Weekend: See Broadway musical 'The Little Mermaid' at Nazareth Academy

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? How about a trip to the theatre?

BAMtheatre, a Hinsdale-based theatre company, will be putting on a stage show of the Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, this weekend at , 1209 W. Ogden Ave., La Grange Park.

Featuring a cast of young, local performers, the play is based on the Broadway musical version, which premiered in 2007. Claire Drews, a Downers Grove resident and sophomore theater major at Indiana University, is working behind the scenes on the musical's production team.

Performances will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9; at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10; at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11; and at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12.

Tickets are available online at www.bamtheatre.com, and will also be available at the door. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 if purchased at the door.

In an interesting casting decision, the role of King Triton will be played by Eric Johnson of Hinsdale, and his real-life daughter, Shannon Johnson, will be one of three young actresses to play the part of Triton's daughter Ariel.

Artistic director Melanie Lamoureux and two 13-year-old friends founded BAMtheatre in 2001 when they gathered a handful of neighborhood kids to stage a production of Annie. Today, BAM provides a creative outlet for hundreds of suburban youngsters each summer, and the opportunity for college-level students with a serious interest in pursuing musical theatre to mentor young performers.