Theatre at St. Luke’s: All Shook Up to The Little Mermaid – Orlando Sentinel

Director Steve MacKinnon wasnt even through casting All Shook Up when he and his colleagues at St. Lukes United Methodist Church realized something didnt feel right.

It wasnt funny at a time when people are asked to dig into their empathy and understanding, says the Rev. Jennifer Stiles Williams, the southwest Orlando churchs lead pastor.

So, in an unusual move in the theater world, the church ditched the already announced Elvis Presley-inspired musical comedy and went under the sea. On July 20, Theatre at St Lukes will open its replacement show, the stage adaptation of Disneys The Little Mermaid.

We want to start conversations that help us think, Stiles Williams says. How can I live with my loved ones? We felt like Little Mermaid let us do that in a positive way.

The casts reaction to the drastic shift of gears?

Everybody was really gracious and supportive of the pivot, says MacKinnon, who is co-directing the show with KeLee Pernell and assistance from Faith Boles.

All Shook Up was originally selected at the end of last year earlier than the church usually selects its annual big summer musical, and Stiles Williams says, without quite as much soul-searching.

After last years Oliver, a musical with heavy themes of poverty and homelessness, we thought we were picking a fun rock-and-roll Elvis show, a fun way to tell a classic Shakespeare piece, Stiles Williams says.

Written in 2004, All Shook Up adapts characters and plots from Shakespearean romantic comedies including Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Nights Dream to a 1950s Americana setting. The featured songs are Presleys hits. It ran less than a year on Broadway but has been popular with regional and community theaters.

Because of the 1950s setting, there are antiquated ideas about race, some played for laughs. From Shakespeare, comes a crossdressing sequence in which a woman disguises herself as a man to get closer to the object of her affection.

Its a classic Shakespeare trope, its innocent and innocuous as Shakespeare wrote it, Stiles Williams says, but points out that theater operates in contemporary context.

Shes doing it [choosing an alternate gender] in a manipulative way and not in a search for her true identity, MacKinnon says of the plot twist. He and Stiles Williams decided, in Floridas current social climate, that the show would simply not be entertaining for all audience members.

Sometimes when things happen in the real world, we adapt, she says. And pivoting to The Little Mermaid?

It felt more affirming.

The Theatre at St. Lukes Facebook page carried a message, reading in part: With the growing political and cultural divide, we were concerned that All Shook Up, the Shakespearean comedy with a 1950s/Elvis theme, would cause more division and harm. We do not want to do anything that will divide the community more, or cause harm to the marginalized communities we support and affirm.

There also was concern about what children would enjoy in the show something that wont be a problem with The Little Mermaid, which Disney released in animated form in 1989 and remade as a live-action film this summer.

But theres more to The Little Mermaid than kiddie fare, MacKinnon says.

The musical has more depth than people think, he says, pointing out the stage versions themes include the walls society puts up against you and deals with the harm the human world has done to Ariels people Ariel being the titular sea creature.

Its relevant to the space were living in today, says MacKinnon. His cast participated in a workshop on unconscious bias and talked about Ariels struggle to live in a world that shes not from. The personal stories he heard from the shows performers were both impactful and moving, he says.

For Stiles Williams, the shows themes of parents, family and discovering ones authentic self mesh perfectly with the churchs mission.

Parenting is hard: How do you give children boundaries that keep them safe but honor the freedom that lets them be themselves and respect that? she says. These are important topics. And we have to learn to do that with all the people we love, its not just parent-child.

She thinks the musical also will speak to those journeying to find themselves.

One of the things people want help with is, How do I find my calling? How do I know what is my purpose?' she says.

Switching shows reminded church leaders that in a theater ministry, each production will be seen as a reflection of the churchs mission and values.

We realized we cant do something just for fun,' Stiles Williams says. Things are changing so fast in our society. We need to be intentional.

And the pastor is committed to making her church as inclusive as possible.

Jesus hung with marginalized, vulnerable people, she says, as he built a bigger table where everyone was welcome. Thats what Gods love is.

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more arts news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/arts, and go to orlandosentinel.com/theater for theater news and reviews.

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Theatre at St. Luke's: All Shook Up to The Little Mermaid - Orlando Sentinel