Review: Eels scoot and ‘Mermaids’ fly in Ordway’s lush holiday musical

What have you sacrificed for love? And is that like giving up, say, martinis for Lent?

In “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” title princess Ariel, uncomfortable with her body and her life below the waves, wants to trade her fins for legs. Flap-flap for pitter-patter as she literally flips head over fins for a human, Prince Eric.

But to get feet and join him above the waves, she has to strike a bargain with her aunt Ursula, a delectably evil sea witch (must those witches show up in every realm, and ooh, can we all cheer for them?). The deal is one that only unreconstructed sexists might like. Ariel (sweet-voiced Leianna Weaver) is willing to give up her voice to get her man.

That, of course, makes communication a little awkward with Eric (charismatic Christian Probst) who, coincidentally, is the beneficiary of a birthday sing-off where he’s supposed to pick a bride.

OK, so this fantasy is alternately smart, facile and problematic. But most of its issues get swept away in director Glenn Casale’s entertaining and splashy “Mermaid” spectacle at St. Paul’s Ordway Center.

The production, which runs through Dec. 29, boasts a vivid marine setting with blue and green visual notes and suggestions of waves and kelp and all the rest. The major characters flap in the air in and out of view in acrobatic flying sequences expertly choreographed by Paul Rubin.

In addition to looking great, this “Mermaid” has a lot of cool effects. (You don’t need an umbrella at the Ordway, but it gets a little immersive; be prepared for a sprinkling of real bubbles.)

The story does take a bit to connect emotionally, though. And that has nothing to do with the cross-species, human-mermaid love. Nor is it a knock against Weaver and Probst, two fine performers with talent who find their chemistry and evoke sweetness and heart by the end.

The truth is that for all its popularity in animated film versions, “Mermaid” doesn’t have great songs. The best number for this work by composer Alan Menken and lyricists Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater is “Under the Sea.” And that’s delivered by crusty crab Sebastian (Dana Orange), a funny, secondary character that Orange has sketched in the broadest, most comical terms.

But I suspect that my reservations feel nitpicky. For this “Mermaid” appeals to our broadest, most childlike sensibilities. And it’s a visual treat. Casale and choreographer John MacInnis have found a really creative movement language that keeps us hooked in the watery milieu.

And just the sheer level of thought and detail that went into the show make up for the fact that it also starts to feel familiar for those of us steeped in the Disney universe.

Oh, so King Triton (Trent Mills) and Ursula (Liz McCartney) are another version of Mufasa and Scar from “The Lion King.” And the slippery hench eels Flotsam (Mitchell Lam Hau) and Jetsam (Christopher Diem) are like Jasper and Horace from “101 Dalmatians.”

And the tap-dancing sea gulls. You know what, sometimes the best thing to do is not to think at all. Just let it take you away, like Flotsam and Jetsam with electric lights blazing on their backs.

When: 7:30 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 1:30 & 7 p.m. Sun. Ends Dec. 29.

Where: Ordway Center, 345 Washington St., St. Paul.

Tickets: $46.50-$161.50. 651-224-4222 or ordway.org.