing what it’s like to walk on two legs. And when she sees Prince Eric, she has greater incentive to experience a different kind of life. But there’s a price to pay for living out your dreams, and Ariel has to contend with Ursula, the villain of the musical, who tricks the mermaid into trading her beautiful voice for legs.

“We’re very different and we’re very much alike,” Sinclair said about herself and Ariel. “There’s a wonderful innocence about her that I love. The whole entire show is about her discovering this new world and discovering herself, and there’s a lot of hope in it.”

Savannah Sinclair, left, as Ariel, and Brian Chunn as Sebastian the crab in a scene from "The Little Mermaid" at the the Manatee Players. PHOTO PROVIDED BY MANATEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Savannah Sinclair, left, as Ariel, and Brian Chunn as Sebastian the crab in a scene from "The Little Mermaid" at the the Manatee Players. PHOTO PROVIDED BY MANATEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

The film and musical are inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen story.

Artistic director Rick Kerby is directing and choreographing the production, which is based on a post-Broadway version of the show staged at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse. As Ariel, Sinclair wears Heelys, sneakers with little wheels in the back that seemed to be on every kid's feet a few years ago. They help to make it look like she’s floating. “I lived in them when I was younger and I picked it back up quickly,” she said.

The production also incorporates some flying to suggest swimming underwater.

Sinclair, who sings “Part of Your World” among other songs, stars with Alex Zickafoose as Prince Eric, Christina Capehart as Ursula, Brian Chunn as Sebastian, the crab who sings the calypso-styled songs “Kiss the Girl” and “Under the Sea,” and Billy Masuck as Ariel’s father King Triton.

THEATER PREVIEW
"The Little Mermaid" runs Dec. 3-20 at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 3rd Ave. W., Bradenton. Tickets are $27-$37, with student prices available. For more information: 748-5875; manateeperformingartscenter.com

THEATER PREVIEWM
"The Little Mermaid" runs Dec. 3-20 at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 3rd Ave. W., Bradenton. Tickets are $27-$37, with student prices available. For more information: 748-5875; manateeperformingartscenter.com
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Jay Handelman

Jay Handelman is the theater and television critic for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, where he has worked since 1984. He also is President of the Foundation of the American Theatre Critics Association and a two-time past chairman of the association's executive committee. He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4931. Follow him at @jayhandelman on Twitter. Make sure to "Like" Arts Sarasota on Facebook for news and reviews of the arts.
Last modified: December 10, 2015
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