"The Little Mermaid" makes for a Delightful Afternoon at the Delaware Children’s Theatre

The Little Mermaid is such a delightful show for the whole family and a great way for parents to introduce their children to theater. This exciting production will enchant both the young and the young at heart!

Lynne Lew at Scuttle and Sarah Robertson as Ariel.

Director Tom Marshall has assembled a wonderful cast and crew to bring this Disney favorite to the stage here in Wilmington. With a captivating “underwater” set designed by Cam Hay and sea-like animals and mythical sea creatures created through gorgeous make-up design by Kellye Porter-Martin, fabulous wigs and hair designed by Debbie Norkavage, and inventive costumes designed by Nancy Kennard (I especially enjoyed the “umbrella jellyfish”), the setting and characters made famous in the 1989 animated film truly come to life.

I’m sure most people are familiar with the story about a princess mermaid (Ariel) who lives with her father (King Triton) and six older sisters in the vast ocean, but is intrigued by humans and has become more interested in their lifestyle than her own. This intrigue intensifies when Ariel saves the dashing Prince Eric from drowning after being overthrown from his ship during a storm. Since King Triton doesn’t trust humans and believes they are at fault for his wife’s untimely death, Ariel is forbidden to go to the ocean’s surface with her friends and is meant to stay in her aquatic home and concentrate on her singing – a talent she shared with her deceased mother. Wanting an opportunity to be with Eric, Ariel defies her father and makes a deal with his evil sister Ursula – a sea urchin that has been banished by Triton to live far under the dark sea.

The wicked deal allows Ariel to become human for three days, but she will be mute and her voice will be kept by Ursula. In order to remain human and to regain her voice, the prince must kiss her before the three days are up, or Ursula will keep her voice and Ariel will become one of Ursula’s slaves. 

Now human, Ariel is spending time with the prince and becoming acquainted with her new lifestyle. Ariel is doing her best to get Eric to kiss her, but time is running out! You probably know how it ends, but just in case you don’t…I won’t ruin it for you. You’ll have to see the show for yourself

Sarah Robertson leads the cast as the curious and adventurous Ariel. She is charming as the innocent young mermaid and has a gorgeous voice that sweetly soars throughout the theater. Ashley Baker is frighteningly good as Ursula. She has an amazingly strong voice that evokes fear in the audience. Conner Malley as Prince Eric and Jonathan Dalecki as King Triton are captivating and have a great presence on stage. Lynne Lew (Scuttle – the sea bird), Adelaide Nourie (Flounder) and Will Rotsch (Sebastian – the crab) bring great humor and excitement as the friends who share in Ariel’s adventures.

   

Don’t miss this classic musical with memorable songs written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Like me, I’m sure you’ll find yourself singing along to “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl,” among many others! The Little Mermaid closes on October 30. 

For tickets and additional information visit www.dechildrenstheatre.org. 

The Music School of Delaware Opens Season with a "Musical Bounty" for Fans

By Christine Facciolo

The Music School of Delaware opened its 2016-17 season Wednesday, September 28, 2016 by gifting its supporters with gorgeous renderings of two of the best loved works for string orchestra: Grieg’s Holberg Suite and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C Major.

Maestro Simeone Tartaglione conducted a string orchestra composed of music school faculty and three invited guests violists Sheila Browne and Marka Stepper and bassist Arthur Marks.

The program opened with Grieg’s Holberg Suite for String Orchestra. Composed to honor the memory of 18th Century Norwegian writer Ludvig Holberg, Grieg cast the work in the musical language of the 18th Century. Tartaglione applied a light touch, playing up the individual character of each of the work’s dance-like movements.

Following the brisk opening Praeludium was a stately Sarabande featuring a lovely dialogue between cellists Lawrence Stomberg and Eric Coyne. The Gavotte recalled the formality of the court while the Musette contrasted with a folksong quality. The deeper strings imparted a profound solemnity to the Air, one of Grieg’s most beautiful creations.  The concluding Rigaudon paid tribute to Norwegian folk violinists as it featured some virtuosic bowing by concertmaster Stefan Xhori.

Tartaglione conducted with authority and passion as he led the orchestra through Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C Major, an intensely personal work that the composer intended as homage to Mozart whom he viewed as the “Christ of music.” The Serenade is in a vastly different league than the Holberg: Rich in harmonic and melodic invention, it is also more abstract in character and hence more enduring.

The Serenade is Tchaikovsky at his brilliant best and Tartaglione and the musicians did it proud with flair, charm and beauty of tone. The orchestra was nimble and agile in its execution of the second movement — the Valse — with its numerous and sudden harmonic shifts. The third movement — the Elegie with its fugal elements — was ensemble playing at its best. The Finale was played with great virtuosity, bringing the concert to a close with rousing applause.

See www.musicschoolofdelaware.org. 

Market Street Music's Season Opens with Pyxis Piano Quartet

Pyxis Piano Quartet (L-R): Jie Jin, cello; Luigi Mazzocchi, violin;
Hiroko Yamazaki, piano & Amy Leonard, viola.

By Christine Facciolo
Pyxis Piano Quartet opened a new season of Market Street Music Festival Concerts Saturday, October 1, 2016 with its usual combination of superb playing and interesting programming. The ensemble consisted of Luigi Mazzocchi, violin; Amy Leonard, viola; Jie Jin, cello and Hiroko Yamazaki, piano.

The bulk of the program featured two works written a century apart: Mozart’s Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major (K. 493) and Richard Strauss’ Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 13.

Luckily for us, when Mozart’s publisher canceled his commission for a series of piano quartets, the composer had already completed the second quartet and it was published by another firm in 1786. K.493 is one of Mozart’s greatest compositions and a classic of the genre with its pristine form, gracious themes and exquisite interplay between instruments.

The first movement — Allegro — begins intensely but offers gracious themes throughout. The Larghetto is a richly conceived slow movement featuring an exquisite interplay among piano and strings. The third movement Rondo — Allegretto — is full of fire and energy with a prominent piano.

Pyxis was most sympathetic to this spacious and outgoing work. Particularly attractive were the gently springy rhythms and exquisite phrasing of the strings in the first movement and Yamazaki’s beautifully shaped phrasing in the Larghetto.

Whereas Mozart wrote his quarter at the height of his musical maturity, Strauss was a mere 20 and very much in the thrall of Brahms when he composed his work. The result is an unusual fusion of musical personalities: the gravitas of Brahms and the fire and impetuousness of the young Strauss. Rich and dark, the work is full of blazing energy.

The playing has all the attributes you would expect from Pyxis: impeccable intonation and fluid tempos that allowed the music to flow in unbroken phrases. The players were individually excellent, as was Mazzocchi’s rendering of the main theme of the Andante and Yamazaki’s voicing of the chords supporting him. But they are at their best when they function as an ensemble, as in the tight Scherzo or the virtuosic interplay of the closing Vivace.

The evening opened sans piano with the playful Mozart En Route (A Little Traveling Music) by Aaron Jay Kernis, past recipient of the A.I. duPont Composer’s Award. Inspired by a letter from Mozart to his father, in which he complains of being jostled during a particularly rough carriage ride, Kerns’ short (three-minute) string trio takes listeners on a whimsical musical trip from Salzburg to Nashville and back. Thematic variation is the rule as familiar-sounding pop styles interweave with the classical tradition with several quotations from Mozart’s Divertimento for Strings, K. 563.

See www.marketstreetmusicde.org.