Villains are Thrilling in The Little Mermaid Jr.

By Karen Lewis

Three young ladies from Georgetown are having a ton of fun spooking the sold-out crowds at The Little Mermaid Jr.

Shaelyn Girvan, a Grade 9 Christ the King student, delivers a powerful performance as the devious sea witch Ursula.  

“I really like playing villians. You can put so much into them,” says Shaelyn who has been acting in musicals since the age of three and is enjoying tapping into her “evil side” for this role.

“Little Mermaid is my favourite Disney movie. I love the characters and how elaborate they are. And I’ve always really liked how sassy, slinky, and slimy Ursula is,” she says.

Two junior members of the cast who join Shaelyn on stage as Ursula’s slippery sidekicks are equally enthusiastic about being evil.

“I love being a villain,” says Scarlett Lowrie, who plays Flotsam, a sneaky electric eel. “As soon as I got the news that I got this role I was doing a happy dance for 10 minutes!” says the Grade 4 George Kennedy Public School student.

Gloria Tobin was also thrilled to land her first acting gig as the other eel, Jetsam.  Typically frightened of the “bad guys,” Gloria has found a benefit to playing one: “I don’t have to be afraid, because I am the villain. It’s also fun!” says the Grade 3 student from Holy Cross Elementary School.

The girls are sincere not sinister when they talk about inspiring young theatre-goers to get involved in future shows with Globe Productions Youth Company.

“When little kids come to the show, they will be inspired by all the acting, singing and dancing,” says Scarlett.

Gloria adds: “Especially if this is your first time ever seeing a play, it might inspire you to want to do this, too!”

Tickets are now sold out for the remaining performances of The Little Mermaid Jr., which take place on May 8, 9 and 10 at the John Elliot Theatre.

Globe Productions

Georgetown Globe Productions is a not-for-profit musical theatre group whose members live in Halton Hills and the surrounding areas.