HILLSBORO — Myers Dinner Theatre, which has been providing great food and entertainment to Fountain County for nearly a quarter of a century , plans to re-open from its COVID-19 hiatus with Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the stage adaptation of the classic animated feature. Opening at noon Saturday, and running through Aug. 2 at 5 p.m., Disney’s The Little Mermaid will transport MDT audiences to a magical kingdom under the sea, where a beautiful young mermaid longs to leave her ocean home and live in the world above.
Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney’s The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. With music by eight-time Academy Award winner, Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, and a compelling book by Doug Wright, this fishy fable will capture your heart with its irresistible songs, including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.” Disney’s The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway in 2008, where it ran for over 600 performances on its way to two Tony Award nominations, including Best Original Score.
This classic fairy tale will be directed by MDT artistic director Jeremy Littlejohn, with choreography by Sarah Philabaum of Maryland, who directed the production of Mamma Mia! and choreographed The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 2019. Music direction will be provided by John D. Phillips of Indianapolis, who has been performing and music directing with the company since 2011, most recently as MD and Harry Bright in Mamma Mia! The production features a wealth of both fresh and familiar faces, including returning alumni Victoria Abston, DRae Beller, Preston Dildine, Reagan Minnette and Mahlon Nevitt of Crawfordsville, Tyler Bowlin of Illinois, Edmund Castle of Union Mills, Don Hart of Columbia City, Grace Lorton of West Point, Hannah Rose Rivette of New York, Bill Rubenstein of Waynetown, Leonard Harris of Louisiana as Sebastian, Jocelyn Lonquist of Florida as Ariel, and Natasha Ricketts of Michigan as Ursula. Joining them “under the sea,” will be MDT newcomers Kevin Ray Johnson of Virginia, Sophie Miller of Carmel, Emmie Wright of Illinois and Wendell Hester of Virginia as Prince Eric, all of whom are making their MDT debut.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid opens Saturday and runs through Aug. 2, with weekday and Saturday matinees seating for dinner at noon and curtain at 1:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday evening performances seat for dinner at 6:30 p.m. with curtain at 8 p.m. and Sunday twilight with seating for dinner at 5 p.m. and curtain at 6:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 765-798-4902, ext. 2, or by visiting the website at www.myersdt.com. Performance dates vary, so consult the MDT online calendar for show dates and times. Theatre prices are $44 for dinner and theatre, $32 for students (ages 4-18), and show-only for $30. Prices do not include taxes and handling fee.
The remainder of the 2020 season includes Little Women the broadway musical, The Ark, Arsenic and Old Lace, and at the holidays, Hollywood, Hearth & Home. Season Tickets, group pricing and bus parking are also available.
Myers Dinner Theatre is at 108 Water St., Hillsboro, and offers handicap accessibility.
