Sarah Kay

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December 2024 View more

By Jen Banowetz

Under the sea with Drury Lane’s Little Mermaid

Sarah Kay as Ariel in ‘Disney’s The Little Mermaid’

Sarah Kay was all set to pursue a career in medicine. It was everything she thought she always wanted. But the summer before heading off to college at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a biology major, she decided to have some fun in a community theater production.

“That was when my life took a complete 180,” she says. “I fell in love with theater and storytelling in this medium—I knew I had to pursue it as a career.”

That’s some pivot. She auditioned for musical theater programs while attending her first year of college as a biology major and then transferred the following year to Pace University in New York.

During college, she worked for Disney Theatrical Productions on various workshops and readings, performed in regional theaters, and made her off-Broadway debut. Senior year she was cast in her first Broadway production, Here Lies Love.

You can catch her over the holidays starring as Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, which runs through Jan. 12 at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace.

Q: So, what’s it like to be a Disney princess?
A: I never imagined myself playing a Disney princess, but being cast as Ariel made me realize this was a dream I never knew I had. I definitely feel those high expectations from the audience, especially since The Little Mermaid is an iconic piece, but I’m excited to share the work I’ve done and be able to share a side of Ariel people may have never seen before.

Q: What’s been most challenging about this production?
A: Navigating my tail! My mermaid costume consists of a long skirt that hides my feet and a tail that drags behind me like a wedding dress train. It’s been a challenge figuring out how to stand, walk, sit, and kneel with this attachment, but every day it gets easier. There have been times people have tripped over the tail, or I even trip over myself, but that’s the beautiful thing about live theater—we wear and do things to help portray our characters, and we will do anything (like trip over tails) to be able to tell this story.

Q: Tell us about your start on Broadway.
A: My Broadway debut was one of the most special nights of my life, especially since it was the first all-Filipino cast to ever be on Broadway. I learned so much from that experience, and I take so much of what I learned with me everywhere I go.

Following my dreams despite what everyone else thought I should be doing reminds me a lot of Ariel, so I feel like I really understand her. I’m honored to be playing Ariel as my first Disney princess and showing the audience the perspective of a Filipina Ariel.

Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring performers?
A: Work hard and always be kind. This industry can be tough, but if you continue to remind yourself why you perform and find love in everything you do, it will feel like you have never worked a day in your life. Be kind to everyone—your cast, crew, and creative team. We’re all teammates working to achieve the same goal, no one is more important than the next. Be yourself. You are a unique person with unique perspectives and experiences. If you can offer your full authentic self as a performer, you will be unstoppable.

 

Photo: Brett Beiner