The Cody Theatre Company will be taking audiences on a deep sea expedition when its rendition of “The Little Mermaid” graces the stage this weekend at the Wynona Thompson Auditorium as well as the weekend of Sept. 21.

When the curtain opens audiences will be treated to a cast of more than 40 people performing a musical that hits many of the same beats as the Disney classic with a few song additions and plot tweaks, Director Donna Lynn Murray said.

The play has been a long time coming. Murray planned the play for roughly six months, with four-day-a-week rehearsals beginning in May. It’s a play she had wanted to direct since around the time Covid delayed Cody High School’s rendition.

“We waited a few years, and then we decided we would do it,” Murray said. “It's just such a fun Disney show. I think it’s one of everybody's favorites.”

Leading the play will be Adrienne DeWilde as Ariel, and Powell music teachers Michael Jaycox as Prince Eric and Drew Murray as Ursula. Taylor Reeder is serving as assistant director, Emily Jones crafted the costumes, Suzanne Palmer served as a set builder and Drew Murray lent a hand with the music.

“The music is beautiful, and we just love the show,” the director said.

The music will be a little different this year, with prerecorded tracks replacing the live orchestra.

Instead the orchestra pit will serve as an extension of the sea, which will help provide visual depth to scenes where some characters are “under the sea,” and others on land.

“We have a blue curtain down around the bottom so it mimics the water, and then we have a platform built so the actors are not directly on the floor,” the director said.

On top of that, much of the cast has multiple costume changes. Some of the costumes have been rented while others have been made by Emily Jones and others.

“They have made some beautiful mermaid costumes and some of the fish costumes. So it's been a lot of fun to watch,” Donna Murray said. “She also made Ursula's costume, so it's been fun watching her grow. She's done some costuming before for us, but never anything as fantastical as this.”

The director, whose plays are known for extravagant sets, has been teased for a play that seems simpler, she said, but “The Little Mermaid” has a “whole lot of little pieces,” that need to be coordinated and built, including coral made from pool noodles and loofahs.

“So she's used all of those types of things to make the coral. And it's just colorful and beautiful. It's really been fun to watch.”

The first performance will kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 followed by performances Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Saturday’s show will be a sing along — audiences can participate using their phones and a QR code. Then, the following weekend there will again be a Friday performance at 7 p.m. followed by Saturday and Sunday performances at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under if purchased ahead of time at The Thistle in Cody or from any cast member; if purchased at the door adult tickets are $30 per person.