Rachel Ann Go Gives A Standout Performance As 'The Little Mermaid'

WATCHING “The Little Mermaid” was a nostalgic experience for us. We watched the original Disney animated version in 1989 when our daughter Hannah was only 10 years old at the old SM Annex which has since been demolished. Years later, we watched again with her the local play with Carol Banawa in the title role and KC Concepcion as the Princess who’s her rival over the Prince, at the Meralco theatre. Now, we just watched the Broadway Disney version, also staged at Meralco, this time with our 3-year old granddaughter named after my late wife, Victoria, and she was so mesmerized all throughout. She kept clapping her little hands and was even dancing while seated on our lap. At the end of the first act, during the intermission, she kept telling us: “More. More.” And we can’t blame her, for it is indeed a wonderful show, one of the best local stagings of a Broadway musical we’ve seen, despite the new happy ending.

We just adore Rachelle Ann Go as Ariel. She gives an exuberant and breathtaking performance, with her winning stage presence and her voice a clear and sparkling soprano as she sings “Part of Your World”. She should definitely do more theatre. We just wish she has better chemistry with Erik Ramos as the prince. On Broadway, Ariel (played by Sierra Boggess who did Christine in the 25th anniversary of “Phantom”) was on rollerblades to give the appearance of gliding on stage.

The costumes (with fish tails bobbing on their own) and the sets are all fabulous in creating the illusion that you’re in another world, with the color palette so delightful it’s easy to see if a scene was meant to be underwater or above land. The lighting complements them perfectly. The use of shadow puppets was just amazing, especially when Ariel loses her tail and gains a pair of legs.

Jinky Llamanzares commands the stage whenever she’s on with her flashy gay diva portrayal of Ursula the Octopus. Another standout is OJ Mariano as Sebastian. He changes his voice and accent in his comic interpretation of Sebastian the crab and shines in all his scenes. He also gives a great rendition of “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl”. His costume (with its Thai-inspired headpiece) is even better than that of the black Sebastian who played it on Broadway. Kudos to Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga for their superb handling of the material.