REVIEW: Disney’s Finding Nemo Jr.

April 21, 2024

It is quite amazing to watch the actors work the puppets’ mouth and sometimes also their eyes while having them say their lines. It is mesmerizing to see the wildly different types of puppets.

By Sherri Ogden Wellington

Just Keep Swimming! Who doesn’t need to be reminded of this daily?

This fun and engaging entertainment is based on the Pixar movie, Finding Nemo (2003). It is a musical which uses a myriad of engrossing puppets to tell the story. The original screenplay was written based on a story by Andrew Stanton Kristen. He, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds wrote the screen play. Kristen Anderson-Lopez and her husband, Robert Lopez, wrote the songs and music for it. Lindsay Anderson and Myrna Conn collaborated to adapt the movie to a 60-minute version for junior actors.

Disney’s Finding Nemo Jr. is a stunning production by TCT which pleases the senses and is thoroughly entertaining for audiences of all ages–even the toddlers for an entire hour.

The Story of Disney’s Finding Nemo Jr.

As many of you know, Nemo is a story of a father, who happens to be a clownfish, (Aaron Marshall) who lost his wife, and all but one egg the day before they are to hatch due to a barracuda. To say that he is anxious and overprotective is an understatement. The one son who lives, Nemo ( Stella Ellen D’Asenzo), wants to explore the ocean beyond the anemone home where he lives in the Great Barrier Reef. Nemo’s defiance to go further into the deep leads him to get too close to a boat (or butt, as the others students in Nemo’s school call it). He is taken and ends up at the Sydney Aquarium where he finds himself with a caring, united group of fish.

The Tank Gang includes: Bubbles (Elexis Selmon), Peach (Carly Shepherd), Squirt (Lisa Takahashi), Gurgle (Kavan Vaidvelu) and of course, Gill (Josh Galloway) who find a way for him to escape back into the ocean. Meanwhile, his father deals with his own trials and tribulations to find his son.

Cast of TCT's Finding Nemo,Jr' Photo by Mikki Schaffner. — *The Tank Gang of TCT’s Finding Nemo Jr. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.*

Life would be so boring if there weren’t Dory’s in the world. Dory (Tommi Harsch), who always finds beauty in life despite her debilitating memory loss and Crush (Noah Warner), the mellow sea turtle who takes life as it comes, assists Nemo’s dad in finding Nemo. Crush’s body is controlled by four actors. Warner controls the head but two others control the arms and two the body. Puppetry at its finest.

Puppets! (Kevin Frisch and The Frisch Marionette Company)

The fish, sharks, and other characters are PUPPETS! Every actor wears a blue suit with an oxygen tank (Roderick Justice, Costume Design). They manipulate stick, string, hand and other types of puppets. The largest is the pelican whose head is as tall as the stage. It is quite amazing to watch the actors work the puppets’ mouth and sometimes also their eyes while having them say their lines. It is mesmerizing to see the wildly different types of puppets.

All of the actors bring something to this play in their own special way. From the ensemble cast of Benjamin Abes-Feldman whose enthusiasm is contagious and Parker Patton whose smile and energy makes the audience want to smile as well, to Aaron Marshall whose command of the stage is entrancing and Tommi Harsch’s whimsical take on Dory’s personality creates a magical experience. There isn’t enough space here to mention each of the actors and their talents.

The Production and Design Team

As is usual in TCT, the choreography (Roderick Justice) is superb. Roderick Justice, who seems to be able to do everything, is the artistic director. When walking into the theater my 7-year-old companion gasps with delight at the scenery (Nate Bertone Scenic Design/Direction). There is a huge red sea anemone in the middle of the stage, with blue rocks on each side with various coral and anemones on them. Strings of blue hang down from the top of the stage while wavy horizontal lines lit up in front of them. It is the ocean!

One has to sway to the music (Mark Femia) since the collaborative voices of the ensemble are trenchant. The lightning is flawless (Ben Gantose). The Director of Production, Dani Lobello, and Production Stage Manager, Jadi Davis, along with the Technical Direction, Ben Adams and Maggie Foley ensure everything runs smoothly to make a thoroughly entertaining production.

Bonus

Now you may or may not experience this but, the icing on the cake for this audience member was at the end of the show. The actors on stage unfurled a sign with a marriage proposal on it and then, right in front of our eyes, a young man went on one knee and asked the love of his life to marry him. My companion (again, 7-years-old) kept asking me what was happening and my retort a minimum of five times was that this man was asking this woman to marry him. His response: “How embarrassing”. Ah life.

Tickets to Disney’s Finding Nemo Jr.

Get tickets and go with your favorite young people–or just to see a great production. Go to https://thechildrenstheatre.com/ to see Finding Nemo Jr. This show’s Targeted Audience is 4+, K-6 graders. School Performances are scheduled on April 23, 26 and 29.