In pictures: Falkirk Operatic on crest of a wave with The Little Mermaid

Last year’s show, Shrek, was staged at St Mungo’s High School but this year they’ve opted to swim over to the Dobbie Hall in Larbert to present this well-loved musical.

But one thing they have stuck with is many of the same leads from previous productions and their strong singing voices and quick-fire delivery of the humour makes this yet another successful show.

For anyone who hasn’t seen the Disney cartoon The Little Mermaid, the storyline centres around Ariel, youngest mermaid daughter of King Triton. However, not content with her underwater haven, she wants to live on land.

When she saves the life of Prince Eric after he is thrown overboard from his ship during a storm, she is determined to give up her mermaid tail for legs.

Her only hope is to bargain with her aunt, the evil sea witch Ursula, by agreeing to give up her beautiful singing voice in return for going on to dry land.

With the help of Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull and Sebastian the crab, aka the court composer, she has three days to wordlessly gain the love of her prince, or lose her soul forever to the evil witch.

Anne Rice as Ariel is unequivocally the star of the show with her delightful voice and confident stage presence making her the perfect leading lady. She sings strongly and sweetly, dances delightfully and delivers her lines perfectly whether they be pathos or humour. Her rendition of Part of Your World was one of the show’s many highlights.

Charming Prince Eric played by Andrew Tasker is another perfectly cast character and another strong singer – Falkirk Operatic are fortunate to have so many in their company – and this is perfectly displayed in his renditions of Her Voice and One Step Closer.

His foil and guardian Grimsby, played by Paul Rice, is another loveable character in this show which has so many.

The programme notes tell us James Cassidy has been away from the stage for a number of years but he certainly makes a commanding return as King Triton. He looks and sounds just as you image the king of the seas should be.

Sebastian the crab was one of the best-loved characters from the cartoon and in this stage show Grant-Scott Johnson ensures he won’t be forgotten by all who see him. His singing and dancing, along with the comic delivery are wonderful. His larger-than-life presence exudes every time he is on stage where he stars in many memorable numbers, including Under the Sea and Kiss the Girl.

Despite their fish and bird costumes, Catriona Turk as Flounder and Becky Blyth as Scuttle, sing and dance their way across the Dobbie Hall stage – and made it look so effortless.

Becky and the other dancers gave a sleek performance during Positoovity which deserved a special round of applause.

Doubling up as the dancers and Mersisters are Niamh Brooks, Evie McDonald, Kim Fraser, Jennifer Hughes, Amy Sutherland and Elaine Dawson – and they never put a foot wrong all evening.

There was more clever dance steps when Chef Louis (Chris Hogg) cooked up a storm with Les Poissons and director/choreographer Judy Brown should take a bow for a show filled with wonderful dance moves.

Nikki Johnstone was a convincing nasty Ursula in a role which could be overplayed but she nailed it and her rendition of Poor Unfortunate Souls was another highlight. She was ably assisted throughout by her sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam (Susan McFarlane and Leigh-Anne Struthers).

For me the highlight of the evening was If Only when Ariel, Prince Eric, Sebastian and King Triton sang together, this and the entire show was a credit to musical director Jon-Luke Kirton.

The leading characters were ably backed by the ladies and gentlemen of the chorus, who unfortunately weren’t listed in the programme but take a bow.

Opening night can often be tricky but this experienced Falkirk Operatic cast oozed confidence from curtain up to the last note to deliver another outstanding production.

Disney The Little Mermaid runs at the Dobbie Hall until Saturday.