Panther Players, Memorial Middle School bring ‘The Little Mermaid’ to life

The Lenape High School theatre will be transformed into a magical kingdom under the sea starting Friday, April 26, as the Medford Panther Players from Haines Sixth Grade Center and Memorial Middle School bring Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” to life.

Performances are set for Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 27 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Friday, May 3 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 4 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Lenape High School located at 235 Hartford Road in Medford.

Tickets will be available starting Friday, March 29, online at www.medfordmemorial.org and in person at Memorial School’s main office located at 55 Mill Street from Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Tickets are $9 in advance and $10 at the door.

“The Little Mermaid” marks the seventh production directed by Michael Del Rossi, a social studies teacher at Haines Sixth Grade Center.

According to Del Rossi, the talented cast will perform all of the songs from the award-winning Broadway musical including Kiss the Girl, Part of Your World, and Under the Sea.

The production includes a cast of 70 sixth, seventh and eighth graders as well as a bevy of staff and parent volunteers.
There are also 10 students in the orchestra.

“When I heard that the rights to ‘The Little Mermaid’ were being released, I was ecstatic. I knew it would be perfect for our actors who possess such a wealth of talent and enthusiasm. It’s a challenging show, but I know the work ethic of this group and knew they would be up to it,” said Del Rossi.

“This is a show that the kids love doing and the community will enjoy watching since it is full of fun, memorable music and a story line that can be appreciated by audiences of all ages. It’s going to be a great show and extra special for me because ‘Kiss the Girl’ was the song my wife and I chose to dance to at our wedding,” he added.