Under the Sea

East High School students have been preparing to take audiences under the sea in their upcoming performances of The Little Mermaid, set to open this Friday, Nov. 1.

For the most part, the show follows the Disney story many have come to know and love.

“The Little Mermaid’s a really classic story about a young girl who goes off and she wants to live her own life and live as part of the human world and follow her true love, Prince Eric,” Said Lindsay Tippins, choir director at East High School. “Her father, King Triton, does not want to let her do that, so she enlists the help of the sea witch, Ursula, to sell her voice in exchange for three days on land. She tries to get the prince to fall in love with her over the course of those days and she gets help from her friends — Flounder, Scuttle and Sebastion.”

But there’s more to the show than just a heartwarming tale.

“At the end of the day, I really love this story,” Tippins said. “It’s about staying true to yourself, following your heart and making your own path in the world. And on the other side, it’s about families and learning how to accept when people in your family are going off to do new things and try new experiences.”

For those who are fond of the classic Disney film, Tippins said the show features all the original songs and expands on the story and musical offerings.

“It definitely does get you all of the big songs that you’re looking for,” Tippins said. “You get ‘Under the Sea,’ ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ and ‘Kiss the Girl.’ And then you also get some really fun new songs and you get the development of King Triton as a character a little more and you get more information about [Ariel’s] sisters which is really cool.”

The Little Mermaid will be one of the biggest shows East has tackled in recent years, which Tippins said is an important opportunity for the students involved.

“We are definitely taking a big swing with a really prominent show,” Tippins said. “A lot of people know this show. It’s very iconic to a lot of people. But we wanted to do something that was really big and family-focused and we wanted to make sure that as many people who want to see the show will have that opportunity. It’s also important to give these students a chance to do something at a really massive scale. With East housing the Fine Arts Institute, it’s really important that they get to do all scales of show — not just smaller productions, which also have a ton of value, but also these really big-scale productions with fantastical costumes and a video wall and a fully orchestrated pit.”

Tippins said the students have really stepped up to tackle the challenges associated with taking on a larger production and their pride in their work is evident.

“They’ve just put so much time and work into [the show] and you can tell that when they feel good on stage, they’re just beaming,” Tippins said. “And that is the best feeling in the world to see, even if they’re not my students — if they’re the pit or the crew. They are so proud of the work that they put in. I think that’s what makes me most proud — seeing them take pride in their work and take joy in their work. This music’s not easy, but they’ve done a really wonderful job. And also, with this being my first year as their director, I’m proud of the grace that they have shown me. It seems silly to be proud of someone for extending grace to you, but the amount of trust that they have put in me and the amount of kindness that they have shown, no one could ask for a better group of students to do this.”

The Little Mermaid opens at East High School this Friday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. with additional performances Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. (Alumni Night), Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. (Dress Like a Disney Character Night) and Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.

Learn more on the Green Bay East High School Facebook page.