Veronica Teeter

“The Little Mermaid” cast members practice a scene from the play. Jack Ducat, shown above riding the hoverboard, said he believes the modernization of the play allows for more possibilities for portraying the environment better while also giving the audience something different from past plays.

This year’s spring musical will have CHS students going under the sea. On Aug. 7, 2017, the CHS Musical Twitter account announced this year’s musical was Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”

According to Sam Chenoweth, director of the spring play and associate director of choirs, “The Little Mermaid” was chosen to be the spring musical because it was a more light-hearted show, unlike previous musicals the school has done.

“We wanted to do a more of a kids show because CHS hasn’t done one of those in a while; we wanted to do something with a semi-large cast, and we wanted something that the general public would be interested in,” Chenoweth said.

Junior Sydney Greene plays the role of Ariel in this year’s spring musical. She said she is looking forward to being able to perform in “The Little Mermaid.”

“I’m excited for the fact that it’s a Disney show,” Greene said. “All the music is very uplifting and fun to be a part of. It’s a show geared towards kids so it’s very different from musicals the CHS has done in the past.”

Additionally, this year’s spring musical will have a more modern take on it, starring different types of wheels and modern costume designs.

Chenoweth said, “We’re doing kind of not-your-typical ‘Little Mermaid.’ We’re doing things a little differently and a little more modern. Some different tech elements, set and costume designs, incorporating wheels. I think a lot of people will be expecting one thing and we’re hoping that we can take it up a notch and do some different things.”

According to Chenoweth, the musical will have all characters on different types of wheels such as Heelys, hoverboards and other wheels in order to replicate the underwater feel.

Freshman Jack Ducat, who plays Sebastian in the musical, said he is excited to use hoverboards.

“I was super excited (to hear hoverboards would be used in the musical) because I have never heard of any show utilizing hoverboards and other various wheels,” Ducat said. “The idea for the show is just super cool and throughout rehearsal I have gotten to see how awesome they will make the show and how their addition to the production enhances the production quality.”

Along with incorporating new technology, Chenoweth said there would be changes to the costume design of the musical as well.

“We’re doing our own costume design,” Chenoweth said. “We’re not doing (any) of your typical anything really. We’re doing more of a modern, almost street clothes kind of version, so it won’t look like ‘The Little Mermaid’ you’re thinking of.”

Overall, Greene said she is excited to be able to work with such a talented cast and fun show.

“At first I was a bit nervous about the Heelys, but I’ve been practicing everyday for the last few weeks and have made a lot of progress,” Greene said. “I think the audience will still feel the same Disney story come through even with the added technology and costumes. There will be a lot of more kids in the audience, and there’ll be that magical feel to it.”

“The Little Mermaid” will have performances from May 10 to May 12 with showings at 7 p.m. and May 12 at 2 p.m.