Kamiak grad stars in 5th Avenue’s ‘Little Mermaid’

Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle stars Diana Huey, a Kamiak High School graduate, as the main character, Ariel.

I could not wait to see this Mukilteo “girl” on stage. Actually, I’d seen her before. Huey, 30, has a long list of credits with regional theater companies.

I had an extra ticket. I put out a call on Facebook: Who wants to go?

Deluged with breathless notes from 30-somethings, I should have expected the response. My own daughter is a 30-something whose first movie in a theater was “The Little Mermaid.” It’s special to her because she saw it with her daddy. If you know the story, you know why this is important.

After weighing all the requests for the ticket, I ended up taking Claire Besse, a third grader at Challenger Elementary. Claire, 9, is a fan of “The Little Mermaid” animated movie. However, she really enjoys musical theater. Last season she saw Village Theatre’s production of “Mary Poppins” and loved it.

I knew Claire would have a discerning eye.

A budding pianist, the Everett girl peered into the 5th’s orchestra pit to see four different keyboards, along with drums, woodwinds and string instruments. After the overture, she pronounced the orchestra “really good.” And it was. The pit orchestras in our region are superb. And live music is always better, Claire said.

We settled in for the show. Most of the people sitting near us were 30-something women. By then, this wasn’t a surprise.

Because Mermaid the musical is based on Mermaid the movie, comparisons are logical.

Though she wears a big red wig, the 5th’s Ariel doesn’t have blue eyes. Huey is of Asian heritage. The 5th has always done a great job of looking beyond race to see talent first.

In fact, the theater’s producers asked Huey to audition for the musical. I asked Huey how she responded.

“I laughed, and I was like, ‘For who?’ When they said Ariel, I really didn’t think it was going to happen,” Huey said. “But I thought, ‘Hey, I can sing ‘Part of Your World’ while they listen for three minutes.’ So I was just kind of in disbelief.”

At Kamiak High, where she graduated in 2004, Huey was involved in theater and choir. In fact, in her senior year she was nominated for best actress by the 5th Avenue’s high school awards program for her portrayal of Eponine in Kamiak’s production of “Les Miserables.”

“In my junior year, I switched out of biology because I got into the the jazz choir, which is more of a senior class. So to be in jazz choir for two years, I ended up taking biology when I was a senior. People thought I had flunked and was retaking it. For me, it was like how much of the arts can I get into my education?”

Huey graduated from Cornish College of the Arts in 2008, with an emphasis in musical theater. Since then she has worked with the 5th Avenue, Village Theatre, ACT, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory and regional theaters across the country, including the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. There in 2013, she won a prestigious Helen Hayes Award for best leading actress for her role as Kim in “Miss Saigon.”

Huey is thrilled to be home for the holidays while working at the 5th Avenue.

“Ariel has always been a favorite princess of mine, and it’s a dream come true to be a part of this amazing production,” Huey said. “The music, this story, this cast? It’s all so exciting. And to be home for this show is the best.”

The tunes and story line in the musical are much the same as in the movie.

But since fish tails are not compatible with a dry stage, the show’s designers have found wonderful, creative ways to move people around.

Ursula’s tentacles float around her and the sea witch’s eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, zip around on roller skates; Scuttle and his fellow seagulls tap dance; Sebastian, King Triton’s main crustacean, does a fabulous sideways crab walk; Flounder, Ariel’s favorite fish, sports a blue and yellow mohawk and dancing shoes; and the mermaids all wear fin-shaped dresses and carry seaweed capes.

“To make it look like we’re swimming, we fly onstage. It’s fun,” Huey said. “We’re wearing harnesses and wires, making the whole stage look like the deep, deep ocean.”

At first Huey was worried that the song “Part of Your World” wouldn’t be fun to perform because of the choreographed “swimming.” But instead of the orchestra and the fly system following Ariel’s moves, Huey follows a click track that keeps everyone together, freeing her to think about the song lyrics instead of the choreography, she said.

Many of the actors are from other parts of the country, have Broadway experience and are making their 5th Avenue debuts in this show. From Seattle, the show goes on to tour nationally.

Along with Huey, 5th Avenue veterans in the show include the delightful Melvin Abston as Sebastian, the hilarious Dane Stokinger as Chef Louis, Conner Russell as a lovely Flounder, Frederick Hagreen as Jetsam and Allen Fitzpatrick as Grimsby, the prince’s mentor. Matthew Kacergis, who plays Prince Eric and who — like Huey — has great pipes, will be recognized by Village Theatre audience members.

Favorite scenes in this show are “Part of Your World,” the beautiful “Under the Sea,” “Positoovity” — written for the musical and sung by the gulls, “Les Poissons” and “Kiss the Girl.” Kudos to the directors and designers for making such a delightful production.

What my theater companion Claire liked best about the show was that Ariel gets to be who she is, though it comes at a cost. The teary moment in the show occurs when Ariel says goodbye to her father.

“I like the way I am, and I like it that Ariel does, too,” Claire said.

Since seeing the show, numerous 30-somethings, including Herald features editor Sara Bruestle, have wanted to talk about “The Little Mermaid” phenomenon.

Bruestle was only 3 when she first saw the movie. Her sixth birthday party had a Mermaid theme, and her gifts included “The Little Mermaid” sheets, a matching a blanket and two Ariel dolls.

“I still love Ariel, not only because of how her story impacted me in my childhood, but also because its a movie I enjoy even as a 30-year-old woman,” Bruestle said. “I will admit that I have a ‘Little Mermaid’ sweatshirt and recently bought Mermaid sheets, this time in queen size.”

If you go

Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”

Through Dec. 31 at the 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave., Seattle.

For tickets, which start at $36, go to www.5thavenue.org or call 206-625-1900.