'Little Mermaid' opening at ABT in Peoria this month

After enchanting audiences around the world for more than 35 years, “The Little Mermaid” will make its way to Peoria this summer.

The musical opens Friday, June 21 at Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria. The production runs through Aug. 4.

Patrons who purchase tickets to "The Little Mermaid" will get the option to reserve tickets to "Beauty and the Beast" (Nov. 15-Dec. 29) and receive a free dinner.

Based on Disney’s 1989 animated classic film, the stage musical is a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s story of an adventurous mermaid princess with a knack for disobeying the rules and following her heart. Her fascination with the human world leads her to the ocean’s surface, a zone designated “off-limits” by her father.

Ariel just can’t help it; she wants to see how the other half lives. On one of her adventures to the surface, she sets her sights on Prince Eric and will do just about anything to become part of his world, even if it means trading her voice to the king’s arch nemesis, Ursula, to make it happen.

“Our production of ‘The Little Mermaid’ is the epitome of sweet nostalgia and will take audiences back in time to the place they were when they first saw the heartwarming love story,” Kurtis Overby, Arizona Broadway Theatre artistic director, shared in an email. “With all the songs you love and characters you remember, audiences of all ages can expect a whimsical adventure under the sea and a night filled with romance, comedy and award-winning music.”

This production will include costumes made by local artisans and Arizona Broadway Theatre’s $250,000 interactive LED wall, which measures 20 feet tall and 30 feet wide and includes more than 5 million pixels. This is the only one of its kind in the state.

“With ‘The Little Mermaid,’ we are able to convey the underwater story in a more captivating way with an electric-colored set and an ocean that comes alive to enhance an already magical show,” Overby stated.

The production includes music by Tony- and Oscar-award-winning composer Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater. The musical includes well-known songs like “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”

The Arizona Broadway Theatre cast includes Jasmine Bassham as Ariel, Coleman Payne as Prince Eric, Tim Shawver as Grimsby, Richard Chaz Gomez as King Triton, Lynzee Foreman as Ursula the Sea Witch, Troy Wheeler and Ben Milan-Polisar as Flotsam and Jetsam, Malcolm Jamal King as Sebastian and Danny Feldman as Scuttle. Local child actors Kingston Petty-Purcell, Jackson Beeson and Carter Wells will share the role of Flounder.

Tickets are available at www.AZBROADWAY.org , in person at the box office daily between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., or by calling 623-776-8400 or emailing info@AZBROADWAY.org .