Just below the coral— sea parents dream of who their kids will be! And live on the stage of Children’s Playhouse of Maryland— you can see how wondrous these talented kids can be! Just as long as you— JUST KEEP SWIMMING, JUST KEEP SWIMMING, JUST KEEP SWIMMING! And you’d better swim fast if you want a chance at catching this production of Finding Nemo Jr.— several of the performances have sold out! Directed by Liz Boyer Hunnicutt, with Musical Direction by Charlotte Evans Crowley, and Choreography by Rachel Miller, this family-fun musical is touching and gleeful and the perfect way to welcome spring with all of its fun-loving, feel-good moments!
The production staff at CPM never ceases to amaze with the way they pull together quality resources for these young performers to truly experience theatre in the best way possible. Artistic and Technical Director Diane M. Smith (who doubles up as set designer & chief construction team lead, as well as sound board operator) finds the perfect balance of hybrid physical scenery and imaginatively engaging projections (crafted by SLShowTech) which really sets the stage, so to speak, for this underwater adventure. Having the capability to put the sea turtles in motion for the scenes in the EAC (East Australian Current) is really a wild effect; being able to pair that with some of these extraordinary larger-than-life set-piece-puppets (like Crush the rideable sea-turtle) is amazing. You get a whole host of impressive parts in play with this production— not to mention scenic artistry by Laura Miller. Ed Lake puts the aquatic vibes in motion with his use of blue and teal and green lights, all charged to match the energy of the scenes that they illuminate— and those sea-creature puppets are just out of this world.
Adding to the whimsy and fun of the production, Costume Coordinator Robyn Alvarez and her myriad crew (Daniela Alvarez, Emily Foggo, Theresa Foggo, Olga Mason, Shayna Roberts, Megan Sigal, Courtney Katzenberger) who really get that underwater couture set up for each of the individual characters that populate the cast. Everything from sharks to clown fish and all sorts of aquatic creatures in-between. Some of the costumes are subtle hints— like striped colored shirts that match the larger puppet that the actors carry and some of the other costumes are really wild and out there! The pink jelly-brella-accessories are amazing and so fun to look at! The whole team really pulls together to put all of the fantasy elements that are befitting of a Disney production on stage an it feels slightly reminiscent of visiting one of the parks or rewatching the film.
What really stands out with this production is music director Charlotte Evans Crowley’s work on the blended harmonies. Most of the students involved with this production are on the younger side of CPM’s talent pool and Crowley managed to astonishing sounds out of them. You get clear, solid harmonies during group numbers as well as powerful and emotionally charged songs too. It’s really an impressive feat, particularly when the talent is so young. A nod of praise and appreciation goes out to percussionist Lisa Wood for her tireless efforts to provide live-percussion, which helps keep these young performers right on the rhythm and with the beat of the music, which is super important for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which being because it helps them stay in time with Rachel Miller’s fun and funky choreography. With a lot of oceanic-wave-inspired movements, you get the sense that Miller was “going with the flow” as it were when it came to creating dance routines in this production. A personal favorite is the box-stepping, stand-alone kick-splash sequence during “Fish Are Friends Not Food.”
And of course you get all of these wonderful fun moments sprinkled throughout the performance— like the hilarious Vacationing Tourist (Zoey Cashin) and the callback gag of being set upon by the Seagulls (Carly Stuart, Enny Osunkoya, Sivert Carlson)— because Director Liz Boyer Hunnicutt focuses on making sure these young performers are telling a story, in addition to all of the singing and dancing that they’re doing. You get some really powerful moments of honest emotion being exchanged during this production, particularly between Nemo and Marlin. And you also get a lot of silly humor, and some fun accents that the kids try their hands at; Hunnicutt has a real talent for nurturing and encouraging these young performers, just like all of the CPM production staff do. And an ultra special shout-out to Stage Manager Anne Marie Freeburger, with her ASM Loren Johnson, and the Run Crew (Courtney Katzenberger, Kenny Sigal, Megan Sigal, Bryanna Taylor, Clover Wellons, Maddie White) who have these oceanic scene changes spinning around so fast if you blink you’ll miss them! It’s really important that scene changes go quickly when your show is only 75 minutes long— it really helps keep the audience engaged and this team manages to do exactly that!
The full CPM ensemble for Finding Nemo Jr. is chock-a-block with vivacious energy and really just puts you in a splendid mood when you watch them perform this show. Everyone in the ensemble is doubling up and having a blast. That energy feeds out into the audience, washing over young theatergoers (and theatergoers young at heart!) like this infectious wave of wonder. It’s really a great feeling. You have the ‘Reef Parents’ (Katelynn Cockey as Pearl’s Parent, Aleksander Graff as Sheldon’s Parent, and Selena Mason as Tad’s Parent) who initially interrogate and then befriend Marlin; there’s also the magic Moonfish (Zannah Simons), who can be seen and heard during “Just Keep Swimming Part II along with Marlin, Dory, and the Jellyfish (Meghan Chrzanowski). And keep your eye out for that movie-icon, the sinking scuba diver’s mask— you know, the one with P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney? Well that’s attached to Colette Halcott, who turns the prop’s entrances and exits into a fluid and tranquil dance. And don’t forget Nigel! The over-sized puppet-seagull (again, props to the creative team for pulling these puppets together) that pops into the Tank Scenes to tell Nemo about what’s happening out in Sydney Harbor, played with pluck by Bently Hines.
