Take the plunge into the colourful, romantic and tuneful Disney's Little Mermaid at Scarborough's YMCA Theatre - how to get your tickets

The curtain went up earlier this week on the YMCA Productions staging of the musical which features hit songs Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl, Poor Unfortunate Souls and Part of Your World.

From the second the audence steps in to the auditorium there is a taste of the sea – soft fronds, lobster pots, fishing nets and coral reefs.

The stage is set for a romantic and thrilling tale of the deep – mermaid Ariel falls in love with Prince Eric, who she rescues from drowning and then dreams of living happily ever after with him.

First, she has to grow a pair of legs and learn to adapt to life above the ocean waves – and defy her father’s wishes to achieve her ambition.

Director Katie Doubtfire keeps the pace fast while allowing her cast of young people to shine in their lead roles – and make the most of the cameos.

Evie McGlinchey, who played sweet-natured Sandy in the company’s production Grease last year, leads the cast magnificently as the glorious-voiced and feisty-natured mermaid Ariel.

Archie Floyd is the rebellious Prince Eric and Josh Simpson is lordly guardian Grimsby.

Jasmine Towse, who was the sassy Rizzo in Grease, rides a crest of the wave in her turn as the dark-hearted octopus Ursula – who tricks Ariel into giving up her voice so she can live on land.

She can act as well as belt out numbers including Poor Unfortunate Souls. She was the baddie the audience loved to hate.

Amy Cosheril and George Schmuck as her sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam, respectively, had all the right moves.

Of course, it is the comic characters who get the best lines. Owen Prince as the crab Sebastian is outstanding as Ariel’s tortured, reluctant chaperone.

Jack Wheeler is the devoted Flounder and Hannah Smith the bird-brained Scuttle.

Mention has to go to James Ireland as the French chef Louis. His delivery of Les Poissons was a masterclass in comic timing and performance.

The chase scene with Owen Price’s Sebastian was a highlight.

Amy Shepherdson, Adria Beattie, Phoebe Davies Bekkii Playforth, Annabelle Wallis-Scholey and Elisha Stuttard were great as Ariel’s sisters and delivered their number She’s In Love in true girl-band fashion.

In true YMCA style, the production is about performance and production. One cannot excel without the other,

The sets – a ship, an underwater kingdom, a palace – are amazing and brightly-coloured.

The lighting effects and sound quality first class.

YMCA Productions bring Disney’s Little Mermaid to the stage with high-quality performances, superb singing and dancing and all the bells and whistles audiences have come to expect.

It has humour, romance, tunes and thrills to keep all the family entertained and engrossed for a couple of hours this holiday week.

Principal cast:

Evie McGlinchey, Archie Floyd, Owen Price, Jack Wheeler, Steve Brewster, Jasmine Towse, Amy Cosheril, George Schmuck;

Amy Shepherdson, Adria Beattie, Phoebe Davies, Bekkii Playforth, Annabelle Wallis-Scholey, Elisha Stuttard;

Josh Simpson, Hannah Smith, James Ireland, CJ Wells, Thomas Atkinson Windward, Isabelle Bradbury Leeward.

Core Dance Team

Lucy Butterfield, Lucy Marshall.

Supporting cast

Dexy Carroll, Aimee Draper, Emily Harrison, Lily Hayes, Oliver Johnson, Veronica Koval-Meth, Jess Little, Layla Noble, Harri Smith, Evan Todd, Bex Wainwright and Scarlett Winspear

Production team

Katie Doubtfire, director; Hayley Green, assistant director; Hannah Beattie, musical director; Tilly Jackson, choreographer

Technical and creative team

Set, Curious Theme Factory; costumes, Lisa Smith, Sandie Gosling, Wendy Chapman, Liz Scarborough, Kay O’Brien, Rose Hadley, Korola Powell;

Props, Anne Mortlock; sound design, Mark Watling; sound control, Declan Carr, lighting design, Liam Downey, Graham Ibbotson

Lighting control, Ethan Sweeney-Graham, Tom Jey, Ollie Winter;

Stage manager, Hayley Green; backstage crew, Chris Bullivant, Dave Smith, Jospeh Prince and Thomas Denston.

Marketing content creation, Winter Productions.

Catch Disney’s The Little Mermaid at the YMCA Theatre, St Thomas Street, Scarborough, on Wednesday April 20, Thursday April 21, Friday April 22 and Saturday April 23, daily at 2pm.

There are evening performances at 7pm on Thursday April 21, Friday April 22 and Saturday April 23.

Tickets and meet and greets can be booked via the box office on 01723 506750 or online at ymcatheatre.uk