You get the wild and crazy Shark Crew— Bruce (Parker Hines), Chum (Kaille “Ellie” Lyons), and Anchor (Selena Mason)— who just have a ball with “Fish Are Friends Not Food” (and you get a great blast of red lighting when Dory gets a nosebleed, which just sets the whole song into blissful chaos.) Hines, Lyons, and Mason do a great job of carrying the solo lines in this number, and Hines’ accent is really cool. Keep your eyes peeled for Brady Katzenberger (as ‘fish’ the friend brought along who will hopefully not be eaten) because that’s a hilarious little moment when it happens!
There’s the ‘Reef Crew’ which includes all of Nemo’s friends— Pearl (Riley Sigal), Sheldon (Caroline Anderson), and Tad (Luke Dibello) It also includes Professor Ray (the second coolest puppet in the show next to the pink jelly-brelly-fish) played by the scholarly Chloe Anderson. You get great sounds from Sigal, Anderson, Dibello, and Anderson when they sing “The Drop-Off” and you get this really innocent sense of child-like fun and wonder when they first encounter “the butt.”
There’s also ‘Tank Crew’— which includes a group of ‘domesticated’ fish that Nemo encounters on the journey— Bubbles (Katelynn Cockey, who makes only hilarious burble-bubble sounds as the bright yellow tank-tang), Bloat (Ronald Gusso), Gurgle (Finley McCully, who does an excellent job panicking over all the germs and relaying that into her puppet and doubles up as Coral at the top of the show so you get to hear her sweet song voice there), Peach (Cecelia May, who has the most adorable southern accent and keeps it with impeccable consistency all throughout the performance), and Gill (Lily Anderson.) You get an amazing sound from Lily Anderson when she starts of the number “We Swim Together”, a song featuring the tank gang and Nemo. It’s packed with this emotional certainty, integrity and overall sense of confidence. Anderson’s voice inspires the others in the tank gang to sing with the same gusto and the whole number is really rewarding.
Totally groovy and rocking out for miles is the 150-year-old sea turtle, Crush (Noah Anderson) who takes the vocal lead on “Go With the Flow.” That number is really fun to watch and has you tapping your toes while Anderson and his fellow turtles— Bea Auvil, Eli Ginder, and others of the ensemble— rock along with him. And you can’t miss Squirt (Lucas Castro-Mendez.) He’s “offspring” according to Crush. (Directly from the movie. “Jellyman? Meet Offspring. Offspring? Meet Jellyman.”) And when Castro-Mendez does his cartwheel the audience just goes wild. The whole groovy, flowing scene and song for “Go With the Flow” becomes almost as much an anthem as the show’s iconic saying “Just Keep Swimming.”
Tackling the effervescent, delightfully naïve Dory, Gracie Roberts really comes into her own with this role. She’s chipper, cheery, and just a little forgetful. Okay maybe a lot forgetful. And she plays the character’s forgetfulness and childlike glee with such sincerity and a big grin on her face that you fall in love with her portrayal instantly. The audience is giggling and grinning along during “Dory’s Ditty” which is just too cute for descriptive words, and every time Roberts delivers one of those movie lines that we all know and love, she gets a big laugh. You get to hear her voice blending beautifully with Marlin during numbers like “Just Keep Swimming” and “Just Keep Swimming Together.”
Marlin (Kaitlyn Bell) has all of the overly anxious nerves of a ‘scaredy-cat fish’ and Kaitlyn Bell really understands the nuance of the character. There’s a little deadpan humor happening as well, like when Marlin has to play that ‘eye-spy’ game with Dory. You get big vocal energy from Bell during “Big Blue World” and a full-on emotional panic during “Abduction/Big Blue World (Reprise)” which really sets the tone for the journey that the Marlin character has to go on throughout the production. There is this tear-jerker moment near the end of the production with Bell’s Marlin and Colton Roberts’ Nemo that is just so heartwarming you’ll be hard-pressed not to sniffle a little too.
Astounding us with his powerhouse voice and focused stage presence, Colton Roberts takes up the mantle of the titular character and really rocks the role of Nemo. You get this amazing vocal sound whenever Roberts has to belt or sustain at the end of a number, like “Where’s My Dad?”, “Not My Dad”, and “That’s My Dad!” You also get intense emotional sincerity too; it’s the perfect combination of singing and emoting and it really makes this story endearing. Roberts also has a fun and determined side, whether he’s trying to prove he’s not scared when out with the Reef Kids at the Drop-Off or when he’s trying to pull together with the ‘Tank Gang’ when they’re planning their escape. Really a remarkable performance, Colton Roberts is living the dream as Nemo in Finding Nemo Jr.
So what are you waiting for? Just keep swimming! Right on over to that big blue— erm— box office— and get your tickets for Finding Nemo Jr. But don’t delay, as mentioned several performances are sold out and you won’t want to miss this fabulous fun, family-forward show!
Running Time: Approximately 75 minutes with one intermission
Finding Nemo Jr. plays through March 17th 2024 with Children’s Playhouse of Maryland in the Lecture Hall of the Administration Building at the Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus— 7201 Rossville Boulevard in Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (443) 840-2426 or purchase them online.
